If you want to see the dramatic impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on a workforce, look no further than the United States Postal Service (USPS). Record-breaking shipping volume and a labor shortage due to thousands of employees in quarantine meant packages were piling to the ceiling in postal facilities throughout the country. Packages mailed in early December showed up weeks late and some are still “in-transit.” Americans are fighting utility companies over late fees for utility bills that haven’t even arrived in the mail. The effect of the coronavirus on the USPS’s ability to make good on their motto, “We deliver for you,” has not gone unnoticed.
It’s no wonder that a panel from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended that USPS employees be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations after health care workers and long-term care residents.
From meat processing plants to hospitals to restaurants, countless businesses have had their operations impacted by closures and staffing issues due to COVID-19.
While things may not have looked as dramatic at your business, it’s likely your day-to-day operations, and your bottom line, have not been immune to the effects of the pandemic.
Collaborations that once happened around a conference table or the water cooler are now hindered by today’s virtual workplace. Not only can remote work impact team building and morale, but you still have a commercial lease in an empty office to make payments on. If you have a customer-facing business in retail or the service industry, you likely have had to deal with employee absences due to sickness with, or exposure to, the coronavirus. Not only does this affect your profitability and efficiency, but cautious customers may be reluctant to engage with your storefront beyond curbside orders.
The good news is that after nearly a year of quarantining, mask-wearing, and social distancing, we are seeing a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel in the form of two vaccines that are becoming available to the average American based on age and other risk factors.
According to a poll released by research firm Ipsos and ABC News, two in five Americans plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available to them, however nearly half (44 percent) will wait a bit.
As an employer, there are numerous reasons to encourage your employees to get immunized once the vaccine becomes available to them. Not only does vaccination help protect the larger community and develop herd immunity, it means that offices can reopen, staff absences are reduced, and customer confidence in your business improves.
Employers such as Instacart, Trader Joe’s, and Dollar General have already announced plans to compensate team members for their time spent getting vaccinated.
So, what is your plan to motivate your employees to get vaccinated? If you don’t have one, consider this:
Nearly two-thirds of respondents in a COVID-19 immunization survey indicated that a reward would increase the likelihood they would get the vaccine or get the vaccine sooner than they planned.*
Offering a reward could be just the “shot in the arm” your staff needs to get immunized. (Yes. We went there.) So how do you offer incentives in a way that’s quick and pain-free for you and your employees?
Let Rybbon’s digital rewards take care of this part. Digital rewards are a contactless, fun way to recognize your team members for taking care of themselves and their community. Accessible for both unbanked and banked employees, digital rewards are available from a variety of desirable brands, like Amazon and DoorDash. Rybbon’s long list of brand partners includes retailers, restaurants, online game stores, and dinner delivery services, as well as Virtual Visa or Mastercard, for great flexibility.
Rybbon’s dashboard makes it simple to create, customize, deliver, and track digital rewards. Maybe you want to offer a $10 reward to register for the vaccine and then offer a larger reward once the employee has been immunized. Or because the COVID-19 vaccine requires a booster to be effective, you could deliver the reward after employees show proof of having received their second dose to ensure they complete both steps.
Because digital rewards can be delivered instantly, it eliminates the frustration of waiting for you to make good on your end of the deal. And with Rybbon’s 100% refunds on unclaimed rewards, there’s zero waste.
While we can’t promise the shot won’t sting, we can make sure that reward delivery is painless. What are you waiting for? Set up your free Rybbon account today so you can start promoting vaccine adoption to your team.
*The “COVID-19 Vaccine Incentives” report is based on the combined findings of two internet-based surveys conducted by Survey Monkey on behalf of Blackhawk Network January 15–17, 2021. The sample size for the government incentives study included 1,005 U.S. respondents ages 18+ and the sample size for the employer incentives study included 1,105 U.S. respondents ages 18+.
Rida is a creative marketing professional who specializes in innovative marketing solutions for the technology space.
Rida is a creative marketing professional who specializes in innovative marketing solutions for the technology space.
