One in four employers have not been giving staff paid time off for Covid vaccinations and have no plans to allow it, research suggests. The conciliation service Acas said its study showed that more employers should support workers in taking up offered vaccines, including paying for the time off. Susan Clews, chief executive of Acas, said: “The vaccine rollout programme has gone well and our survey reveals that most employers have allowed staff paid time off to get the jab, but a quarter have not. “Our study also reveals that a similar number of bosses have not paid full company sick pay to staff who have been unable to work due to side-effects from the vaccine. “It is in businesses’ best interests to have a vaccine policy that supports staff to take time off, as fully vaccinated workers are less likely to need longer periods of time off work to recover from Covid-19.” The report was based on a survey of 2,000 businesses. Asked about giving staff paid time off for Covid vaccinations, 59% said they would, 4% said no but planned to implement the policy in the near future, 25% said no and did not plan to, and 12% did not know. Andy McDonald, shadow employment rights and protections secretary, said: “Employers who are refusing to give their staff paid time off to get their vaccinations are putting their staff at risk and undermining the national effort against the virus. The government is not doing enough. They should put pressure on employers to guarantee that workers will receive paid time off for their vaccination appointments and to recover from any after-effects.” John Foster, the CBI’s director of policy, said: “Delivering on the vaccine rollout is crucial to boosting confidence in reopening and helping the economy to adjust to the next phase of learning to live with the virus. “The majority of businesses are continuing their commitment to protecting staff and customers during the pandemic. This includes showing flexibility when the time comes for their staff to get the jab. We’d encourage all companies to demonstrate this same level of consideration towards their employees.”