Supporting staff who choose to have the COVID-19 vaccine
08 Apr 2021
A message from Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility and Karen Heaton, Director of Human Resources
Dear colleagues
The national roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine continues, following the priority groups outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. I know that some colleagues have already had the vaccine because of the kind of work they do, because they are in the age brackets which have been invited so far, or because they have underlying health issues.
Of course, the decision you make about whether to have the vaccine or not is entirely personal. The University will not be keeping any records of which staff have or haven’t had the vaccine and it won’t be mandatory to have the vaccine before you return to work on campus.
We are however supporting Public Health England’s campaign which encourages people to have the vaccine because doing so will help to protect you and your family and our University community. The success of the vaccination programme is also one of the government’s key measures in its four-step roadmap out of national restrictions.
If you choose to have the vaccine you can take paid time off work to attend your appointment where it is not possible to schedule an appointment outside your working hours. If you suffer side effects which mean that you’re unable to work you should report any absences to your line manager in the usual way.
For colleagues working on campus you can be assured that COVID-safe measures will continue to be in place for all staff whether they have had the vaccine or not, including wearing face coverings, social distancing and hand sanitisation. Staff working on campus are also encouraged to take two free COVID tests each week.
We have put together some FAQs and the government’s website also answers many of the questions you might have about the vaccine.
Best wishes
Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility
Karen Heaton, Director of Human Resources