The Wellness Tech Revolution: How Technology Can be Leveraged to Ensure Employee Wellbeing

By: Anjan Pathak, CTO and Co-founder of Vantage Circle

Employee well-being stands as a paramount concern for modern organisations. It encompasses not only physical health but also mental and emotional states, directly impacting productivity and fostering a positive workplace culture. According to a survey by Gallup, organisations with highly engaged employees experience 21 percent greater profitability. That is why organisations prioritizing employee wellbeing often find themselves better positioned to attract and retain top talent, thus fostering a positive workplace culture. 

In this context, technology plays a crucial role by offering digital wellness platforms that provide personalised health programs, mental health support, and accessible resources regardless of employees’ locations. By integrating wellness into daily routines, technology ensures a consistent approach to health management and facilitates the maintenance of a healthy and productive workforce. 

The need for wellness technology to ensure employee wellbeing

As modern workplaces are marked by rapid technological advancements and shifting work paradigms, leveraging technology to enhance employee wellness has become essential in all organisations. The intersection of technology and employee wellbeing has given birth to a promising new horizon – the Wellness Tech Revolution. This revolution has encompassed an array of digital tools and platforms designed to improve health and wellbeing. 

Wearable devices and mobile applications offer real-time insights into physical health, empowering employees to track and improve their health outcomes efficiently. By fostering engagement and demonstrating organisational commitment to employee wellbeing, technology enhances job satisfaction and productivity. A study by Deloitte found that technology has the potential to improve employee wellbeing. However, only a handful number of organisations use technology to its fullest to maintain employee wellbeing. 

Moreover, technology extends support to mental wellbeing through resources like guided meditation, stress management techniques, and virtual therapy sessions. Gamification elements in these apps promote a supportive community among coworkers, addressing multifaceted wellness needs.

Traditionally, employee wellness programs focused on physical health. However, modern wellness initiatives encompass mental, emotional, and financial health, supported by innovative wellness platforms that provide an integrated approach to cater to these needs.

Additionally, technology facilitates remote access to wellness resources, ensuring inclusivity and equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of their location. By harnessing these technologies, organisations create a supportive work environment that prioritises employee wellbeing, driving engagement, productivity, and retention.

Combatting workplace stress through technology

Workplace stress is a pervasive issue that can negatively impact employee wellbeing and productivity. According to the American Institute of Stress, workplace stress costs U.S. industries an estimated $300 billion annually in absenteeism, turnover, reduced productivity, and medical, legal, and insurance costs. Technology offers innovative solutions to combat stress and promote mental health in the workplace. For instance, a platform that is AI-powered will be able to analyse data patterns by identifying stress triggers. In turn, these platforms can provide personalised interventions, such as recommending mindfulness exercises or scheduling breaks in between work to prevent mundane work pattern. 

With the introduction of automation technology, a lot of manual tasks have been reduced and streamlined, thus saving time and resources for organisations. Automated workflows and task management systems optimise repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on high-value activities that require creativity and critical thinking. Organisations must leverage technology to its fullest to minimise human error, reduce operational costs, and drive overall productivity gains across various departments and functions.

Additionally, communication tools and project management software streamline workflows, reducing the likelihood of overload and burnout. By providing employees with tools to manage their workload effectively and access resources for stress relief, technology plays a vital role in creating a supportive work environment. 

Use of technology in improving employee productivity 

Let us now understand how incorporating wellness technology into workplaces enhances productivity by reducing stress, improving communication, and providing support for personal and professional challenges. 

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): EAPs are services offered to employees dealing with personal or work-related challenges such as mental health issues, stress, or family concerns. Technology helps in implementing EAP programs digitally, through different platforms, thus providing easy access to counseling services, self-help resources, and crisis intervention tools. EAP apps and online portal facilities operate 24×7 to provide access to support, fostering a culture of wellbeing and mental health awareness within the organisation. 

Employee wellness platform: Employee wellness platforms are comprehensive digital solutions designed to support and promote the wellbeing of employees within organisations. These platforms offer a range of tools and resources that are often personalised, including health and fitness tracking, mental health support, nutritional guidance, stress management techniques, and more. 

The inclusion of leaderboards in these wellness platforms also plays a significant role in enhancing the effectiveness of these platforms. By introducing leaderboards for weekly challenges, organisations create a dynamic environment that encourages participation and fosters healthy competition among employees. The visibility of top performers motivates peers to actively participate and promotes a sense of achievement and recognition within the workforce. The top performers can be recognised and rewarded through incentivisation, which can further create a ripple effect throughout the organisation, motivating others to elevate their own wellness journeys. Moreover, the impact of incentives extends beyond individual achievements, as it fosters a culture of support and encouragement where every participant is encouraged to reach their full potential. 

Conclusion

The wellness tech revolution is not just about introducing new technologies but transforming how we view and manage employee wellbeing. By leveraging these technologies, organisations can create more engaging, personalised, and inclusive wellness programmes that support employees in every aspect of their health. 

In this new era, companies equipped with the right technology will not only see enhanced productivity, but will also be able to build a stronger, and more resilient workforce, capable of thriving in an ever-evolving corporate landscape.