Small Business Guide

Strengthening Workplace Vaccination & Safety in Response to 

the Delta Variant

UPDATED November 18, 2021

The SBA would like to thank the Health Action Alliance for 

the generous donation of this valuable COVID 19 content.

SBA’s acceptance of this Gift does not constitute an endorsement of the views, opinions, products 

or services of the donor or any other person or entity. As public health information is constantly 

evolving, we are committed to regularly updating our materials. All opinions, conclusions, and/or 

recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of 

the SBA. This Guide contains links to third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the 

reader, user, or browser; we do not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
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Introduction

As a small business owner, you’ve shouldered a disproportionate economic burden during the 

pandemic. Getting back to life—back to seeing our loved ones, back to school, and back to 

business—requires that we turn the tide against COVID-19. Vaccines offer hope and protection 

that can help our country and our economy rebuild and recover. 

We’re on our way, but significant challenges remain, including the emergence of a highly 

transmissible Delta variant that’s driving a new wave of infections across the country. Public 

health officials warn that we must encourage many more Americans to get vaccinated, 

including more than 80 million people in the United States who are currently eligible for 

vaccines but remain unvaccinated and at real risk. 

On November 4, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued 

emergency COVID-19 rules for roughly 116,000 private businesses with 100 or more employees 

firm or company-wide, a sweeping new measure that's designed to protect 84 million workers 

on the job. Those rules—currently on hold, pending a legal challenge in federal court—require 

businesses to prove that they are requiring vaccination or weekly testing for COVID-19 by 

January 4, 2022, with exceptions only for people with a medical disability or religious

accommodation. Beginning December 6, 2021, employers will also be required to offer workers 

paid time off for vaccination and recovery from possible side effects, as well as require 

unvaccinated workers to wear face coverings at the workplace. 

Even while OSHA is blocked from implementing its rules—and even if those rules don’t apply 

to your business—employers are encouraged to take action to provide the safest possible 

workplace for their employees and customers. 

This guide is designed to help you: 

1. Communicate with employees, workers and customers about the safety and 

benefits of COVID-19 vaccines and reinforce the importance of masking and other 

safety measures to prevent the spread.

2. Make a plan to require or encourage your workers to get vaccinated at their 

earliest opportunity. This could include offering paid time off, transportation 

credits, childcare or small incentives to workers who choose to get vaccinated.

3. Strengthen vaccination efforts in your community by offering help to public health 

departments, nonprofit organizations and others involved in the vaccine response.
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This guide includes:

• Tips and tools for small business owners

• Easy-to-use resources 

• Action steps to get started

Communicate About Vaccines

As a small business owner, the most important thing you can do to help turn the tide against 

COVID-19 is communicate with your employees, workers and customers about the benefits and 

safety of COVID-19 vaccines. 

Key Vaccine Messages

It’s important to use trusted, fact-based messages from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) and other public health partners. Here are some messages you can consider:

• COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. 

There are multiple COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized by the U.S. 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means the clinical evidence for the 

vaccines has met the agency's rigorous scientific standards and they are 

considered to be safe and effective. Vaccines teach your immune system how 

to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. 

• COVID-19 vaccines can help us get back to the things we love.

We all want to get back to our lives. Vaccinations can help us get back too many 

of the things we miss most, like spending time with loved ones and friends, 

traveling and going to events. They’ll help keep you from getting COVID-19, 

reduce hospitalizations and save lives.

• Get vaccinated at your earliest opportunity.

Everyone ages 5 and older is now eligible to receive free COVID-19 vaccines, 

regardless of immigration status. You don’t need health insurance to get a free 

vaccine. 

• COVID-19 vaccines provide hope, but we need to continue following public 

health guidelines to prevent the spread. 
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In response to the Delta variant, CDC now recommends that everyone 

(including fully vaccinated individuals) should wear a mask in public indoor 

settings in areas with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission. Many

counties across the U.S. are experiencing either “substantial” or “high” 

transmission rates that call for indoor mask-wearing, according to CDC. 

