New Zealand's Covid-19 vaccination programme has been staggeringly slow by international standards, among the last in the developed world. And it has only recently begun to ramp up.
The sluggish pace is in part due to deliberate decisions by the government and a result of vaccine hesitancy.
But MainPower chief executive Andy Lester said the company is aiming to fully vaccinate at least 90 per cent of its workforce by December 1.
And, as an incentive, the North Canterbury lines company will give a day of special leave to every fully vaccinated employee.
"The ‘take two for the team’ challenge is important as we are an essential service provider," said Lester.
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"A single staff member contracting Covid-19 could not only be dire for that person and their family, but also could potentially impact our network of more than 42,000 customers.
"If we reach our goal by 1 December 2021, all fully vaccinated staff will receive one day of special leave to use in the next 12 months, as a thank you for doing their bit to help reduce the impact of Covid-19 and keeping our team and our community safe."
MainPower is one of the largest employers in North Canterbury. Earlier this year, it also introduced an initiative offering staff the opportunity to work nine day fortnight - with slightly longer working hours and a three day weekend every fortnight.
"These well-being initiatives are valued by our staff and are looked at within our industry as impressive and innovative ideas," said Lester.
MainPower is the first electricity industry company to offer Covid-19 vaccine incentives to its staff.
"Being an industry leader in this area gives us an edge in recruitment and better enables us to attract and retain people, who would be unable to find a similar level of flexibility and focus on well-being elsewhere," said MainPower general manager people and culture Sandra O’Donohue.
The company was recently recognised at the New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards, winning the well-being category for excellence in caring for employees. Its core activities include maintaining the electricity distribution network in North Canterbury and it has continued attending network faults throughout the lockdown.
