One of the biggest challenges for employers regarding COVID-19 is keeping track of which employees have been vaccinated. Asking workers about their COVID-19 vaccination status is a smart thing to do. It’s also something that you probably don’t feel comfortable asking.
And for a good reason; health-related information is a sensitive matter. Furthermore, laws in the United States prohibit discrimination against employees based on their vaccination status. While there are no regulations burring you from asking them about their vaccination status, the best practice would be to comply with existing regulations on employee health data.
Here are some common questions and a complete guide on how to go about it.
1. Is it okay to ask workers their vaccine status?
Yes, it is. According to COVID vaccination directions by The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), two laws allow you to ask your personnel their vaccination status, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
2. Can I request evidence of vaccination?
Yes, EOCC guidelines also allow you to ask for evidence of the COVID jab. If you choose to collect this data, be sure to gather only the relevant document(s), e.g., the Covid vaccination card.
3. How should you ask for Vaccination Info?
There are a few ways to collect this data. However, you must decide whether this is voluntary or you need disclosure.
After that, you can collect the data through:
- Organizing for a COVID vaccine survey,
- Requesting personnel to fill a form
Lastly, remember to handle these confidential health records with care as failure to do so can lead to serious legal repercussions.
4. How do I handle confidential employee data?
Follow these steps to avoid facing legal challenges due to poor handling of employee data:
- Capture and store these files separate from other worker files.
- Allocate a private and safe storage area
- Provide access only to your Human Resource Management team.
- Collect only relevant pieces of data
Lastly, you want to be very careful with this data. Request only relevant pieces of data to protect your company in case it suffers a data breach.