• It is okay to have questions about vaccines.

We want to make sure you have access to trusted information in order to make 

decisions about vaccines for yourself and your family. If you have questions 

about whether vaccines are right for you, talk to your doctor or healthcare 

provider.

Options for Small Businesses

As a small business owner, you have lots of ways to communicate with your employees and 

customers. Here are some strategies you might consider:

• Send an email or home mailer sharing facts about COVID-19 vaccines. 

• Organize a staff meeting, one-on-one, or small-group discussions to share 

facts from trusted sources and to hear concerns. A Conversation Guide is 

available to help you engage your employees and workers.

• Use your company newsletter or social media channels to share trusted 

information about vaccines. Here’s sample newsletter content and social 

media tools from the CDC to help guide your outreach.

• Invite vaccinated employees and workers to share their positive vaccine 

experience during a staff meeting or via a company newsletter or email.

• Post workplace flyers or utilize in-store radio announcements and PSAs to 

reinforce the safety and benefits of COVID-19 vaccines.

• Invite a local physician or other public health expert to speak with your employees 

and workers about vaccines. 

• Lead by example. Make sure you get vaccinated and let your employees and 

workers know you did so. Create a safer work environment for your workers and 
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customers by requiring everyone to wear masks in public indoor settings in areas 

of substantial or high transmission of COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. 

Supporting Employees with Additional Questions

People who are unvaccinated may have additional questions or need extra support before 

making their decision about vaccines. 

Here are some ways you can help:

• Acknowledge that it’s ok to have questions. As an employer, your role is to 

make sure your workers feel supported. Don’t try to “convince” employees or 

“change their mind” about vaccines. Instead, offer trusted information and 

encourage employees to speak with their doctor or healthcare provider. 

• Understand that some groups may have unique experiences and 

concerns. Black, Hispanic, Asian-American, American Indian, and Alaska 

Native communities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and 

have experienced higher rates of hospitalization, severe illness, and death. 

• Lead with empathy. If you’re not a member of a disproportionately impacted 

group, it’s helpful to learn more about why these inequities exist and how they 

might contribute to additional questions about vaccines. You can support 

employees by acknowledging the deep historical traumas and structural 

inequalities that lead to poorer health outcomes and contribute to greater 

mistrust.

• Create a safe, supportive workplace culture. As a small business owner, you 

can cultivate an environment where all workers feel supported by listening 

without judgment and creating space for questions. Understand that no 

community shares all of the same beliefs, perceptions, and concerns. Every 

individual is unique, and every employee deserves to have their questions 

answered before deciding about vaccines.

• Identify local groups or resources who can help. Many nonprofit 

organizations, public health departments, churches, cities, and states are 

hosting events and launching initiatives to educate and engage diverse 
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communities about vaccines. These offer great opportunities to connect your 

employees to events and initiatives that reflect their unique needs.

Three Steps to Getting Started

It’s important to begin communicating about vaccines now. Here are three things you can do 

right away:

1. Share with your employees the reasons why COVID-19 vaccines are important to you. 

Be honest, open, and authentic. Lead by example and share about your positive 

vaccine experience.

2. Communicate your intention to create a workplace environment where all 

employees feel supported. Create an “open door” policy that invites workers to share 

questions and ask for help getting the information they need to decide about 

vaccines. 

3. Provide information about where vaccines are available in your community. Search 

vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations 

near you. Remind workers that vaccines are free and available to everyone in the 

United States ages 12 and older, regardless of immigration status. You don’t need 

health insurance to get a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Encourage or Require Vaccination

A fully vaccinated workforce creates the safest possible workplace environment for 

employees and customers. It may also be the most equitable policy, especially if the 

alternative is regular testing, paid for by your workers.

