This Vaccination Policy sets out the position of Adarna Inc. on immunisation in the workplace: what we encourage, what we do not require, how we support people who choose to be vaccinated, and how we protect the privacy of anyone's medical information. It applies to everyone who works at or visits our premises.
We are a health technology company. That gives us a particular responsibility to be careful and evidence-led about health matters, and an equal responsibility not to overreach into decisions that belong to an individual and their doctor.
1. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to:
- Protect the health and safety of our employees, interns, contractors and visitors.
- Reduce the spread of preventable illness within a small team working in shared spaces.
- Set out clearly what we expect, what we merely encourage, and what is entirely voluntary.
- Make certain that personal medical information is handled with the same care we apply to the health data of our users.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all employees, interns, apprentices, contractors and consultants of Adarna Inc., and to visitors attending our premises in the United States. It covers our offices, laboratory and hardware bench areas, and any company-organised event or travel.
3. Our Position
Vaccination at IBT Aura is strongly encouraged and voluntary. It is not a condition of employment.
We support immunisation because the evidence for routine vaccination is clear and because a small team is disproportionately affected when illness spreads through it. At the same time, medical decisions belong to the individual, taken with a qualified healthcare professional. We do not mandate vaccination, we do not make it a condition of hiring, promotion or continued employment, and we do not treat a person's vaccination status as a measure of their commitment to the company.
If a client site, a partner facility, a laboratory, or the law of a country we send someone to requires proof of a specific vaccination for entry, that requirement comes from them and not from us. We will tell you in advance, and we will not penalise you if you decide not to travel on that basis; we will make other arrangements where we reasonably can.
4. Vaccinations We Encourage
We encourage everyone to keep up to date with the routine immunisation schedule published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and with any additional vaccination recommended for them personally by their doctor. In practice this commonly includes seasonal influenza vaccination and COVID-19 vaccination in line with current national guidance.
Nothing on this page is medical advice. We do not recommend any specific vaccine, dose or schedule for any individual, because we are not qualified to do so. Speak to a qualified healthcare professional, who can advise on what is appropriate for your medical history.
5. How We Support Vaccination
Encouragement without practical support is not worth much, so:
- Paid time off. You may take reasonable paid time off during working hours to attend a vaccination appointment for yourself. This is not deducted from your leave.
- Recovery time. If you experience side effects, take the time you need to recover. Short absences after vaccination are treated as paid sick leave and do not count against your leave balance.
- Dependants. Reasonable time off is also available to accompany a child or a dependent family member to a vaccination appointment.
- Information, not pressure. Where we share public health information, it comes from official sources and is offered for your consideration only.
You do not need to justify or document the appointment beyond telling your manager you will be away.
6. Medical Exemptions and Personal Choice
Because vaccination here is voluntary, no one is required to claim an exemption or to explain a decision not to be vaccinated. There is no exemption form, because there is nothing to be exempt from.
Where an external requirement applies — for example, a partner facility that requires proof of vaccination for entry — and you cannot meet it for a medical reason, a disability, pregnancy, or another protected reason, tell us and we will look for a reasonable adjustment: remote participation, a different team member attending, or an alternative arrangement with the third party.
7. Privacy of Vaccination Information
Vaccination status is sensitive personal health information, and we treat it accordingly.
- We do not maintain a register of employees' vaccination status.
- We do not ask you to disclose your vaccination status as a condition of employment or of attending the workplace.
- If you voluntarily share health information with us, or if a specific external requirement obliges us to sight proof of vaccination, that information is kept confidential, shared only with the individuals who strictly need it, retained only for as long as the requirement lasts, and then deleted.
- Vaccination or health information is never used in performance assessment, promotion, or any employment decision.
- Your health information is never shared with colleagues, clients or third parties without your explicit consent, except where the law requires it.
This handling follows the same principles set out in our Privacy Policy, and is subject to applicable United States federal and state data-protection law.
8. Staying Home When Unwell
Vaccination is only one part of keeping a workplace healthy, and the simplest measure matters more: if you are unwell, stay home.
We would rather absorb a day of lost work than have an infection travel through a team of our size. Nobody is expected to attend the workplace with a fever, an active respiratory infection, or a contagious illness, and nobody will be thought less of for taking sick leave. If you are well enough to work but not to be around others, work remotely.
Managers must not pressure anyone to attend while unwell, and must not ask for a medical certificate for a short, ordinary absence.
9. Workplace Health and Safety Measures
Alongside vaccination, we maintain everyday measures proportionate to the risk at the time:
- Hand-washing facilities and sanitiser in shared and bench areas.
- Ventilation of shared workspaces and meeting rooms.
- Cleaning of shared equipment, particularly at hardware benches and test stations.
- The option to work remotely during periods of heightened community transmission, where the role allows it.
- Voluntary use of masks by anyone who prefers to, at any time, without needing to explain why.
During a declared public health emergency we will follow the directions of the applicable United States federal, state, and local authorities, which override this policy for as long as they are in force.
10. Visitors and Contractors
Visitors are asked not to attend our premises if they are unwell or have symptoms of a contagious illness. We do not ask visitors for proof of vaccination. Contractors working on our premises are covered by this policy while they are with us and by their own employer's policies otherwise.
11. Non-Discrimination
No one at IBT Aura will be discriminated against, harassed, excluded from work or opportunities, or treated less favourably because of their vaccination status, their health condition, or a decision they have made about their own medical care. This applies to hiring, pay, promotion, assignment of work and day-to-day treatment by colleagues.
Pressuring a colleague about their vaccination status, or disclosing another person's health information, is a breach of this policy and will be handled as a conduct matter.
12. Questions and Concerns
If you have a question about this policy, believe it has not been followed, or want to raise a concern about health and safety at work, contact contact@adarna.us. Concerns are treated confidentially, and raising one in good faith will never count against you.
13. Review of This Policy
We review this policy at least once a year, and sooner if public health guidance changes materially. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated. Where a change affects our people directly, we tell them rather than relying on them to notice.
This policy is an internal workplace policy published for transparency. It is not medical advice and does not create any contractual entitlement beyond what applicable law and individual contracts of employment provide.