The high cost of cutting corners: Why quality care matters

When you hear high-quality care, do you see dollar signs? Or do you see long-term value?

Yes, the best health and well-being benefits may seem costly up front. But they pay dividends: better health outcomes, faster recovery, higher engagement, lower absenteeism, and stronger retention. The truth is, investing in high-quality care isn’t a luxury. It’s a smart business decision.

And Canadian employees and employers agree: quality is no longer a nice-to-have.

Here’s what today’s workforce expects.

But when purse strings are tight, it can be tempting to tick a checkbox and settle for the bare minimum — the kind of support that sounds good on paper, but doesn’t actually deliver when it counts. Here’s what compromising on care means for your people’s well-being and your business. 

Reactive care is always more expensive.

Traditional care aims to provide a diagnosis. High-quality care can help prevent one. How? Proactive care tools and services are aimed at prevention and early intervention. They’re designed to keep your employees healthy, not just treat them when they’re unwell.

And prevention pays off. Consider these real-world examples:

• For every $1 spent on flu shots, the Canadian healthcare system saves $45.
• In Ontario, healthy behaviours like smoking cessation, physical activity, and diet led to $4.9 billion in cost savings over 10 years.
• Modest improvements in early childhood obesity could reduce future healthcare costs by $301 million.

Without a focus on prevention, you're always reacting: to stress, to burnout, to emergency room visits. But by then, the high cost of claims, downtime, and recovery is already adding up. By investing in care that supports employees before issues become crises, organizations foster long-term well-being, improve health outcomes, and avoid the higher cost of late-stage interventions.

Delayed or inadequate care leads to worsening conditions.

When employees are forced to wait days or weeks for support, symptoms can worsen, and recovery becomes more complex. Plus, 37% of employees cite lack of motivation as a barrier to care, which can exacerbate when support is slow and confusing.

On the other hand, if the care they receive is too general, too intense, or simply not aligned with their needs, unresolved issues can drag on, leaving employees bouncing between services. The result? Longer leaves, higher downstream costs, and a loss of trust in the system that’s meant to help.

This is why providing appropriate care right off the bat is essential. Dialogue ensures access to primary care practitioners within 60 minutes and next-day appointments with a mental health therapist. Through a simple intake process that takes minutes, members are connected to the right professional for their specific needs. 

When benefits fall short, your top talent walks.

Benefits (like employee assistance programs, proactive mental health support, and personalized primary care) show your team how much you’re willing to invest in their well-being. And in a competitive job market, robust total compensation makes all the difference.

Employees are increasingly making career decisions based on whether their employer supports their physical, mental, and emotional health — and that of their families. In fact, 54% of employees say their benefits impact their loyalty to their employer. So, when they feel unsupported, they’re more likely to leave.

Replacing a single employee can cost up to 4x their annual salary in recruitment and training. Add indirect costs like lost productivity, and the impact is much bigger. This means that investing in high-quality benefits sends a clear message: we care, and we invest in our people.

Slow access leads to lost productivity.

Canadians lose precious time navigating complex systems, waiting on hold, or taking time off just to get help. The longer the delay, the more their well-being suffers — and so does their ability to focus, perform, and stay fully present at work.

These disruptions come at a cost. In Canada, absenteeism alone costs employers an average of $1,685 per employee per month. Then there’s the hidden cost of presenteeism: when employees are physically at work but unable to perform at their best due to stress, illness, or other personal issues. It often goes unnoticed, but adds up fast.

With the right support, employees don’t have to step away from work or wait weeks for a consultation. Dialogue gives members fast, seamless access to care, often within hours, from wherever they are. This ease restores peace of mind, reduces time away, and helps employees stay healthy, focused, and productive.

Fragmented care creates friction.

When care is inconsistent, disconnected, or outsourced to multiple third parties, employees are left to manage their own journey: repeating their story, navigating new platforms, and missing out on the support they deserve.

The result? Confusion, frustration, and poor health outcomes.

Dialogue takes a different approach. Over 95% of our care practitioners are directly part of the Dialogue network. This means that, depending on their role and expertise, we support their scheduling, assign referrals, and provide training resources to ensure a consistent experience across the care journey — from the first appointment to the last follow-up. With one centralized electronic medical record that connects all our practitioners and programs, employees get true continuity of care.

And as the first and only virtual care provider to be recognized for Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada, you can be confident that every touchpoint meets the highest standards for clinical quality, safety, and member-centricity.

High-quality care isn’t expensive. But low-quality care can be. 

When you invest in a health and well-being provider like Dialogue, you’re not just paying for access. You’re paying for results. For faster recovery. For higher retention. For productivity gains and lower claims. For a benefit that actually benefits your people and your business.

And when benefits are high quality, the return far outweighs the cost. While lower-quality or traditional solutions may seem cheaper up front, they often lead to ongoing issues, like persistent absenteeism, claims, and health concerns, all of which drive up your cost per employee month after month.

In uncertain times, it’s tempting to prioritize short-term savings. But when it comes to health and well-being, cutting corners costs more.

Learn more about how Dialogue can drive value for your team.