17 May, 2022
HealthTech Meets HR: The Future of Employee Wellbeing
We are in an era where most professionals expend a protracted amount of time laboring at their desks, especially with digitization and flexible work becoming the norm in recent years. However, the implications of modern work on health and wellness in the long run are not being talked about enough. Sedentary lifestyles, detrimental work environments, and impeding burnout is likely to take a toll on employees if not addressed in a conscious, diligent manner. It is thus, the organization’s responsibility to deploy effective strategies that help enhance workplace wellness and keep employees’ wellbeing in check.
The Business Impact of Workplace Wellbeing
It should come as no surprise that an unhealthy workforce is counterproductive and directly impacts the bottom lines. Lifestyle diseases such as depression, hypertension, diabetes, and other medical conditions account for increased absenteeism accompanied by significant losses in productivity and performance. On the contrary, involvement in health and wellness programs reduces absenteeism from 9-20%.
Hence, at an organizational level, it is important to understand the salient connection between work and health while strategizing employee wellbeing. Organizations that prioritize their workforce’s health pave the way to a harmonious, warm, and retentive work culture that directly resonates with employees’ expectations from their employer.
However, most of the current wellness approaches adopted by firms are narrow in focus and are external to the work itself, such as standardized diet programs, coerced exercise regimens, and other ineffective interventions. In fact, according to SHRM, about 47% of HR leaders say that although their organizations support workplace wellbeing programs, their employees fail to feel their impact. Another report from Forrester stated that employees who are stressed and think that their employers will not care about their wellbeing are twice as likely to explore other job opportunities. This deep disconnect negatively affects employee retention and gives birth to a toxic workplace culture.
Unlock Employee Wellness with HealthTech
HealthTech or health technology refers to any technology which enables healthcare products and services that can be delivered or consumed outside of a hospital. Global upheavals have accelerated innovations in this field, as an increased emphasis on health and safety was triggered amid turbulent times. The emergence of HealthTech in the corporate world is nothing less than a boon for the HR industry, as employers now have the golden opportunity to go the extra mile in promoting a healthy, happy, and productive workplace by adopting an engaging approach to wellness. Read on to know how the infusion of technology with wellness can be leveraged in your organization!
1. Offer health and wellness incentives
Health and wellness incentives refer to any type of rewards (gift cards, vouchers, physical products, paid time off, etc.) offered to employees for adoption and implementation of healthy behavior. For instance, participation-based incentives can be awarded for being part of a smoking cessation session or running in a 5 kilometer marathon. Such incentives can be easily automated and disbursed through a digital R&R platform to reduce manual effort and eliminate the administrative overheads for HR.
2. Introduce health-based rewards
A customized R&R framework with health-driven recognition categories and associated rewards is a great way to promote wellness and cultivate a culture of care in your organization. Offering the choice to redeem health-based rewards is a powerful way to empower as well as encourage employees to stay fit and running. Examples of such rewards include pharmacy vouchers, home-based wellness services, exercise equipment, workout gear, gym memberships, sports sessions, spa coupons, and so on. A well-equipped R&R solution provider can assist your organization in designing an integrated reward redemption catalog that encompasses health-based products along with a myriad of other gifting options.
3. Telehealth services
Offering virtual health or telehealth services is the most effective wellness strategy that can be deployed, especially with the rise in hybrid working and flexible workplace cultures. An employee engagement platform can facilitate one-on-one medical care, information services, individualized self-care advice, wellness chat or video sessions, and discussion forums or focus groups for mental health. By providing such HealthTech services, organizations affirm their investment in innovative technologies whilst supporting the holistic wellbeing of their employees.
4. A dedicated health module
Digital employee engagement solutions have made implementing wellness programs a cakewalk for organizations. A dedicated health module can be included in your engagement platform, that caters to the overall wellbeing of your employees. The health module uses in-depth analytics to promote wellness with features such as activity tracker, mindfulness reminders, and a dedicated mobile application. Users can also synchronize their wearable devices with the corporate health module application for a personalized experience.
Place Employee Wellbeing at the Center Stage of Employee Experience
As an established vendor in the employee R&R space, we have observed firsthand the budding number of organizations that are eager to initiate corporate wellness programs that can boost employee retention and nurture a happy workforce. We believe that a well-executed combination of robust R&R technology and HealthTech services can be instrumental in delivering an exceptional employee experience.
Connect with us now to know how our digital R&R platform can help augment employee wellbeing in your organization!