Randstad offers paid vaccine leave to staff

What are you doing to encourage vaccination take-up rate? Randstad has offered employees in Singapore and Malaysia two days of paid leave as part of their latest strategy to get more staffers to participate in the country’s vaccination program.

Staff can apply for the leave when they take their shots to rest at home and monitor their health. The global recruitment firm also has other offered other benefits such as medical paid leave as well as an educational webinar for employees to learn more about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

The webinar is conducted by local healthcare professionals and aims to raise awareness about the importance of getting inoculated and debunk common misconceptions about the fast-tracked vaccine.

Read more: How to encourage vaccination take up rate?

“The health of our employees is our top priority,” said Jaya Dass, managing director – Malaysia & Singapore at Randstad. “Since January 2020, we have implemented many initiatives for our people and clients to help raise awareness of safe distancing, address misconceptions to ensure good information hygiene, as well as support programs to those who faced heightened challenges during the pandemic.

“The COVID-19 vaccine rollout program is a critical step to market recovery. Through this initiative, we hope to support our employees and remove any barriers they may face when receiving the vaccine. They will be able to book appointment slots during off-peak hours as well as take the extra time to rest at home and monitor their health.”

Read more: Vaccination: What’s HR’s role in managing employees?

As of this week, about 15% of Singapore’s eligible population or 850,000 people have been fully vaccinated. In neighbouring Malaysia, about 1.5% of the population, or 489,000 people have received both shots. Global studies suggest that countries need to hit about 70% to 80% vaccination rate for it to achieve herd immunity and be safe to fully reopen and resume ‘normal’ life.