This is a guest post by Shah Alif Ahmed. He is a content marketer and health expert at Vantage Fit, an all-in-one corporate wellness platform by Vantage Circle. He is also an internationally certified nutrition specialist and a competitive bodybuilder, having won numerous national and state-level awards.
When your staff is on break — or even on the job — how are they tracking their wellness? And are you helping them?
Sedentary behavior, texting, and hours on YouTube. Too much of the wrong usage of technology can lead to unhealthy habits. And that might mean poor employee health, increased healthcare costs, and necessarily losses for your business.
So, how can you ensure the optimal health of your employees in this digital age?
Read on to learn five ways digital wellness technology can help your company.
Benefit #1: Helps your employees be more informed
Wearable technology and sophisticated smartphone applications give your employees more insight into health metrics. For example, the tech can let staff track their nutritional intake, fitness activities, sleep patterns, and other personal data.
Once armed with that data, your team can make more informed decisions about their health and better prevent future health issues. Low on steps? No recent cardio activity? Too much sugar today? Wearables and apps can get your employees moving and give them insight about some measurements of heart and lung health.
Benefit #2: Increases employee wellness program participation
You don’t have to be a large, corporate business to have an employee wellness program. Even if you’re a small coffee shop with a handful of employees, you still can encourage staff to participate in wellness initiatives.
And digital technology-based wellness solutions that can help.
Depending on what your program focuses on, you can use Employee Wellness platforms with features like a step count tracker, heart rate monitor, and much more. Just another way to keep your team engaged.
For example, you can create a step challenge using a wellness platform, wherein your employees will have to walk a target number of steps daily. With features like a real-time leaderboard, your employees can also keep track of their colleagues' progress. You can also use such platforms to introduce incentives that will drive higher engagement and participation
Benefit #3: Promotes mental health
Physical health is only one part of the picture. When it comes to the overall wellbeing of your staff, mental health is essential. From dealing with unruly customers to handling stress at home, your employees are balancing a lot.
You might not be a mental health professional — and that’s ok. Now there’s technology to help ensure your employees' mental wellbeing. For example, apps that provide stress-management features such as mindful meditation sessions will help you combat workplace stress. Additionally, some apps offer sleep-inducing methods that your team can use to track — and adjust — their sleep patterns.
Benefit #4: Encourages physical activity.
One of the great things about fitness apps is that they’re inclusive. Whether someone is in a wheelchair, has a vision impairment, or a speech issue, digital health devices can allow your staff to set their own goals. In doing so, anyone on your team can still participate in your wellness programs — and their coworkers can give them encouragement along the way.
Benefit #5: Increases employee productivity
You’ve probably hit that after-lunch slump and thought about finding a corner for a quick cat nap. When you’re feeling lethargic, you’re probably not able to focus on some of those “must-dos” like approving timesheets or running payroll.
The same goes for your employees. When you want to ensure your staff provides the best customer service or checks off all the tasks on their list, keeping them energized is a must. Digital wellness apps can help your team get the mental and physical interaction they need so they can come to work ready to work.
Final Words
Technological advancements are changing the way employers address employee health in their workplaces. Digital wellness in the workplace has made corporate wellness programs more effective and fun, and it has helped employers introduce successful wellness strategies.
