Envoy’s Protect platform now includes vaccine verification for office reopenings

Envoy added a vaccine verification feature to its Protect platform to make it easier for companies to comply with new federal regulations. Companies can use the new feature to confirm an individual’s vaccination status or weekly test results.

Employees upload a photo of a vaccination card via Envoy’s app. An administrator reviews and approves the card, which clears the individual to re-enter the office. Companies that have brought people back to the office have been using the platform to screen employees, manage capacity and do contact tracing as needed.  HR departments can configure health screenings to match company policy and add daily health check questions for employees as needed. Vaccinated people can be exempt from future health checks and access control features will allow only approved employees access to the office.

Envoy CEO Larry Gadea said in a press release that this new feature will protect everyone in the office: employees, visitors, contractors, cleaning staff and vendors. 

“Partnering with workplace leaders to create trusted, safe workplaces for all means we have a responsibility to go beyond the basic workarounds and provide thoughtful, comprehensive products that verify vaccine and testing status, and account for non-employees who also need access,” Gadea said. 

Envoy’s recent survey about return-to-office attitudes found that a majority of employees want vaccine mandates in place. Only 51% work at companies with that rule, although the survey was done before the federal government’s mandate.  

Managing the verification process

Envoy plans to add features to manage proof of Covid-19 test results, a streamlined verification process to replace self-attestation and proof of vaccination for visitors in the near future.

There are several ways to manage vaccine verification. Some are proprietary to a particular company or organization and others are decentralized. Ping Identity’s Project Covid Freedom uses that approach, with the app connecting the vaccine provider and the vaccinated individual, according to Richard Bird, chief customer information officer.

SEE: Should job seekers list their vaccine status on LinkedIn and resumes? 

People determined not to get vaccinated are turning to fake vaccine cards and the prices for those counterfeit items went up after the Biden administration’s September announcement. Phony vaccine certificates have been for sale in underground criminal forums for some time. As vaccine mandates expand to gyms, restaurants and other public places, demand has increased for the fake certificates. In mid-September, the price of a phony CDC vaccination card shot up from $100 to $200, according to Check Point Research. Dark Web sellers hawking such counterfeit certificates jumped from around 1,000 to more than 10,000.

There’s even some debate about listing vaccine status on resumes and Linked In profiles. 

Andrew Challenger, senior vice president of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement that this will be a factor in the hiring process. 

“If they already know you are vaccinated, they can check off that question and will not need to worry about getting that candidate tested every week,” he said. 

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