In the last several years, employee wellness strategies have received greater focus from companies and organisations across the UK. It’s only recently, however, that we’ve seen the rise of wellness technology solutions to facilitate these corporate health initiatives. As innovations crop up in this sector of employee management, the need for forward-thinking IT in staff wellness grows. With the right approach and the right tech, HR professionals and administrators can manage health schemes at work without the need for robust IT support services.
Let’s look at why employee wellness IT is beneficial, along with some progressive ways tech is supporting corporate wellness.
Why is Employee Well-being Tech Beneficial?
While the benefits of health promotion in the workplace are evident, less so are the benefits wellness tech has on well-being. Wellness tech often conjures up images of wearable devices or smartphone health tracking apps, which have actually evolved at an equal pace as health management itself. There’s room for more growth, though, in wellness tech, with innovations like occupational health systems, artificial intelligence, and incorporating big data.
At this convergence of tech and employee well-being, there is a rich opportunity for improving overall health. Wellness IT solutions that capture data can inform risk assessments and health insurance coverage. They can create a holistic overview of an employee’s health, sharing their well-being data at the workplace with their healthcare provider through one, easy-to-use platform. The potential is vast, and companies would be wise not to ignore the benefits of wellness tech.
Below are some examples of how forward-thinking managed IT can benefit employees in the workplace.
Digital Solutions to Address Mental Health
One example of progressive wellness tech for employees addresses sleeplessness and insomnia. Sleeplessness is closely linked to stress, which can be caused by or have an effect on performance at the office. Most experts agree that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia is the most adequate treatment for this disorder.
The trouble is that there is a shortage of licensed professionals who can provide this therapy in person. The development of digital therapy has addressed this scarcity, however. Employees can access digital sleep therapy with a smartphone or computer and an internet connection. This low-cost, highly scalable solution can have positive impacts on employees’ mental health.
Forward-thinking IT for Flexible Working Arrangements
Modern wellness tech can also help facilitate flexible working, like remote or part-time work schedules. Millennials, in particular, seek flexibility, especially when it comes to fitness and well-being. Digital platforms like ClassPass integrate with existing HR solutions to offer custom fitness classes and wellness solutions to employees.
Wellness tech that caters to an individual solution to health and well-being is also ideal for remote workers. Promoting participation in company wellness schemes is difficult for those working off-site. By providing options and managing everything through a digital platform that’s accessible anywhere, remote workers can choose what works for them and stay involved in the company’s health initiative.
An Employee Well-being Strategy Geared Toward the Future of Work
As workplaces shift in the immediate future, employers’ health management schemes should be ready to adapt to new challenges. We already mentioned that remote working is on the rise. Working alongside artificial intelligence is also likely to become commonplace.
These changes will bring about new obstacles to well-being, like increased stress and pressure placed on employees. IT solutions to these problems include more specialised training for employees coupled with digital wellness apps and platforms that take a holistic, fully managed approach to employee health. Indeed, with the right tools, HR specialists can prepare their employees for the future of work and its potential health costs.
Putting Big Data and Analytics to Work in Employee Wellness
The use of big data and predictive analytics has become a popular topic in healthcare. Their benefit is often applied in the context of chronic health. Those suffering from chronic health problems usually expect to pay more for healthcare. But with the help of predictive analytics, those costs can go down.
Gathering data on employees’ health when they’re enrolled in corporate wellness schemes can lead to more appropriate risk assessments and outcomes. Workplace wellness company OurHealth uses big data and analytics to make healthcare more affordable and more accessible for companies and employees.
Final Thoughts on Forward-Thinking IT for Employee Well-being
It’s clear that in order to promote a robust health initiative in the workplace, administrators should increasingly rely on tech solutions. With the potential tech has on the healthcare sector overall, it would be unwise to ignore IT innovations in occupational health. As a North London IT support company, we at Amazing Support stand behind tech and IT solutions as an ideal way to create employee wellness strategies.
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