Sample Employee Communications Plan

GOAL

To educate employees and workers about the importance, efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and to encourage vaccination, in an effort to increase vaccination rates.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCES

Here you want to think about everyone you are trying to reach within the organization and their varying levels of education and understanding about COVID-19 and vaccines. You also want to think about “how” they get their information. For example, if you have sales associates, factory workers or delivery drivers, they might not have regular access to email. Your organization might include, for example:

• Senior Leadership
• Managers
• IT
• Sales Team
• Sales Associates
• Delivery Drivers
• Part time/seasonal workers
• Contract workers

At the same time, you also want to think about different groups who may be more hesitant about vaccines for historical or cultural reasons.

MESSAGES

Thinking about the categories of employees and workers you have identified above, consider how you might tailor messages so that they resonate with the various groups within your workforce.

• For tips on messengers and tone, consult our updated Communications Guidance for Businesses.
• For ideas for specific messages for all employees, consult Key Messages for Employees.
• Audience Insights for Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native Communities shares more detailed messages for these particular audiences.

TACTICS

Think about the universe of tools and strategies you have to reach all employees and workers. Then, consider which tactics lend themselves to educating about vaccines and which could be used for encouraging vaccination. It’s important that you use a combination of strategies to educate and encourage. This might include:

Educational Tactics

• Executive Communications sharing basic vaccine facts (See our Sample CEO email.)
• Employee Intranet sharing vaccine information and answers to frequently asked questions (Share our COVID-19 Vaccine One Pager, FAQ and Myths & Facts. We also have resources available in Spanish.)
• Vaccine Education and Listening Sessions with Employee Resource Group (ERG) leaders to better understand their unique needs and concerns (Please visit our ERG & DEI hub.)
• Social Media sharing facts and links to trusted sources for FAQs (See our Social Media Toolkit.)
• Text Messaging (See our Sample Text Messages to Employees.)
• Staff Meetings to share facts from trusted sources and to surface questions  (See our Conversation Guide for Managers.)

Encouragement Tactics

• Employee Town Halls and “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) sessions with organizational leaders can be used to both share information and offer encouragement. (See our Tip Sheet for Finding and Preparing COVID-19 Expert Speakers.)
• Blog Posts and Newsletters can both share information and offer encouragement, especially when sharing personal testimonials from vaccinated employees and workers (See our Communications Guidance and Key Messages for Employees.)
• Word of Mouth, potentially formalized as an “Ambassadors” Program. “Recruiting” vaccinated employees and workers to share their positive experience can be a powerful influence.
• Workplace Flyers and Posters (Download from CDC, or borrow ideas for messages, images and taglines from the Ad Council COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative Playbook.)
• Virtual events or other employee video communications. (Download video PSAs from CDC and Ad Council.)
• In-store radio announcements. (Download radio PSAs from CDC and Ad Council.)

As you think through the possible tactics, or ways you can reach employees, make sure you have a way to reach all the categories of employees you have identified above.

Be sure to build in a mechanism for questions, and be open to hearing and addressing concerns. Keep your ear to the ground (or your internal Slack and other communication channels), too, to understand the conversation happening among employees and the kinds of information they are seeking. This will help you ensure that your messages and information are meeting people’s needs and resonate with how your employees are feeling about vaccination. It also helps you hear and correct any misinformation quickly.

Sample Month-by-Month Plan