Are your workplace documenting that you've been vaccinated?

[HaveYouMetMyMateStanley]

My workplace has requested that we send the dates of our vaccinations to our line manager and HR "for their records". In a large team, two are undecided as to whether they will have the jab. Various reasons and their decision. They have said that they are feeling pressure from the line manager to make a decision. I was talking to my DP who works elsewhere about this pressure and vax vs unvax etc which led to a discussion on the ethics of my workplace documenting this as its personal medical information. I have no idea what they are doing with this information and why they need it as assumed it was the norm.

For what it's worth, his workplace will be hybrid going forward and have still not discussed going back to the office whereas most of us have worked in office all the way through with my employer somehow getting "key worker" status which we absolutely are not.

Are your workplace documenting this and do you think it's ethical?

I think some posters are going to be in for a shock.

Many firms have been requesting HR advice re covid.

Some are asking if they can insist that employees are fully vaccinated before coming back to the office.

Other firms are asking if they can implement a policy that all new staff need to have had the Covid vaccine?

Very topical stuff.

I'm an employer. I won't be asking. It's none of my business.

Yes, doesn't bother me that it's recorded.

Our H&S manager is keeping a tally, not people's names but just X has had 1 or 2 doses and they are always on site / sometimes on site / wfh. Then he can continue to risk assess the site as a whole.

He just says please let him know if you're happy to do so, no pressure.

Yes we have to upload it to a system on Hr.

No but HR did advise managers it was appropriate to ask if team members had a vaccines booked & when for staffing levels (we are allowed time off to go get one). We’ve also said that no-one has to return to office until they are fully vaccinated (should they wish to be). I asked my team & all 8 them started discussing it happily in our teams chat .. no-one was offended or thought it was inappropriate 🤷🏼‍♀️ I literally couldn’t care less if my employer knows or not. It’s a vaccine, not a personal medical issue!

My workplace has asked and I'm not telling them. Like others they say it's for planning purposes but it makes me uncomfortable.

The DHSC have been driving this. CQC registered providers are asked to report weekly on the number of eligible care workers offered the vaccine, and then those who had the first and second jab. Non CQC services such as voluntary or third sector organisations who have put forward staff as being eligible as social care workers are also being approached by their local authority to supply this data.

Yes, I've been asked to give the names and dates of members of my team who've had their jabs (or chosen not to). We work with vulnerable people and our commissioners apparently need to know the percentage of our staff who have had none, 1 or both vax.

Frankly if I was one of our service users I'd want to know that the staff were vaccinated.

It’s a vaccine, not a personal medical issue!
For you it is, but for people who can't have it for medical reasons it is a personal medical issue! And they might not want to share that information.

I’ve been asked in an anonymous survey. Wouldn’t bother me if it wasn’t anonymous; it’s not a personal medical detail. It’s just a vaccine.

Yes as I work in social care. They ask if I had the flu and hepatitis vaccine to

I'm the HR manager for my partnership, we took legal and H&S advice on our ongoing risk assessments and have asked staff (if they feel comfortable to do so) to share their vaccination status, this is to plan office time as many staff are requesting to come back from WFH due to isolation.

Nothing sinister in our aims, we would still pay the company sick pay if an unvaccinated employee caught covid, we're not putting any pressure on people to take it or share their status, we'd just like to know if we can start to plan any sort of return for those who wish to do so. The voluntary disclosures have meant that we feel it is a safe enough risk to run a summer outdoor social event for staff to meet up with colleagues they haven't seen in nearly 18 months.

@Lupinhere37

I’ve been asked in an anonymous survey. Wouldn’t bother me if it wasn’t anonymous; it’s not a personal medical detail. It’s just a vaccine.

Of course it's personal medical information. It may be that an individual is happy to share that info, but it is in your medical records and therefore medical information. And it's up to an individual if they wish to share that information.

I am not asked to disclose my vaccine status for any other vaccine in my work, so cannot see why this one is any different.

Firms also need to follow gdpr so would need to show why they want this information etc. I think my employer would find it hard to give a legal reason as to why they not only wanted to know but also why they wanted to record it on my record.

It's becoming uncomfortable. One person was called an anti vaxxer, which they adamantly aren't- they are just wary of this. They were signed up to get AZ and then the blood clot news came out and affected an acquaintance of theirs and made them nervous. They were also asked if they think the world is flat.

Nothing more has been said about recording the information so it may have died down for now but I have no doubt as the only one who hasn't recorded I will be shamed soon enough.

I work for the civil service and have a high level of security vetting so I figure they already know everything there is to know about me - this is just one more thing! Plus I work with very vulnerable people who my employers have duty to protect - I am happy to pass my vaccine status on for that reason.

this company very much seems to forget they don't own us

And this is the problem! I've no doubt some employers are kind and genuinely care for their staff but I've met others who are cut throat who I wouldn't trust to feed a hamster never mind holding sensitive information.

We've been asked to, and i just had mine yesterday but I don't plan on telling them. They have no reason to know. I would only discuss medical things with them if they were impacting on my ability to do my job!

I understand not liking this, but moving forward, I think it will become mandatory- which I'm also not comfortable with. Here (Aus) your child's vaccination status is known- no jab no nursery, and no government benefits. The only 'reason' I can see is that potentially different rules would be needed- in my workplace (healthcare) if you haven't had the flu vaccine, then you are not permitted to work in certain areas, or with certain people who are higher risk due to being immune compromised.

no and if they do ask formally they will be getting told to get lost as i dont see why on earth they would need to know , i work in retail not the nhs

We own a business and wouldn't dream of asking about this or any other health related treatment unless it effects an employees ability to do their job (then it would be for looking for ways to assist). We only employ 9 people though and people talk so I do happen to know their status.

No one has asked. But I told my manager when I had my first dose in conversation.

Not formally, but it’s a small place and we all talk about these things a lot and know that everyone has had two jabs now.

Goodness no our company isn’t asking and keeping track who has and who hasn’t.
Obviously it gets spoken about as it’s a main Topic at the moment some staff have had it and some haven’t.

The person further up thread who said that their company has asked as it helps plan meeting bubbles etc, I’m sorry but that’s rubbish anyone who has had the injection can still get covid and still pass it on so I can’t see how that helps to organise meetings.