NZ tech firm says 'no jab, no meeting', introduces $1200 vaxx incentive for customers

Image / Getty Creative

Wellington tech company Raygun is offering $1200 worth of services free for new clients - as long as they can prove they are fully vaccinated.

That's the carrot.

There's also something of a stick. Or at least what chief operating officer Lana Vaughan bills as protection for Raygun's 35 staff, 100 per cent of whom have now had their first jab (80 per cent are fully vaccinated). A staff member has to be fully-vaccinated to host a meeting in Raygun's office, and the visitor also has to be fully-vaxxed.

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While the situation is untested and not black-and-white, experts consulted by the Herald say in most cases outside of frontline work (and the new education provisions being introduced by the government), it is not legal to require staff to declare their vaccination status - or to introduce a "no jab, no job" rule.

"We take the health and safety of our team and guests seriously, which is why we are only able to host others that are also fully vaccinated," Vaughan says.

Those who aren't vaxxed can video-conference.

"I felt it was important to ask our team members' vaccination statuses individually so I was able to make a comprehensive plan and put policies in place to protect everyone," she says.

"This isn't about shaming or discriminating against anyone, this is about protecting people."

Organisations can ask staff to volunteer their status, however - as a number of employers have done with confidential surveys, including NZ Herald publisher NZME.

"This isn't about shaming or discriminating against anyone, this is about protecting people," says Raygun COO Lana Vaughan on her company's new no-jab, no meeting rule. Photo / File

Raygun's technology allows software makers to performance-monitor their apps, with services like crash reporting.

The firm, founded by tech entrepreneur JD Trask, has been tangling with Immigration NZ and MBIE during the pandemic, as it fights to get visas or MIQ slots for skilled staff.

But while it's been frustrated on those fronts, Raygun is hoping to make some spark some positive progress with its new vaxx policies.

"We all have a role to play and this reflects our team's stance that the best thing we can do right now is to get vaccinated. We hope that anything that can help normalise vaccination and thank others for doing their part will contribute to uptake," Vaughan says.

She expects the sort of initiatives being taken by Raygun will become common practice as a response to Covid.

She wants others to follow.

"For us, this clearly fits within our responsibility of creating and maintaining healthy and safe work environments. This is a no-brainer, and other businesses should consider their own responsibility and look to implement similar strategies."

The "Super Saturday" vaxxathon over the weekend saw a number of companies sponsor general incentives.

A Turners promotion in partnership with NZME's 90% project is offering the double-jabbed the chance to win a car.