Voluntary Workplace Vaccination Model Policy
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It is legal in most states for employers of fewer than 100 workers to have a voluntary or mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy.
Check your state laws before putting any vaccine policy in place.
How to Use This Model Policy
Use the template below to develop a voluntary vaccination policy for your workplace. Your policy should cover:
- Title—what the policy is
- Effective date—when the policy will be enforced
- Purpose—why the policy is needed
- Scope—who is covered by the policy
- Procedures—how to comply with the policy
- Contact—who to reach out to with any questions regarding the policy
Change the text in brackets to customize the policy.
Title
[Employer Name] Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccination Policy
Effective Date
This policy is effective as of [Month Day, Year].
Purpose
[Employer Name] is committed to the health and safety of our employees.
COVID-19 vaccines are an important tool when it comes to protecting the health of our employees, customers, and community. With the emergence of new and highly contagious COVID-19 variants, it’s more important than ever that our employees protect themselves and each other by getting fully vaccinated and staying up to date with their vaccines.
[Employer Name] has adopted this voluntary vaccination policy to help protect our employees from COVID-19. This policy also helps preserve the health of our workers’ families, customers and visitors, business partners, and community members.
Scope
All employees of [Employer Name] are encouraged, but not required, to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Employees may choose not to get vaccinated for medical reasons. [Employer Name] encourages those employees to talk with their health care provider about how they can protect themselves and others from COVID.
Employees may also choose not to get vaccinated for religious reasons. [Employer Name] encourages those employees to talk with their spiritual advisor about their concerns.
Procedures
Overview
Getting vaccinated. All employees who are able are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19. You should get all recommended doses for the COVID-19 vaccine you choose.
Everyone 6 months or older can get either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.
People 12 and older can also choose to get the Novavax vaccine.
The number of doses you need to stay up to date with your COVID vaccine depends on your age and which vaccine you get.
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Updated vaccines are available to help protect against Omicron.
Get an updated COVID vaccine now if you’re 18 or older and:
- You haven’t yet gotten a COVID vaccine.
- You’re vaccinated and your last dose was before September 2022.
People 65 and older can now get a second updated COVID vaccine beginning 4 months after their first.
People with a weakened immune system can get a second updated COVID vaccine beginning 2 months after their first.
If you recently had COVID, you can wait 3 months from when you got sick to get your updated COVID vaccine.
For vaccinated people 18 and older who haven’t gotten a booster or who can’t or won’t get an updated COVID vaccine, such as for health reasons: You can choose to get a Novavax booster 6 months after completing any of the primary vaccination series (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Novavax, or Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen) to help keep up your protection against COVID. However, unlike the updated vaccines, Novavax’s booster doesn’t target the Omicron variant.
You have three ways to find vaccines near you:
- Go to vaccines.gov
- Text your ZIP code to 438829
- Call 1-800-232-0233
Supporting COVID-19 Vaccination
[Employer Name] wants to support employees in their efforts to get vaccinated. To that end, we are offering: [List how much leave, if any, you are offering employees so that they can take time off work to get vaccinated (the paid and sick leave amounts below are based on industry standards for COVID-19 vaccinations).
- Up to 4 hours of paid leave per vaccine dose to allow time for travel and getting vaccinated.
- Up to 2 days of sick leave if you have side effects from the vaccine that prevent you from working.]
To further support employee vaccination, we are: [List what you are doing to encourage employee vaccination at your work site(s).
- Hosting an on-site COVID-19 vaccine clinic.
- Offering incentives and benefits for vaccinated workers, such as cash bonuses, gift cards, and free products like food or other gifts.
- Supporting transportation to off-site vaccination clinics by paying fares for taxis or rideshare services.
- Helping employees make their vaccination appointments.
- Hosting a question-and-answer session for employees with doctors or public health experts who reflect the cultural identity of your workforce. Your local health department may be able to provide a community health worker to visit your workplace and talk to your employees.
- Providing regular updates on topics like the benefits, safety, and effectiveness of vaccination.
- Identify any other barriers that are specific to your workforce and implement policies and practices to address them.]
The federal government is providing all COVID-19 vaccine doses free of charge.
Requesting time off for vaccination. Please complete the following steps to request time to get a COVID-19 vaccine or to request sick leave for vaccine side effects: [Describe how an employee can submit requests, how you are granting leave, etc.] Contact Please direct any questions regarding this policy to [Insert responsible party, such as Human Resources or a designated coordinator].
Contact
Please direct any questions regarding this policy to [Insert responsible party, such as Human Resources or a designated coordinator].