Employees continuously adapt to change in our society and in the workplace. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research's Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA), as of January 2023, 13% of full-time employees are fully remote, 59% are full-time on site, and 28% are in a hybrid arrangement.¹

While more employers are reopening their offices and the number of work from home (WFH) days are decreasing, some employees still desire fully remote jobs.¹ WFH and hybrid scenarios allow employees to spend less money (transportation, food, entertainment, etc.), offer greater flexibility, and provide better work-life balance.¹

As employers weigh the pros and cons of WFH arrangements to determine which scenarios will work best in their workplace, there is an opportunity to tap into the advantages of virtual work and evaluate what other remote options could offer value for employees. According to the Global Talent Trends 2022–2023: Rise of the Relatable Organization report by Mercer, 30% of employers plan to offer increased access to virtual health options as a plan to promote long-term employee well-being.² Additionally, 46% of employers currently offer virtual mental health counseling as a top strategy to support mental health.²

Virtual health care is a broad term that can be defined as providing care and delivering health services and solutions to patients remotely through technology. Communication platforms can include video, mobile apps, telephone and text-based messaging.

The terms "telehealth" and "telemedicine" are also used to describe virtual health care. However, while some organizations use these three terms interchangeably, others define them separately. Telehealth can be defined as the use of technology and electronic information to support a wide scope of remote clinical and nonclinical health care services such as professional and patient education, administration, and diagnostic and monitoring activities across many health service disciplines.³,⁴ Telemedicine has historically been defined as remote clinical services.⁵

Similar to a remote job, virtual health care allows employees to save time and money since there is no commute. It provides flexibility since employees can prioritize and manage their health from the safety and comfort of their home. Although virtual health care cannot replace all in-person services, it offers a convenient way to access health benefits. Below are three reasons virtual health care can help your employees thrive: