The role of technology in accelerating your wellness programs
Technology is officially everywhere. It’s always new. It’s always trendy. And, it’s always changing. Keeping up with the tech world can be nearly impossible. Combine that with the always changing atmosphere of the wellness world, and we’ve got a real challenge on our hands.
Tech and wellness can complement each other nicely, but it’s important to remember not to sacrifice function for the flashiness of new trends. If you’re thinking about working the latest tech trends into your corporate wellness program, consider these three areas of wellness.
Technology in Wellness Communication
Wellness communication can seem tough. There can be a fine line between too much and too little support when it comes to corporate wellness. Do you send the educational blog posts to everyone? What about deadline reminders? Or maybe just instructions? The questions can be endless. You don’t want to overwhelm your employees, but you do want them to get the most of your wellness program.
Take the time to get some feedback and gauge what communication tools your employees use most, and how much they’d like to hear from you. Any useful information you don’t want to send directly to them can simply be hosted online for employees to access as they please.
Technology in Wellness Tracking
Possibly the trendiest of tech trends involves wellness tracking. Depending on how your corporate wellness program is set up, tech can help you track wellness in a couple different ways.
One is to use an online wellness portal. A portal can be an excellent option to allow employees to have some control over their wellness activities. It can also be a great reference tool for forgetful employees. Many portals even integrate with aggregate reporting tools so management teams can keep an eye on how the program is going as a whole.
Another way tech can be used in wellness tracking is to utilize the functionality that tablets offer to wellness events. Whether you use tablet data recording at a biometric screening, tablet check-in for a health fair, or any other way your employees use tablets, the tool can be awesome for accurate, easy wellness tracking.
No matter how you track wellness where you work, technology offers a level of accuracy that humans simply can’t. The fewer people that have to manipulate or transfer health data for tracking.
Technology in Wellness Encouragement
One of the hottest tech trends on the market are wearable fitness devices. While wearables can also be used as a tracking tool, they’re most effective as a form of encouragement. People who use wearables are more likely to take action towards achieving their health and wellness goals.
In corporate wellness, wearables can be used very effectively in a couple ways. Wearables can be used to allow employees to participate in challenges (like step or activity challenges). They can also be very motivating as an incentive.
Aside from wearable fitness devices—which we know can get expensive—technology can be used as encouragement much like it’s used for communication. There’s no better motivator than a notification to get up out of your desk chair or an email with some new healthy recipes. Remember to reach people where they’re at with these encouragements so your employees feel empowered rather than overwhelmed.
Technology can be an awesome tool for your corporate wellness program. With the adapting tech trends, try to keep it simple by focusing on communication, tracking and encouragement.