Many small businesses have announced policies to require vaccinations for all or part of their 

workforce, adding to the millions of federal workers now required to show proof of 

vaccination. Businesses with over 100 workers will soon be obligated to require vaccination 

or weekly testing from employees. 
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If a vaccination requirement is not an option for your small business, we recommend these steps:

● Routine Testing: Require all workers and regular visitors (not retail customers) to 

be routinely screened with a rapid test, at least weekly. Repeated negative tests 

provide a high degree of certainty that the individual is not infectious. Beginning 

January 4, 2022, testing at least weekly is required for employers of 100 or more 

workers who do not have a COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

● Proof of Vaccination: Allow anyone who provides proof of full vaccination 

(accounting for the appropriate time period after the final vaccine) to bypass the 

routine testing requirement.

● Support Workers: Employers are encouraged to provide paid time off for 

vaccinations and recovery from possible side effects—which is required for 

employers of 100 or more workers beginning December 6, 2021. Businesses should 

extend this support to working parents who choose to vaccinate eligible children, 

too. Consider organizing on-site vaccination clinics for workers and families, or 

offering transportation support, childcare or incentives to improve access to 

vaccines.

● Mask Use: Require masks for all employees and customers, regardless of 

vaccination status, in areas with substantial or high transmission.

Additional Ways to Support Workers

Research has shown that there are additional ways small businesses can support or 

incentivize workers to get vaccinated. Small businesses may not be able to afford all, or even 

some, of these proposed actions. These are intended to provide examples of ways you might 

consider supporting employees and workers, to the extent you are able. 

● Cover out-of-pocket expenses associated with vaccination. This could include 

offering an Uber or Lyft gift card for transportation, a small stipend for lunch or 

reimbursement for childcare. 

● Extend benefits and support to your entire workforce, including temporary, parttime or contract workers.

● Help identify where workers can get vaccinated. Search vaccines.gov, text your 

ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you. Vaccines are 
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widely available at more than 80,000 locations across the country, including over 

40,000 retail pharmacies. Ninety percent of Americans live within 5 miles of a 

vaccine site. 

● Offer internet access or language support services to help employees and 

workers schedule appointments.

● Some small businesses may be able to partner with a local public health 

department or other providers to offer on-site vaccinations to employees and 

workers, even during late shifts.

● Consider providing small prizes, rewards, or other modest financial incentives

(i.e., gift cards, coupons, tokens, etc.) to employees and customers who get 

vaccinated.

● Remind employees that vaccines are free and available to everyone in the United 

States ages 5 and older, regardless of immigration status. You don’t need health 

insurance to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Strengthen Vaccine Distribution in Your Community

Delivering and administering hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccinations represents one of 

the greatest communications, logistical and public health challenges in our country’s history. 

There are many ways your small business might support local vaccination efforts and 

contribute to a faster recovery.

Options for Small Businesses

● Lead by example. As a trusted leader in your community, you can encourage other 

small businesses to share facts about the safety and benefits of vaccines; offer paid 

time off to workers for vaccine appointments and recovery, including to attend 

vaccine appointments with eligible children; and align workplace safety protocols 

with the latest public health guidance.

● Encourage your local chamber of commerce or rotary club to host an educational 

conversation on the role of small businesses in the vaccine response, and 

volunteer to share what you’ve learned.
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● Encourage your customers to get vaccinated by offering special coupons,

discounts, or other incentives.

● Share vaccine facts on your product packaging or post educational flyers at your

place of business.

● Contact your local public health department to help address other needs, including

transportation, childcare, language support or other services that may help

improve access and remove barriers to vaccination in your community.

Tools and Resources

Tools, templates, and communications resources are available to help you engage 

employees, workers, customers, and other stakeholders, including:

● Vaccine Conversation Guide for Managers

● Quick Start Guide – Covid-19 Workplace

• CDC: COVID-19 Vaccine Resources and Communications Resources

• U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration COVID-19

Guidance by Industry