Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMagazine - Jan21 - Flipbook - Page 48
Some employees will have already had their
vaccination shots, while others will willingly
follow their organisation’s guidelines and
promptly book theirs. However, some will be
concerned or afraid of taking the vaccine
and will push back on their employer’s
policy.
As a manager, it’s important to remember
that just because somebody is asking
questions about the vaccine, it doesn’t
always mean they’re opposed to taking it.
How you approach this conversation is
important if you are to hold a productive
discussion. Here are some things to keep in
mind.
Be aware of the psychological
reasons why the employee might be
vaccine hesitant. Understand that it’s
natural that people are scared about
something that appears foreign to them.
Approach the discussion with
empathy. Making someone feel like an
outsider won’t motivate them to change
their mind.
Approach the topic gently. Don’t catch
them off guard. Be prepared to calmly
introduce the topic into conversation and
ensure the discussion is conducted
privately.
Be prepared with advice and
statistics. Some people’s vaccine
hesitancy stems from misinformation.
Consult the Department of Health and
the World Health Organisation for facts
and figures that can help back up your
point of view and help ease the
employee’s worries.
Listen to what they have to say.
Forcing your point of view onto the
employee is unlikely to have the desired
impact.
Don’t interrupt, and look to
acknowledge their concerns without
necessarily validating them. By
listening you can also understand where
their fears may lie and address them.
Remain calm. Even if you’re finding the
conversation frustrating, you must
remain calm.
Refer to other sources. Be prepared
that, even though you are an authority
figure, the employee may not trust your
views on vaccination. If you feel this is
the case, calmly ask the employee to
talk to someone they would trust such as
their GP.
At Converge International we offer a
range of training programs and
counselling that can help you navigate
through this change. Call one of our
friendly team to learn more on
1300 687 327.
