Employees who are falling ill will agree that they are not operating at the best of their abilities. However, they may resist seeing a doctor for these familiar reasons:

• Doctor visits can be expensive, with high copays or deductibles.
• Going to the doctor is often inconvenient.
• Employees “who are not sick enough” may feel they are wasting time and money. If the doctor concludes they are fine, they have needlessly paid for the visit and taken time away from work.

The Telemedicine Benefit

By offering a telemedicine benefit, you can encourage employees to have a virtual consultation even when their symptoms are minimal. The objective is to catch and treat an illness as soon as possible, minimizing lost productivity and the overall cost of treatment. Employees and their families can consult a doctor as many times as necessary at no cost to themselves, since the benefit is paid for by the employer. This means that they won’t wait until they feel really terrible before going to the doctor.

When employees don’t have to feel that they aren’t “sick enough” to seek medical care, everyone benefits. Fewer germs in the office mean that sickness won’t spread to the employee’s colleagues. Getting care earlier means that an employee will miss fewer days at work. Taking care of an illness in its early stages means that the employee will feel better faster and be up to their peak performance in no time. If you offer a telemedicine benefit, you will find that healthier employees and increased productivity are the result.