IsWearableTechKey

Employee Engagement: Is Wearable Tech the Key to a Productive Workforce?

HR professionals are always on the lookout for ways to improve the productivity of a workforce so it’s no surprise that wearable technology has caught the attention of HR facing publications lately. More and more companies are incorporating wearable tech into their employee benefits scheme and recent research shows some promising results.

From basic pedometers to the more technologically advanced Fit Bits, it would seem that wearable tech is a new trend. The latest gadgets go way beyond simply recording the amount of steps in each day. Using the latest technology, these innovative gadgets can monitor everything from posture to fatigue levels. Now, we already knew that there would be a focus on wellness in the workplace in 2016, but moving in to 2017 are quirky gadgets a key driver to success in this area? Join us as we discuss the benefits of providing employees with gadgets that are designed to encourage a healthier lifestyle.

Why Should You Encourage Employee Wellness?

Healthy employees have higher productivity levels (approximately 8.5 percent higher according to Rackspace) and take fewer sick days and incorporating wellness into your employee benefits can help you retain your top performers. While it is easy to follow the crowd and become distracted with the latest fad, it is wise to create your own brand identity that complements a piece of tech that reflects your company and the employees. What works for a construction company may not offer the same benefits to your specific industry so keep this in mind when looking for the perfect gadget. Remember that employee benefits are just that, benefits for your employees and for this reason it is important to gain their input on their individual health and wellbeing goals.

Have a Clear Goal in Mind

If you want wearable tech to have a positive effect on your workforce, its success relies very much on the ability to implement it in an effective manner. Handing out wearable tech to every employee without any explanation will make employees feel like they are being monitored. Data security will be one of the main concerns when incorporating this trend into your employee benefits program. When giving employees the opportunity to take advantage of this benefit, ensure you paint a clear picture of how wearable tech can have a positive effect on both their wellbeing and the company itself. Communicate clearly how the data will be used and make sure every employee understands why this data is important.

Have Fun with It

Yes, wearable tech is all about stats but this new trend is also a way to incorporate a bit of fun into the working week. Why not run fitness challenges and reward your most active employees with a gift card at the end of the week? These light-hearted challenges encourage employees to utilise the technology they have at their fingertips which in turn encourage a healthier lifestyle. Enjoying a fitness challenge as a company also brings a sense of camaraderie and teamwork and it has been proven that wearable tech also gives employees an increase in job satisfaction.

Incentivise Use

With this new found popularity of wearable tech in the workplace, it is unclear whether this trend is anything but a fad. But wearable tech has the potential to become a powerful HR tool when its purpose if effectively communicated and aligned to other motivational initiatives. So is this something your company will take advantage of?