Why 24/7 medical advice is essential for employee safety

Imagine your employee injures themself at soccer practice on a Wednesday evening. Is it a broken ankle, or just a nasty sprain? The local chemist and GP are closed, meaning the only option to get an immediate answer is to join the long queues at the emergency department (or face a sleepless night worrying about what’s going on).

This scenario is far from isolated. In fact, many employees are encountering after-hours medical issues that they’re unable to resolve in a timely manner.

But employers can play a key role in resolving this issue. By ensuring medical advice is available to employees 24/7, companies can boost workplace safety, increase productivity and ensure teams receive the care they need when they need it most.

Workplace medical assistance: why 24/7 advice matters

Medical issues aren’t limited to a 9-5 schedule, but many employees can only access employer-funded care during standard business hours.

Unfortunately, the hours of care offered by traditional employee assistance programs (EAPs) are incredibly limited. If an incident arises after 5pm, many would only be able to seek support for crisis-related or extremely time-sensitive issues.

However, our sample cohort of 10,000+ active member support cases reveals that 57% of people seek out support after business hours.

Many members we’ve spoken to said they wouldn’t have reached out for help at all if their employer had not provided them with a 24/7 care option.

Image description: EAP-blog-infographics

According to AeroPM, 76% of their employees’ Sonder support cases were raised outside of business hours. Without 24/7 care on offer, more than three-quarters of these support cases would have gone unaddressed, with significant potential flow-on effects on the businesses’ performance, morale levels, and overall productivity.

Meanwhile Amy Rixon, Chief People Officer of fellow customer HUB24, had this story to share in a recent webinar, in which she used Sonder’s 24/7 medical support when she was travelling.

The benefits of round-the-clock healthcare advice

Giving employees access to 24/7 medical care isn’t just about ensuring staff get timely answers to their health-related questions. In fact, organisations stand to gain several tangible benefits from rolling out an accessible, always-on medical care offering.

1. Reduce downtime and absenteeism

Unfortunately, the current wait times to see a GP in Australia are increasing, with regional and remote areas most at risk of the worsening GP shortfall across the country.

The longer medical issues go unaddressed, the longer an employee will likely need to recover and the more likely they’ll be to take significant time away from work.

But joining the GP waiting list queues shouldn’t be the only option for staff. By offering employee health support programs that include 24/7 medical advice, staff can quickly seek treatment for any presenting concerns.

From receiving a referral for in-person treatment to gaining valuable reassurance and peace of mind, round-the-clock healthcare advice is a practical step employers can take to tackle the root causes of absenteeism, such as poor physical health and wellbeing.

"Last night, my son came up in a rash. I used the medical element of Sonder and had an answer from one of the nurses in 15 minutes and the reassurance I needed. She was thorough and even asked for a follow-up the next day, which I thought was wonderful!"

2. Improve employee morale and wellbeing

It’s difficult for employees to bring their best selves to work if they’re navigating chronic pain, persistent headaches or a mental health concern, such as anxiety or depression.

But with an employee wellbeing program that offers immediate assessments, employees can chat with healthcare professionals 24/7 to rapidly triage concerns, gain clinical recommendations and fast-track their journey back to health.

This has both individual and organisational benefits, boosting the overall wellbeing of team members and driving an uptick in morale and engagement across an entire company.

"My first contact with Sonder and the triage nurse was so caring, patient and understanding that I immediately felt safe and open. I was also contacted the following day to book an appointment with a psychologist."

3. Remove barriers to accessing care

With many Australians waiting months to see a psychologist and urgent medical care harder to access than ever before, employers have an important role to play in making healthcare more accessible.

After all, while a $50 gap payment at the local doctor might be insignificant to one employee, it might be an insurmountable barrier to accessing care for another.

With on-demand, employer-funded healthcare support available, these barriers are reduced. Employees can speak with a qualified healthcare professional in minutes, all without leaving their homes or worrying about the final bill.

"Thank you to the nurse I spoke to about my ankle. It turned out to be broken, so I'm glad I went to the doctor. Her advice was really appreciated."

4. Improve employee productivity and performance

An employee’s health and wellbeing levels can have a direct impact on how engaged they are in their work and the quality of their output.

The benefits of investing in employee health are clear: findings from the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission, which shows for every dollar a business spends on mental health programs, they can expect anywhere from $1 and $4 in return.

Plus, happy, healthy employees who aren’t experiencing a high level of workplace stress are shown to be 12% more committed to staying—helping employers lower the costs and disruptions of employee turnover, too.

How to enhance workplace safety with 24/7 medical advice

The benefits of investing in employee health are clear. So, what steps should organisations take to make 24/7 medical advice access a reality?

Rather than settling for a traditional EAP with a limited scope of care, it’s important to seek out a complete employee care platform that offers:

Immediate clinical care, such as the ability to chat with registered health professionals day or night to alleviate out-of-hours wellbeing, healthcare and medical concerns.
Rapid everyday care and wellbeing support, ideally through a platform that connects staff with experienced healthcare professionals in 15 seconds (or less).
The ability to triage and diagnose medical diagnoses digitally. For example, as a health provider accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS), Sonder’s innovative model of care enables our multidisciplinary team of clinicians (including registered nurses and specialist physicians) to triage and diagnose over 100 distinct medical diagnoses this year.
A centralised hub for all resources and support services related to an employee’s health, wellbeing and safety—removing barriers to access and avoiding confusion about what level of support is available and where to find it.

At Sonder we’ve designed a modern approach to employee care with a platform that’s designed to boost utilisation rates and get employees back to health sooner.

Keep reading: Discover how to choose the right EAP with our guide to 10 things to consider when purchasing a wellbeing service.

Ultimately, the best way to boost workplace safety, increase productivity and inspire employee loyalty is to ensure you’re making your team’s health, wellbeing and safety a top priority. With a wellbeing solution that goes beyond mental health counselling alone, you can ensure your people have 24/7 access to the support they need most, such as medical care and advice.

Meet Sonder’s preventative care platform

Sonder’s platform helps organisations improve the wellbeing of their people so they perform at their best. Our mobile app provides immediate, 24/7 support from a team of safety, medical, and mental health professionals – plus in-person help when required.

Image description: Sonder's care platform mobile preview

Accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS), our platform gives leaders the insights they need to act on tomorrow’s wellbeing challenges today.

Discover how much a modern approach to employee care could save your business with our ROI calculator. Or get in touch with Sonder today to request a demo.

About Sonder

Sonder is a technology company that helps organisations improve the wellbeing of their people so they perform at their best. Our mobile app provides immediate, 24/7 support from a team of safety, medical, and mental health professionals – plus onsite help for time-sensitive scenarios. Accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS), our platform gives leaders the insights they need to act on tomorrow’s wellbeing challenges today.