There’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with high levels of absenteeism across a business, from the lost working time to the scramble to find someone to fill in. It isn’t just time-consuming, it’s costly.
The most recent statistics show that absenteeism costs Australian businesses $33 billion annually. Worse, it can disrupt productivity by up to 40% and around 50% of the overtime hours used across Australia are to cover for absences. To ensure employees have flexible and efficient access to healthcare, telehealth is a strategic solution that many companies are adopting.
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Why it’s time to rethink employee healthcare
With many traditional general practitioners operating Monday to Friday, weekday workers tend to plan GP visits during their working hours and take time out to attend. Not only does this interrupt their productivity, but it also causes unnecessary delays in work. A simple GP appointment can easily steal two hours, but a telehealth option provides employees with on-demand healthcare, and there’s no need to take time off work or deal with a commute. It’s suitable for in-office employees, as well as remote and hybrid workers.
Additionally, HR offices are busy enough, and telehealth provides quick sick leave verification while ensuring privacy compliance.
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Corporates and the rise of telehealth
With telehealth, employees can arrange virtual consultations as soon ass they’re sick rather than putting it off until they’re deeply unwell. Digital medical certificates can be provided instantly, and there are also mental health services available for those who need them.
CARED is a great example of this, providing a platform to connect employees with trusted health professionals when they need care. By offering these services on demand, CARED streamlines the process, protecting employee health and company profits.
The benefits of telehealth are vast, but there are four key benefits that every corporate entity should consider. The first is reduced downtime, with flexible appointments and accessible services, there’s less running around to fit things in. Telehealth digitalises documentation and makes it simpler for the HR team to access, review, and file accordingly.
With the simplicity and flexibility that comes with telehealth, employees are more likely to take a proactive approach to their health needs. Ultimately, what it comes down to is serious cost savings. By ensuring your staff have the facilities to protect their health, you protect your bottom line.
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Real-world applications
Telehealth is a suitable application for corporate offices, but it’s also suitable for use in the mining, construction, agriculture, retail, and hospitality industries.
Telehealth is more than just a tool to streamline health services and simplify processes for the HR team. It’s also key to ensuring company compliance with data protection, supports dispersed teams, and can help in industries that employ high numbers of casual workers.
By signing onto a telehealth platform, ensuring that healthcare is simple for your employees won’t just encourage them to take a proactive approach, but it may also reduce your labour turnover rate.
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Navigating onboarding barriers
Some companies hold privacy concerns, how they can integrate the right telehealth platform with their HR systems, and whether medical certificates are legitimate. Due to telehealth’s rise in popularity in the wake of COVID-19, the Medical Board of Australia has tightened restrictions around telehealth and the legal standards companies must meet. In response to this, many telehealth platforms took steps to ease the onboarding process.
Reputable telehealth platforms vet the medical professionals, ensuring they have the relevant qualifications, disclosures, and clearances to treat patients. They will not disclose your personal information to anyone without express written permission. Patient information is only used to ensure they are connected to the correct medical professional.
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How telehealth can support franchise owners
Whether you’re a single franchise owner or managing multiple teams across a range of locations, telehealth can help you ensure your operation runs smoothly while taking a proactive approach to employee well-being.
It’s a convenient tool, but it’s also a strategic HR approach to people management. As an HR tool, telehealth can aid recruitment, help you retain talent, meet compliance and legal requirements, and improve access to care for employees, which should help you in the fight against absenteeism.
Telemedicine is already being used in hospitals to connect patients with the right doctors, so telehealth as a whole is only going to grow in popularity. It isn’t a case of if companies adopt it, it’s a case of when you plan to get on board.
