Manufacturers Team with University of Florida to Build Trust in COVID-19 Vaccines Among Frontline Manufacturing Workers

The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers, in collaboration with the University of Florida Center for Public Interest Communications, has published “Protecting the People Who Make America,” a step-by-step approach to help the nation’s manufacturing employers activate research-backed strategies to encourage vaccination among their employees and communities. The guide draws on in-depth research, including polling and focus groups, specific to manufacturing communities and is part of the NAM and MI’s “This Is Our Shot” project.

“We know that while we’ve made great progress as a country in getting armed against COVID-19, many communities with a large manufacturing presence are lagging behind. Manufacturing leaders and the business community are among the most trusted voices in the country,” said MI Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “So, we take seriously our opportunity to use that platform to reduce vaccine hesitancy. Our partnership with the Center for Public Interest Communications has allowed us to do targeted polling and in-depth research into manufacturing communities to identify strategies and messages that are most helpful in addressing people’s questions about vaccines. We are now able to equip our industry with the tools and best practices to build confidence in the lifesaving vaccines that will protect manufacturing workers, their families and their communities.”

Key findings for employers to increase vaccine acceptance among their workforce:

• Employers should remove all possible barriers to vaccination; that may include providing paid time off for employees to recover from potential side effects, helping navigate the appointment system or offering child care and ride vouchers if needed.
• Employers should tap into people’s daily habits and make access to the vaccine as close to normal as possible.
• One-on-one conversations are among the most-effective communications tools for building confidence among those who have not yet gotten the vaccine.
• Use personal stories of people who have been vaccinated, highlighting those folks who are familiar and trusted by those in the communities you are working to reach.
• Tailor messages so that vaccination is described as being about protecting family, making a commonsense choice and being self-sufficient and responsible.

Click here to read “Protecting the People Who Make America.”

Posted: June 23, 2021
Category: Center for Public Interest Communications, College News, Covid-19 Updates
Tagged as: COVID-19 vaccinations