A Comprehensive Guide to Employee Wellness and Technology

Employees are one of the most important assets to a company and employee wellness technology is a good way of fostering an environment of positivity for staff.

They’re directly responsible for the success of your business. It might surprise you to learn then that companies lose up to $575 billion in productivity every year due to poor health of employees.

Whether this is because they’re taking more sick days or because the quality of the work that they turn in, the success of your business is directly related to the wellbeing of your workers.

This is why more and more businesses are investing in employee wellness. Luckily there have been many technological advances that companies can utilize to promote an environment of healthy living throughout the culture of your company.

Whether they’re working in-office or working remotely, there are things you can do as their employer to invest in the wellbeing of your employees.

Trackers and Monitors

Wearable health tech is now a common fixture of employee wellness technology with employees. Products like Fitbits, apple watches, and other tracking are very popular, and many of your employees may already have one of them.

These devices can be great tools to help prevent some of the chronic health conditions that are brought on from living inactive and sedentary working lifestyles—such as diabetes and heart disease—by incentivizing movement and physical activities.

Companies can encourage the use of products by providing these fitness devices for their employees.

If your company is unable to make this financial commitment, you could also hold company-wide wellness competitions for those who already own one of these devices.

You could have employees compete to see who can take the most steps, or who can walk the farthest distances over a certain period of time, and offer a prize to the winner.

By encouraging a health-conscious atmosphere in the workplace, you’re helping to ensure that your employees remain their physical best so they can focus on giving their all to being successful at their jobs.

Digital Solutions

Hardware isn’t the only way that companies can promote a culture around living a healthy lifestyle. There are also digital solutions that employees can use to supplement their fitness journeys.

The nice thing about these solutions is that they open the door to focusing on holistic health rather than just focusing on physical exercise.

For example, studies have shown that a consistent, healthy sleep schedule is a key component to your employees’ productivity.

Many companies have started to encourage the use of a bedtime tracking app that assists in improving your sleeping habits.

Digital solutions are also a great resource for remote workers who may be experiencing the mental stress that can sometimes be associated with working away from the office.

Most digital apps have a community aspect to them that allows people to connect with others and share the successes and challenges they face in their wellness journey. Encourage your employees to connect on these apps and motivate each other to stick to healthier lifestyle choices.

Remember the Basics

It can be easy to immediately think of new-age technologies as the only solutions to improving employee wellness. However, the most basic of technologies also play a significant role in how healthy your workforce is.

For example, studies have shown that sitting in an uncomfortable office chair can have severe long-term effects on your physical health. It can lead to poor circulation, digestive issues, and even poor lung function.

By providing, or encouraging your employees to have, ergonomic office chairs, you can aid in both boosting their productivity as well as potentially reducing the amount of sick days they need to take throughout the year.

Similarly, your employees’ personal health devices can have an impact on their quality of work. It’s been found that poor vision can negatively influence your work force’s performance—causing headaches, eyestrain, and an overall lack of motivation.

While these side-effects may seem minor, headaches alone cost employers every year in absenteeism.

This is why you should encourage your employees to wear prescription glasses if they need them, and to get their eyes checked by a doctor frequently. As employees age and engage with digital devices regularly, they are at greater risk of worsening vision.

New prescription eyeglasses can protect employees with vision impairments caused by reduced vision quality from squinting or blurred vision. Annual eye appointments can protect employees with good vision from developing eye conditions.

This way your employees are being proactive in preventing some of these bad days from happening in the first place.

While it may be true that chairs and eyeglasses aren’t revolutionary employee wellness technology, these simple tools can make the world of a difference for the health of your employees.

Simple things like making sure your employees have the basic tools they need to do their jobs comfortably and sufficiently will save you thousands of dollars in the long-run.

Ask for Employees’ Input

When looking for other ways to incorporate employee wellness technology into your workplace, the best place to start is by looking internally for solutions.

Your employees already have an expectation for the technology they expect their employers to provide for them.

Start by asking them if there’s anything you could be doing or offering to help aid them in their wellness journey.

An easy way to do this is by using an employee survey site to give everyone in the business the opportunity to share their thoughts and knowledge.

Your IT department isn’t the only place to discover the latest tech news, so make sure your other employees have the chance to voice the tools they know of and use as well. Their suggestions can provide you with valuable insights on how to improve the wellbeing of your company.

Bottom Line

• The key factor to the success of any business is their employee base, and employee wellness technology is one way of ensuring staff are maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
• The healthier your employees are, the more willing they will be to focus and give their all to helping your business succeed.
• By utilizing available technology to boost their wellbeing, your return on investment will be the costs saved from sick days and an unmotivated workforce.

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