Providing Vaccinations to Employees: The Business Case 

Every year, influenza poses a tremendous burden on working adults and the many businesses that employ them, by contributing to absenteeism and lost productivity. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed employee vaccination programs can reduce absenteeism by 36% and provide a cost saving of medical care and sick leave by over $46 per vaccinated employee.3 Another study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh demonstrates even greater cost savings can be realized ($63-$95 per vaccinated employee) if flu vaccination programs are conducted before December.4 Consequently, worksite health programs are becoming increasingly popular as employers attempt to boost employee productivity, reduce health care costs and foster a healthy work environment.

Providing employees with an annual flu vaccination in the workplace during flu season is an effective way to combat the cost and lost productivity. On-site programs provide an important public service and generate savings of between $15 and $85 per vaccinated person, or $2.58 per dollar spent on vaccination, that’s a possible savings of up to $4,000 for every averted illness.

Safeguard Iowa Partnership encourages all employers to develop an influenza vaccination program that promotes and/or provides influenza vaccinations in the workplace. Below is information employers can use. Regardless of which strategy is best for your business, having buy-in and robust support from upper management sends a strong message that influenza vaccination is an important health decision for all employees. *See Toolkit for references.