Covid 19 coronavirus: Cash for a jab: How Kiwi businesses are incentivising staff to get vaccinated

Kiwi businesses are stepping up efforts to get their staff vaccinated as the Government further rolls out its vaccination programme. Photo / Michael Craig

Waikato dairy farmer Chris Falconer is among a growing group of employers incentivising staff to get jabbed after many Kiwi businesses were alarmed by the speed of Sydney's runaway Covid-19 outbreak.

Falconer said he will give staff $100 and time off work to get jabbed as a thank you for helping keep his workplace safe.

"Instead of moaning about people not getting vaccinations, here's what I'm doing," he recently tweeted.

"My staff will be on the clock when they go get vaccinated and will get $100 cash when they get their second jab."

An employee from an Auckland company, who didn't want to be named, also said their organisation was paying staff $150 to get jabbed, while also running a mass vaccination event onsite at its workplaces.

Instead of moaning about people not getting vaccinations here's what I'm doing. My staff will be on the clock when they go to get vaccinated and will get $100 cash when they get their 2nd jab, as a thankyou for helping keep the workplace safe.

— Falcon Farmer (@falconfarming) August 12, 2021

It comes as the Government announced it would allow everyone to get a jab from September 1 onwards, regardless of age or occupation, after previously only offering vaccinations to the vulnerable and those in higher risk jobs.

It also comes as the speed of the Sydney outbreak and threat of the more infectious Delta variant taking hold in New Zealand had alarmed local businesses.

Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett pointed to Australia's battle with the Delta variant and to the Port of Tauranga last week where port workers spent time on a ship that had crew infected with Covid.

"To discover we didn't have the processes and security we thought we had at airports and seaports, it was a huge wake up call," he said.

He said he hadn't yet heard of businesses offering to pay staff to get jabs, but there were many conversations being had about how best to get covered against an outbreak.

That included conversations from employers asking: "Can I say to employees, 'no jab, no job'," Barnett said.

Entertainment group SkyCity recently brought in microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles to speak to staff about the Pfizer Covid-19 jab. Photo / Supplied

Employment NZ's website said the answer to that question was nuanced.

"Employers can require vaccination as a term of new employment agreements, but this must be reasonable for the role [for example, required for health and safety reasons]," it said.

"This must not be unlawful discrimination under the Human Rights Act."

"The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act may also apply. Under this Act, everyone has the right to refuse medical treatment, including vaccination, though this right can be subject to justified limits."

Entertainment company SkyCity was another company offering staff paid time off work to get vaccinated

But it last week also went further by inviting Covid-19 expert and University of Auckland microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles to talk to its staff about vaccines.

The company did that after a survey of its employees found 80 per cent wanted more information about the Covid-19 vaccine.

"With more than 4200 employees across New Zealand and South Australia, we feel we have a responsibility to proactively provide our people with as much information as possible, so that they can make an informed decision about getting the Covid-19 vaccine."