Nearly 1 month into President Biden’s push for one million COVID-19 vaccinations to be distributed in his first 100 days in office – his own version of “Warp Speed” – there are numerous reports of certain factions of the population resisting the shot. As many as 30% of the military personnel say they have no plan to get it, which is troubling when you consider that National Guardsmen will be tasked with administering the vaccines in certain areas and may be of the same mind set. It has also been reported that several NBA players are reluctant to get the shot and therefore unwilling to perform in PSA’s promoting it. In total, some 40% of Americans still have no plans on getting either of the vaccines available. To combat this in the private sector, numerous employers with a vested interest in vaccinated employees have begun taking a different tact towards those reluctant to receive the shot; cash incentives.
By the numbers: 60% of Americans say they’re likely to take a vaccine as soon as it’s available to them, up 8 percentage points since mid-December.
It has been reported that upwards of $300 is being offered as an incentive to get vaccinated. And while we applaud all efforts that push us closer to “herd immunity”, we disagree with the idea of using cash as the primary motivator to achieve the desired results. No person who is persuaded to get the shot because of cash will remember what they did with the cash they receive. To memorialize the occasion, employers should offer a tangible reward that will have long lasting trophy value to the recipient.