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Lendi Group, lenders and other businesses have pledged to offer paid COVID-19 vaccination leave for all permanent employees.
Lendi Group (Aussie and Lendi brands), digital lender Athena Home Loans, digital property portal Domain Group, home insurance provider Honey Insurance, business lender Prospa, business loan marketplace platform Valiant Finance, and fintech Zip Co have launched the Great Aussie Vaccine Drive through which they will offer paid coronavirus vaccination leave for all permanent employees for both doses, should they choose to get vaccinated.
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The drive includes the group of Australian businesses that have banded together to enable employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Under the drive pledge, businesses will not only provide permanent employees with paid leave for the two vaccination doses, they will also provide paid vaccination leave or flexible options to make it easier for casual employees to attend vaccination appointments.
The paid vaccination leave will be made available to employees throughout the government’s vaccine rollout.
The aim of the drive is to provide permanent employees with more flexibility when scheduling and attending their vaccination appointments during the government’s vaccine rollout program.
Commenting on the vaccine drive program, Lendi Group CEO and co-founder David Hyman said: “We can see from the events unfolding around the country that getting vaccinated is crucial in protecting Australians and building towards a new COVID normal for all of us.
“Between family, work commitments and waitlists, it can be hard to schedule a vaccination time outside of traditional office hours, and that’s why we are making it easier for people who are eligible and want to get vaccinated to do so.”
“Throughout the pandemic, myself and the broader executive team at Lendi Group along with other business leaders that we are uniting with, have pledged to act early and take steps that empower our people to protect their wellbeing and that of our customers, business partners and the broader community. This is just an extension of that commitment.”
Joining Mr Hyman in launching the vaccine drive is Athena co-founder and CEO Nathan Walsh, Domain Group CEO Jason Pellegrino, Honey Insurance founder and CEO Richard Joffe, Prospa co-founder and CEO Greg Moshal, Valiant CEO Alex Molloy, and Zip co-founder and global CEO Larry Diamond.
They have urged other businesses to consider ways to support employees who wish to get vaccinated.
Mr Hyman concluded: “It’s our role as larger employers to think flexibly and make it easier for our people to access the government’s vaccination program if they want to,”
National Australia Bank (NAB) CEO Ross McEwan said recently that the major bank is exploring ways to use its major buildings as hubs to vaccinate its 31,000 employees.
“In the meantime, we’re also providing our people with the flexibility they need to make it easier to get vaccinated, including through paid pandemic leave or sick leave,” he said.
Meanwhile, Westpac is providing time off for employees receiving vaccinations, with CEO Peter King stating: “We continue to work with the government on how we can help to distribute the vaccine through a corporate workplace vaccination program, which Westpac will be extending to immediate family members of employees.”
[Related: Westpac offers SME COVID cash flow support]
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