• In a recent test, Vox found immense value in Guardian Eye’s AVA solution.
• Employees at the firm were able to access a doctor for just R50 as opposed to the R500 – R700 they would usually have to pay.
• Further more, sick days dropped from 2 300 in one six month period to 1 200 with AVA in place.

South Africans are a hard people and for many it would take being physically incapable of moving for folks to take sick leave.

However, this is not ideal for employees or employers. For employees, putting off a visit to the doctor could aggravate conditions leaving them worse off and employees being down for extended periods of time can harm an employer.

In a recent test of Guardian Eye’s AVA platform, Vox found that not only did the telehealth platform lower the number of sick days taken substantially, but also improved access to healthcare for Vox employees.

During the six month test, Vox saw 1 200 days of sick leave used, a drastic drop from the 2 300 sick days taken in a similar period.

“Some employees only have a basic healthcare package so having to pay to see a doctor while missing time at work can really affect their quality of life and stress levels,” explains chief executive officer at Vox, Jacques du Toit. “Our implementation of AVA has allowed for this group to access on-demand healthcare with a physician without the cost or time factor. AVA is hugely beneficial across all employees who want cost-effective access to a doctor – R50 as opposed to R500-R700 – so they can either go home and recover or have reassurance that they are well enough to work.”

The Guardian Eye team used the Bradford Factor calculator, also known as the Bradford Formula, to ascertain how many unplanned absences were being taken in the business and give them a clear weighting that indicates the company’s overall absenteeism. The results then allowed the team to create a clear picture of the business and how many people were taking unplanned leave, the volumes of sick leave, and overall sick leave behaviours. It allowed for Vox to identify which people were working despite being unwell as they couldn’t afford the time out to see the doctor, and those who were gaming the system. 

“The burden of sick leave is felt by the business, but also by other employees who have to pick up the slack. This is further complicated when people cannot afford to spend time and money seeing a doctor and they then bring illness into the company. When everyone has access to affordable healthcare in the office, the dynamic changes completely. AVA has been revelatory, for us, and for our employees,” du Toit adds.

Vox says that it’s employees enjoyed access to AVA and have enquired as to when it will return.

You can find out more about AVA here.

[Image – Parentingupstream from Pixabay]