Many organizations today need a secure, off-the-shelf vaccination and testing status tracking system to comply with government regulation or company policy, as well as to keep their business running and employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To reach workplace vaccination and testing goals and protect their workforce, organization leaders need visibility into compliance metrics for the entire organization, as well as secure access to each employee’s vaccination status and test results. COVID-19 workforce metrics are a critical element that enable organizations to make informed COVID-19 return-to-work decisions. With this information, leadership may decide to implement preemptive COVID-19-related workplace health strategies at a facility with a low rate of vaccination, or a high rate of positive test results, for example. By gaining a clear view of the entire organization, leadership can take action to protect their people and provide a healthy workplace.
At the same time, employees need a friction-free process that they can trust to keep their personal information private and ensure their health and safety in the workplace.
As an employer, you may wonder how to securely collect and efficiently track employee vaccination and test status data across your entire enterprise. BlackBerry has a solution with the employee-status tracking capability of BlackBerry® AtHoc® critical event management solution.
Create an Employee Testing and Vaccination Tracking Plan
Employers requiring COVID-19 vaccinations or testing as part of a COVID-19 return-to-work program need a workplace health policy, a plan, and technology for status tracking. As you develop your plan, consider what health information to collect, how to collect it, how to keep sensitive data secure and private, and which metrics will supply the most valuable insights for decision makers.
What Information Should Employers Collect?
The type of COVID-19-related documentation you collect might be your company’s decision or might be mandated. Some employers accept an employee’s self-report of vaccination or testing, while others require the employee to sign an attestation form. Other employers require proof of vaccination or testing — either via a visual inspection of a vaccination card or other document, or an upload of a digital record to store in the human resources system. Keep in mind that such information changes over time, so be prepared with a way to request and accept updates.
Collecting COVID-19 Health Status
The accurate collection of COVID-19 status information from hundreds or even thousands of employees can seem like an impossible task without the use of technology such as automated workflows and message templates to manage the process. Larger organizations face the challenge of managing this process at enterprise scale. However, organizations of all sizes will benefit from a tracking system that automates as much manual effort as possible.
Another consideration is managing exceptions. You may need to securely and confidentially communicate different work-safety guidelines to each individual. For example, if employees need to submit COVID-19 test results on a regular schedule, consider how to manage that workflow and communication.
Ideally, the use of a COVID-19 status-tracking system requires little to no operator or user training. And to save time, only non-responders or those required to show proof of a negative test should receive reminders.
Ensuring Healthcare Data Privacy and Security
Employee healthcare and related compliance tracking involve a lot of personal data that needs careful handling. Strict data privacy is required to comply with regulations, such as HIPAA, PIPEDA, and GDPR. Securely tracking the vaccination or test status of thousands of individuals is far beyond the scope of a spreadsheet. Instead, use a system that limits access to personal data to only authorized personnel.
Which COVID-19 Metrics Deliver Visibility and Support Smarter Decision Making?
As you gather employee status data, your leaders can use aggregated metrics for real-time status reports — while protecting the personal information of individuals. For example, while ensuring all data remains confidential and secure, leaders could immediately know what percent of workers are vaccinated at Facility A. Consider what metrics (and at what group levels) to report on, to support faster, better decisions.
