Some employers offer incentives for vaccination
At least two local employers are offering monetary incentives to their employees to promote vaccination.
Managers at The Brass Tap in Greenfield and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater said the incentives are intended to nudge employees who may be on the fence about scheduling an appointment to get vaccinated — and have been be quite popular.
The Brass Tap, 7808 W. Layton Ave., is giving a $100 gift card to each employee who gets fully vaccinated. Employees have their choice of gift cards to Target, Walmart or Amazon.
The promotion started April 1, said Andy Grossman, who owns and operates the The Brass Tap with his wife, Kat Thiede.
Grossman said the corporate office of the Tampa, Florida-based craft beer bar and entertainment franchise approached them about the idea, and they immediately jumped on board.
“I thought it was a great idea,” Grossman said. “We want people to be comfortable in our building and comfortable working here, and I do want to show my staff that I care about them.”
The Greenfield location has between 15 and 20 employees depending on the
time of year, Grossman said, and “90 to 95%” have either been vaccinated or have shots scheduled.
The Milwaukee Repertory Theater informed employees in early March that those who received a COVID-19 vaccination would receive a one-time, $200 bonus.
As for the amount, Milwaukee Rep Executive Director Chad Bauman said they wanted it to be enough to make a difference.
“We wanted to make sure that we gave something that was meaningful to our employees to offset some of the losses that they have experienced this year, and also meaningful enough that if we had somebody that was sort of on the fence, that it might nudge them to move in the direction of vaccinations,” he said.
The Rep has about 120 employees eligible for the bonus, Bauman said.
He said he checked with HR Monday, and the “overwhelming majority” are on their way to being vaccinated.
At The Brass Tap, Grossman said the monetary incentive likely provided a prodding to some.
“If they were dragging their feet a little bit, and it was maybe some encouragement to actually put something on the books, put something in writing, where they schedule it and then stick with it instead of waffling about it,” he said.
Overall, Grossman said the bar’s inperson sales have picked up since the first of the year and they’re starting to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.
“As more and more people have been getting vaccinated, we’re seeing the faces that we haven’t in about a year,” he said.