8 in 10 workers, employers in Singapore say Covid-19 vaccination should be mandatory at workplaces: Survey

• A survey found that 82 per cent of workers and employers believe vaccination should be made mandatory at workplaces
• More than half of employees polled said their colleagues who actively choose not to get vaccinated should be fired 
• Yet, 39 per cent of the respondents felt this was a step too far 
• The survey polled 1,000 employees and 251 employers in Singapore

SINGAPORE — About eight in 10 (82 per cent) employees and employers in Singapore believe that vaccination against Covid-19 should be made mandatory in the workplace, based on a survey by the United States-based job site Indeed. 

The survey, done between July and August, also found that about five in 10 employees (54 per cent) here felt that their colleagues who actively choose not to be vaccinated should be dismissed. Close to four in 10 (39 per cent), however, felt that this was a step too far. 

The survey polled 1,000 employees and 251 employers in the technology, banking, finance and enterprise sectors in Singapore. Its findings were released on Tuesday (Sept 7).

The poll also showed that 79 per cent of employers and 84 per cent of employees here agreed that companies should have visibility over who among their staff members is vaccinated and who is not.

“The strong support for vaccinations indicates a desire to leave behind a pandemic that has taken an economic, physical and emotional toll,” the research report said. 

Right now, vaccination is not compulsory for Singapore workers who wish to return to offices. 

Last month, an advisory issued by the Government, employers and unions stated that “under no circumstances” should an employer terminate or threaten to terminate the service of an employee on the basis of vaccination status alone.

Still, all employers have been urged to adopt a regime that either sees their workers fully vaccinated or requires unvaccinated employees to undergo regular testing to keep their workplaces free from the coronavirus.

The following are the other findings from the Indeed survey.

VACCINATION AS A WAY OUT OF PANDEMIC

• 91 per cent of those surveyed felt that high vaccination rates would at least somewhat or even entirely relieve the stress caused by the pandemic

• 73 per cent of business leaders surveyed reckoned that widespread vaccination would have a significant or moderately positive impact on their business

• Just 13 per cent of employers felt that general vaccination coverage would harm their business

• 88 per cent of employers and 87 per cent of employees believed that higher vaccination rates are the key to restarting international business travel

VACCINATION INCENTIVES

• 66 per cent of employers surveyed were already offering incentives to staff members to get vaccinated

• Some incentives are paid leave (71 per cent), cash bonuses (45 per cent), gifts such as dinner vouchers (41 per cent), extra training (30 per cent) and non-cash gifts (24 per cent) 

• 61 per cent of the rewards were worth between S$50 and S$200, while 34 per cent were valued at between S$201 and S$500. The mean value of these rewards was S$235

• Employees also said that they would more likely get vaccinated if they were given time off (56 per cent), vaccine-related leave for those experiencing side effects (56 per cent) or bonuses (52 per cent)

• 40 per cent of employers who had not rolled out incentives were considering doing so

VACCINATION STATUS 

• Employers and employees want transparency around the vaccination status of their workers and colleagues

• 79 per cent of workers felt that they should have access to the same information that their employers have about their colleagues’ vaccination statuses 

• On third-party workers or visitors who enter workplaces, 74 per cent of employees felt that electronic vaccination passports should be a requirement for entry 

• Almost all businesses (95 per cent) said that they allow third-party workers into their workplaces, usually with restrictions such as requiring them to wear masks

VACCINATION PROGRAMMES, POLICIES

• A significant majority (90 per cent) of workers surveyed said that they would get vaccinated if their workplace offered the vaccine

• 81 per cent also said that they would trust their employer to protect their personal health data

• 60 per cent of employers have rolled out a Covid-19 vaccination policy