For far too long, on-site health centres (OHCs) have been treated as an administrative tick-box for compliance rather than a strategic driver of overall employee well-being and productivity. However, the pandemic has shifted things in a major way. The onus is now on HR leaders to adopt a transformative approach to on-site healthcare.
Clinics that focus only on urgent care are a sunk cost. Those that help prevent diseases, manage chronic conditions, and drive an evolving culture of wellness, however, are engines that fuel business growth.
Hence, it’s imperative that companies break away from traditional OHC models and take steps to build a proactive culture around health and wellness for long-term business success. An OHC that only reacts to health issues when they have already escalated will not generate meaningful or measurable returns.
Here are some key questions HR leaders must consider before they decide to bring an OHC partner on board:
1. How Confident Are You in Your OHC Partner?
People always tend to consult familiar doctors when it comes to medical emergencies, and the expectations are no less personal for companies looking to establish OHC partnerships. It’s crucial to inquire how the OHC partner plans to maintain employee confidentiality and data privacy.
Remember, when it comes to healthcare, trust is everything. A trusted, high-quality on-site healthcare centre can end up saving time and money by addressing health issues early.
Providing employees access to timely, accessible, and reliable care can:
- Reduce complications
- Improve productivity
- Help build a healthier workforce
- Strengthen business resilience
2. Can the OHC customise wellness solutions for your unique needs?
While choosing an OHC, assessing its abilities to identify, address, and adapt to your workforce’s unique needs is important; a one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work. Every organisation has its own unique risk profile, which could be shaped by its industry, demographics, and even geography. For example, India is considered the diabetes capital of the world, with nearly 101.3 million people in the country living with type 2 diabetes and another 136 million living with prediabetes, states an Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study published in The Lancet (1). Further, the Indian Heart Association states that heart attacks occur in Indians almost 33% earlier compared to other demographics (2). Hence, the ideal health partner should be able to provide a wide range of customisable wellness solutions to keep such conditions at bay or manage them effectively rather than just being an underutilised resource.
3. Does the OHC offer a comprehensive range of services?
Gone are the days when companies could rely on fragmented, reactive healthcare models. The benefits of an effective OHC should extend far beyond providing first aid and conducting fever checks. The right partner should be able to deliver a comprehensive range of wellness solutions, including:
- Primary care
- Emergency care
- Diagnostics
- Mental health support
- Specialty services (physiotherapists, gynaecologists, orthopaedists)
- Care for chronic conditions
- Maternity support
- Vaccination drives
Choosing a full-spectrum OHC as your partner can not only help reduce risks and healthcare costs but also strengthen workforce performance.
4. Can the OHC drive a culture of wellness within your organisation?
An OHC can play a pivotal role in reducing attrition rates and absenteeism, while also enhancing the overall well-being and productivity of employees. Access to such a facility not only makes the employees feel valued but also prevents them from taking time off to get a consult elsewhere.
Today, workforces in India are under unprecedented pressure — chronic diseases are rising, mental health issues are growing, and productivity losses due to untreated or undetected health issues are compounding. As per the World Economic Forum, India stands to lose nearly $4.58 trillion between 2012 and 2030 owing to healthcare spends and mental health issues (3). The right OHC should be able to build a culture of wellness within the company. Enhancing the overall employee health and well-being could itself generate global economic value of up to $11.7 trillion, suggests a study conducted by McKinsey Health Institute and the World Economic Forum (WEF) (4). An effective OHC can be a critical business tool for organizations to tackle escalating healthcare costs and the prevalence of stress and lifestyle-related health conditions in the workforce.
5. Does the OHC cover dependents and families?
If an OHC’s services are limited to employees, it misses a critical opportunity to create a broader impact.
The health and well-being of an employee’s family can have a direct impact on their well-being and productivity. By extending on-site healthcare services to family members, companies can cultivate a deeper sense of care and gratitude among employees. Not only does it create a stronger culture of employee loyalty and retention, but it can also reduce unplanned leaves by addressing health issues early and help employees stay focused and motivated at work. By ensuring employees’ families also get timely, convenient care, companies can ensure operational stability in the long run.
6. Does the OHC prioritise digital integration?
Healthcare should not end when the clinic closes for the day. Teleconsultations, wellness apps, integrated care, digital continuity, remote health monitoring, analytics for data-driven decision making, and timely mental health support through digital platforms are all important to making sure employees have access to healthcare beyond work hours.
In 2021, India’s National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) held round table conversations (5) with industry leaders to understand how the pandemic impacted organisations and businesses. Companies reported prioritising the overall well-being of employees by partnering with hospitals and arranging remote sessions with doctors, psychiatrists, yoga instructors, etc. Technology was also used to celebrate milestones, and virtual happy hours were held. It’s crucial to understand that the real ROI of an OHC comes from its ability to deliver continuous preventive and comprehensive care that keeps the workforce healthier, more productive, and fully supported.
7. Does the OHC measure and report outcomes?
The ideal OHC partner should provide regular reports on key metrics and business outcomes, including improvement in employee engagement, absenteeism, and presenteeism.
HR leaders should demand accountability metrics such as risk reduction, cost savings, chronic disease management and engagement outcomes from the OHC partner, as failing to do so makes it difficult to assess the value of the partnership.
Choose your health partner wisely
Choosing an OHC to bring on board should extend beyond analysing cost structures. It requires identifying and recruiting the ideal partner that can help transform employee health and well-being.
Here’s a factor HR leaders must evaluate: Is the OHC simply a vendor, or is it a strategic health partner? It’s high time OHCs were treated as effective catalysts for creating an evolving ecosystem of care and driving measurable business outcomes, rather than as mere compliance tools. A strategic health partner will proactively manage employee health, build a more productive, healthier workforce and reduce healthcare costs in the long run.