Experts Push for Greater Investment in Workplace Vaccination

HR leaders play a vital role in strengthening workplace vaccination efforts through more accessible and supportive workplace initiatives

Health experts, economists, and behavioral science specialists at SHIELD 2026: Redefining Corporate Health urged workplaces to invest in flu vaccination, calling it a cost-effective way to protect workers, reduce healthcare costs, and sustain productivity.

The summit, organized by leading health maintenance organization (HMO) PhilCare in partnership with biopharma company Sanofi Philippines, brought together Human Resources (HR) leaders from across industries to discuss how HR can help close the gap between vaccine awareness and action by designing more accessible and supportive workplace programs.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante explained, “Flu remains a year-round threat in the country that can disrupt employee health and workplace productivity,.” He noted that transmission rates can range from 11.5% in workplaces to as high as 32% within households, highlighting the ripple effect of infection,.

He warned that flu can lead to costly hospitalizations and serious complications, particularly among older adults, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses who are more vulnerable to severe outcomes such as pneumonia, heart attack, and organ failure.

“Influenza cases spike from June to November; now is the best time to get vaccinated before the start of the peak flu season,” Solante said. “Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent influenza and severe outcomes.” He added that workplace vaccination can reduce the frequency of sick leaves by up to 56%, underscoring the value of preventive healthcare for businesses.

While there are no current government allocations of flu vaccines for priority groups, Solante emphasized that workplace vaccination can help bridge gaps by expanding access and extending the circle of protection to employees’ families, as public programs focus mainly on seniors and the indigent. 

Beyond the disease burden, health economist Dr. John Paul Caesar Delos Trinos emphasized that companies often focus only on the direct cost of vaccination while overlooking its long-term impact on healthcare expenses and employees’ quality of life.

“The savings from skipping vaccination today may become tomorrow’s hospitalization,” Delos Trinos said. “These are opportunity costs that companies do not immediately see. When we invest in vaccination, we are also helping employees stay healthier and avoid more serious health complications over time.” He added that prevention can help reduce avoidable healthcare costs in the long run.

The summit also explored the behavioral factors behind low adult vaccination uptake despite growing understanding of its benefits. Behavioral Scientist Shairra Bello from AHA! Behavioral Design emphasized that awareness alone does not always lead to action. 

“For a behavior to occur, individuals must be able to do it, have the opportunity to do it, and be more motivated to do it than not,” she said, referencing the COM-B framework, a behavioral science model that explains how capability, opportunity, and motivation influence behavior and decision-making.

Bello explained that organizations need to understand the factors preventing employees from getting vaccinated, whether it’s related to access, motivation, communication, or workplace norms.

She stressed the importance of designing workplace vaccination programs with timely reminders, clear communication, convenient scheduling, and supportive policies to make vaccination easier for employees. Bello emphasized that HR leaders play a vital role in helping improve vaccination uptake by making preventive healthcare more accessible within workplace culture and programs.

The event concluded with a Commitment Ceremony, in which HR leaders formally pledged to strengthen workplace vaccination and preventive health programs within their organizations.

Behind the summit is a shared commitment between Sanofi Philippines and PhilCare to advance the shift from reactive treatment to proactive protection by combining Sanofi’s clinical expertise with PhilCare’s tech-enabled healthcare delivery to help build a healthier and more resilient workforce.