With millions of people in the United States, including tens of thousands in Bartholomew County, still deciding not to get vaccinated against COVID-19, some companies have ramped up efforts to encourage employees to roll up their sleeves.
Cummins Inc., which is headquartered in Columbus and employs about 8,000 people in the area, has announced new incentives to encourage employees to get vaccinated — including giving away a Ram pickup truck, a Cummins portable generator, among other prizes.
The company is holding a drawing for the prizes as part of the company’s efforts to encourage employees to get vaccinated, said Cummins spokeswoman Katie Zarich.
Employees who are already fully vaccinated or who choose to get vaccinated by Nov. 8 can enter to win the prizes. All U.S. employees are eligible to enter, Cummins officials said.
As of Friday morning, several thousand Cummins employees had entered the company drawing, Zarich said.
“The health and safety of our employees and their families is our top priority,” Zarich said. “We are excited to launch this incentive program to show our appreciation to those who have already received the vaccine and encourage those who have not done so yet.”
The effort by Cummins comes about 10 months into a U.S. vaccination campaign that has stagnated in recent months, with just over half of the total U.S. population being fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 65% of the population has received at least one dose.
In Bartholomew County, about 53% of the total population was fully vaccinated as of Thursday morning, according to the Indiana Department of Health.
Cummins’ effort also comes as many companies across the country announce varying degrees of incentives for employees to get vaccinated.
Amazon recently gave three workers $100,000 each as part of its vaccination sweepstakes. Five other Amazon employees recently won a car valued at up to $40,000.
However, not all vaccination incentives are that big.
This week, Southwest Airlines announced that it would reward employees who get fully vaccinated with 16 hours of extra pay, the company said. Pilots and flight attendants will be paid 13 trip segments. In Texas, the Fort Worth Independent School District is offering a one-time $500 payment to employees who get fully vaccinated.
Some other employers in Bartholomew County have offered varying degrees of incentives for workers to get vaccinated, including Walmart, which has offered employees a $150 bonus if they show proof of vaccination. Kroger has offered a $100 bonus, including for employees at JayC Food Store. Aldi is giving employees up to four hours of pay.
CRH, for its part, is not currently offering any monetary incentives for employees to get vaccinated, but is continuing to “reinforce the importance and responsibility of healthcare workers to get vaccinated, not only for their own safety, but the safety of our patients and their fellow co-workers,” said CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
“This is supported by regularly sharing information, evidence and engaging in open dialogue regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccine,” DeClue said.
Other major employers in Bartholomew County, including Toyota Material Handling North America and NTN Driveshaft, did not respond to questions about whether they are offering incentives for employees to get vaccinated.
But many workers in Bartholomew County may end up being required to get vaccinated.
In September, President Joe Biden unveiled a plan to mandate that employers with at least 100 workers require staff to be vaccinated or tested weekly, The Associated Press reported. The plan would also require that all health care workers in hospitals and other facilities that accept Medicare and Medicaid payments get vaccinated.
CRH is currently “awaiting more instruction and guidance” on how the mandate will relate to the hospital system, which employs about 2,200 people, officials said.
The federal vaccine requirements could apply to as many as 100 million Americans, according to wire reports.
