ThinkTWENTY20

The short-term status of the pandemic seems to be that it is abating, although there are other issues around new variants, unvaccinated people and rising cases in some areas. However, the general consensus seems to be that we need to begin restoring some normality to our working lives.

That means bringing people back into the office, whether on a full time, part time or hybrid basis. Each of the alternatives means that there will be more face to face contact. A vaccination policy is needed. And the policy will need to reflect protocols established by governments, but also corporate and personnel cultures. The policy would affect not only employees, but also customers and suppliers. The policy would address not only the vaccination requirements but also would address the question of whether testing is a permissible alternative. What kind of testing and how would it be administered and recorded?

Of course, the policy is only the beginning. Immediately there arises the matter of enforcement, as well as a host of privacy and ethical issues. HR also needs to be involved.

Data needs to be collected, managed, stored and decisions made as to reporting on any incidents connected to the governance and enforcement of the policy. Software is being rolled out for this purpose.

In short, it isn’t a simple matter. Deloitte has released an excellent paper providing guidance on effective rollout of vaccination policies. It can be found at https://www2.deloitte.com/ca/en/pages/public-sector/articles/vaccination-status-program.html