How Timely Medical Care Impacts Worker Productivity  

Your business’s success greatly depends on the productivity of your workers. Ensuring every worker is prepared to do their job is essential to keeping your business running smoothly.  

But preparation goes beyond making sure workers are qualified and trained for their positions; it also includes doing what you can to support workers’ overall health and wellbeing. Providing timely medical care, especially in the event of a work-related illness or injury, is one of the most effective ways to boost worker productivity.  

Why Timely Medical Care Is Important for Worker Health  

Timely medical care includes promptly providing access to medical professionals in an on-the-job accident as well as a series of preventative steps that protect worker health.   

The more resources you provide your workers to take care of their health and safety, the more likely they are to utilize them. And the healthier your workers are, the more ready they will be to give their best at work.  

When workers aren’t feeling well, either due to a minor illness like the flu, a chronic condition such as heart disease or a mental health issue like depression, their focus is more predominantly on how unwell they’re feeling than their job. With providers booking up months in advance, it can be a struggle for workers to make the time to get their health looked after.  

Providing opportunities for your workers to make their health a priority removes the barriers to care that exist for many, helping them take charge of their wellness. It also helps injured workers avoid lengthy ER wait times, reducing the impact on local healthcare resources that may already be stretched thin.  

The Direct Impact of Timely Medical Care on Worker Productivity  

Giving workers convenient, timely medical care access can have several benefits for worker productivity and, in turn, your business.  

Reduced Absenteeism  

When workers are ill or injured, they often cannot work. This means days away from their duties, leaving you to either juggle schedules to backfill their spots or deal with a temporarily reduced staff.  

Being able to be seen for minor medical issues or receive prompt assessment and treatment of minor work-related injuries, means your workers will be less likely to miss work. When a worker is injured on the job, seeing medical staff immediately following the incident allows them to get care quickly and, when appropriate, return to their duties without having to travel offsite for care.  

Better Focus and Efficiency  

People who don’t feel well aren’t going to be able to put most of their focus into their job. Instead, their attention and mental energy will go to just making it through the day, which could greatly impact their work output. Additionally, not feeling well can lead to distractedness or even carelessness that then may cause accidents on the job.  

Keeping workers healthy is essential to ensuring they are performing their best at work.  

Reduced Stress Levels  

Being ill or injured — and having to perform at work — is stressful. Workers are concerned they will do something wrong, but they also are concerned for their own health and wellbeing.   

When workers don’t prioritize their health, they are more likely to experience higher stress levels. When stress levels are elevated for long periods of time, that can further increase any negative health outcomes, including leading to brain fog, a weakened immune system, insomnia and a higher risk of heart disease.  

Providing workers easy access to the care they need to stay healthy reduces illness-related stress levels, allowing your workers to turn in their best work.   

How You Can Offer Workers Timely Medical Care for Improved Productivity  

You have a variety of options for creating an occupational healthcare program, and the services you choose will depend on your organization’s makeup, your budget and your workers’ needs.  

Onsite Clinic  

An onsite clinic provides easy access to care, providing everything from immediate work-related injury assessment to vaccination programs. Workers won’t have to leave your facility to get the care they need, and they may even be more likely to seek out medical attention for issues that haven’t yet become emergent. Bringing the health system to the employer allows workers to avoid long wait times at the emergency department and reduces the impact on local healthcare resources, freeing up space for others who need help. 

Injury Triage  

Injury triage allows access to knowledgeable, experienced triage nurses for those times when your workers don’t have access to an onsite clinic. The triage nurse takes down the details of your worker’s on-the-job injury and, when appropriate, walks them through first aid protocols. When additional care is needed, the nurse can help your worker find the nearest in-network facility to meet their care needs.  

Preventative Programs  

From industrial athletic trainers who can intervene at the early signs of potential injuries such as musculoskeletal injuries to onsite wellness programs, providing preventative care that keeps health and safety front-of-mind for your workers is key to providing timely medical care. Safety training ensures you have a work environment free of potential hazards, allowing your workers to avoid accidents and stay healthy.  

Your Partner in Offering Timely Medical Care  

Medcor is your complete occupational healthcare provider, offering solutions to meet every organization’s needs. From full-scale onsite clinics to 24/7 injury triage, our team of occupational health professionals can keep your workers healthy and high performing by providing easy access to timely medical care. Ready to get started? Speak with an advocate today.