Home | News | Do employers have a duty to offer flu jabs?

Do employers have a duty to offer flu jabs?

The government is making changes to the NHS influenza immunisation programme, meaning that those aged 50 to 64 years and secondary school children in years 7 to 11 (between 11 and 15 years of age on 31 August 2022) are no longer eligible.

Flu (or influenza) is almost always an uncomfortable, unpleasant illness, but isn’t usually serious. However, some people are more likely to develop serious complications of flu, like bronchitis and pneumonia.

Vaccination has been recommended in the UK since the late 1960s. In 2000, the policy was extended to include all people aged 65 years and over, and in 2010 pregnancy was added as a clinical risk category.

The programme was extended during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the government is looking to change that for 2022-2023. That makes it more important than ever for employers to offer employee flu vaccinations at work. Workplace flu jabs not only keep your workplace safer – they also can make you more attractive to new recruits and reduce absences.

But do you have a duty to offer flu jabs as an employer?

Not legally – but it’s a good idea!

Under The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers have a legal responsibility to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of their team. Offering the flu vaccine at work can help with that.

But it’s important to remember that you can only encourage your team to have the vaccine. Company contracts may detail that vaccinations are mandatory, however, even with this clause, you cannot force the flu vaccination upon your employees.

Offering workplace flu jabs

The most effective way of preventing the flu within your organisation is by encouraging your team to be vaccinated against the flu. Traditionally, it can be a time-consuming process organising the flu vaccine for an entire team.

On-site flu vaccination clinics are therefore a great, time-effective and cost-effective solution when wanting to protect your team from the flu. Our on-site flu clinics consist of an occupational health nurse visiting your premises for a half or full day at a date and time of your choice. The occupational health nurse will then set up a clinic on your site, where your employees can then access their flu vaccine with minimal disruption to their working day – exactly 10 minutes, to be precise!

What are the benefits of offering flu vaccinations at work?

Benefits to employers:

Reduces cost by decreasing time missed from work to get vaccinated
Reduces overheads by reducing absence due to illness, resulting in improved productivity
Improves staff morale

Benefits to employees:

Reduces absences due to sickness
Improves health and wellbeing
Vaccinations are carried out during work hours
Improves morale

How can employers organise an on-site flu vaccination clinic?

You can organise workplace flu jabs for your employees in three simple steps with ELAS Occupational Health.

Get in touch with our team
Pre-book your vaccinations and reserve your desired date, time and location
Our Occupational Health Professional will visit your premises to host your flu clinic

It’s the quicker, simpler, more cost-effective way to provide flu vaccinations at work.

How ELAS Occupational Health can help

At ELAS Occupational Health, we specialise in helping businesses implement proactive occupational health solutions into their business. Employees are the foundation of your business, and if their health isn’t being nurtured, then neither is your business.

To discuss hosting one of our popular on-site flu vaccination clinics for your company, get in touch with us on 08450 50 40 60 or email website@elasoh.co.uk and we’ll get right back to you!

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.