Analysis is empowering employers to anticipate turnover and build talent pools.
Vaccine mandates are heating up. New research from Willis Towers Watson finds that by the fourth quarter of 2021, more than half (52%) of organizations are predicting one or more vaccine mandate requirements in the workplace. With that comes the need to track and verify vaccine status among employees. What are the best approaches? Here, Brain Knapp, head of MSP programs and analytics for Sevenstep, shares the ways technology is helping to track vaccination status and even predict talent acquisitions trends based on the data.
Q: How is technology helping organizations track and validate vaccination status?
A: Larger companies leverage tech tools like a human resources information system (HRIS) to store human capital data and sensitive information. This type of platform can also track vaccination status by incorporating custom fields. Having a centralized location where the information resides gives HR the opportunity to validate vaccination status as well. Some companies are adopting the honor system, allowing employees to self report if they are vaccinated or not. Mobile apps are also being developed to help employers verify vaccination status of the workforce and some solutions can read and verify QR codes.
Taking it a step further, employers can link vaccination and testing data to building security systems, so only those employees that have been cleared can access the building or client facilities via their badge or cards. Technology is stepping up in a variety of ways: tracking, validating, enabling access, and assisting employers.
Q: How can vaccination status tracking be linked to other TA data?
A: Regardless of where the data is stored (HRIS, CRM, ATS), there is an ability to consolidate that with existing employee data to give an employer a complete understanding of vaccination status within their population. For example, Sevenstep’s proprietary data aggregation and analytics tool, Sevayoâ„¢ Insights, can link employee data from all repositories and present trends in a secure, consolidated, anonymized way. It provides the opportunity to understand how an organization is performing from a vaccination rate perspective compared to the entire population of the U.S. This analysis can also present a holistic picture of where there may be pockets of turnover in a certain role or geography.
This then allows HR to work with the leaders of those areas to determine next steps. If you know there’s going to be higher than anticipated turnover or attrition related to the mandates, hiring managers can get in front of it and be proactive in hiring. It also allows HR leaders to build an appropriate workforce strategy based on vaccination rates: returning to office, staying remote, or a combination of both through a hybrid model. Linking vaccination status and TA data allows HR leaders to create specific plans for addressing employee concerns and ramping up staff. Understanding these trends can also help develop alternative benefits strategies, education opportunities, and training.
Q: What can this reveal about source tracking, especially in this tight talent market?
A: Organizations can also link ATS and source data with vaccination status in order to build more deliberate pools of candidates. The data will indicate the places and the best opportunities to locate candidates that will meet company criteria. The analytics from the linking of that data allows companies to develop targeted messaging and get more specific within these pools. For example, if an organization is recruiting in an area that’s lower in vaccination rates, it may want to provide additional incentives for candidates. It also facilitates the ability to target messaging around safety for those that are vaccinated.
Q: Can you provide an example of an organization that is taking this approach?
A: Many organizations in the healthcare space are early adopters of linking vaccination status with TA data. Some are even taking it to the level that they track vaccination status information at the applicant level. We have a client in the healthcare industry that is using our technology to do just that.