Telstra workers to get $200 reward for jab

Telstra will reward fully vaccinated employees with a voucher equivalent to $200 that can be redeemed for gifts.

Telstra CEO Andy Penn: I don’t expect everyone to have the same view on this, but personally and as a company, we believe that being committed to getting people vaccinated is the right thing to do.’ Picture: Aaron Francis

Telstra will give its employees who get fully vaccinated the equivalent to a $200 voucher with chief executive Andy Penn urging his workers to receive the jab “as soon as they can”.

While stopping short of making the vaccine a requirement for workers, the telco will reward each fully vaccinated employee with 200 ‘Appreciate points’ – points equivalent to $200 that can be redeemed for gifts – as vaccination rates continue to rise.

The points can be used towards gift vouchers with the likes Coles, Woolworths and Myer, or products including whitegoods, fashion, electronics and technology.

“When Covid first hit we came together as one team to stop the spread. By coming together again now and choosing to take action we can all play our part and make a difference,” Mr Penn said in a memo to Telstra’s Australian employees.

“This is voluntary and will be applied retrospectively so anyone who has already been vaccinated will also receive these points. And as we play our part in battling this global crisis together, we will also provide these incentives to our international teams in countries where we are able to do so and where we have not already provided incentives.

“I understand some people have so far been unable to access the vaccine. So we are going to keep this incentive program open until at least December 31.”

The telco has more than 27,000 full time employees, although that includes some international staff.

Telstra has not yet made getting vaccinated a requirement for certain roles, but that may change dependent on government advice, particularly with Telstra workers in aged care, hospitals and Indigenous communities.

“If you are unsure about the vaccines, the best thing to do is to speak with your doctor. We will continue to provide paid time off to get vaccinated and if you have any side-effects,” he said. “And for those in Australia, you can also download the HealthNow app developed by Telstra Health as a simple way to display your vaccination status as it integrates with your My Health record.

“I know this is an emotive topic – so please be respectful in your comments. I don’t expect everyone to have the same view on this, but personally and as a company, we believe that being committed to getting people vaccinated is the right thing to do.”

Mr Penn told The Australian in an interview last week that “you can’t force people to get a vaccine”, but flagged that they may have to be mandated for certain roles.

“Everybody‘s got their own individual health circumstances, and so that’s important that people have the opportunity to get their own health advice and understand what it means in their particular situation. Having said that, there is no doubt that certain people fulfil certain roles where they come in contact with lots and lots of other people, whether they’re in stores, people like field techs, out there in the field or going into homes, and it’s really important, we need to think very carefully about their safety and the safety of customers. I can certainly see that certain roles should require a vaccine,” he said.

“There’s quite a bit of complexity involved in that and we’re considering that very carefully. Any decisions we make on that, I’ll certainly share with our people first.”

Food producer SPC was the first company in Australia to mandate Covid-19 vaccines for all its staff.

Deakin University epidemiology chairwoman Catherine Bennett said while vaccinations were the best tool to ensure staff safety, they should not be substituted for personal protective equipment.

“(Vaccinations) are a tool that managers can use to manage risk but like everything else it doesn’t eliminate risk altogether,” she said.

“During this transition period, as we get more people vaccinated, knowing who is vaccinated allows us to manage risks.”