How tech is driving the workplace wellness revolution

There’s a revolution going on in the workplace as more employees are demanding better conditions that take their wellness into account. After all, we spend a third of our lives at work, so doesn’t it make sense to include a wellness strategy as part of your working day?

While wellness used to be the mainstay of gyms and yoga centres, the wellbeing industry has expanded to include so much more over the past decade and workplace wellness plays a large role in this booming sector.

Anyone serious about wellness must now also consider the physical environment, safety and security, plus the workload and culture of their workplace. Technology is becoming increasingly important to provide solutions for businesses, brands and individuals to control their wellness.

Smartphone apps and wearables are leading the charge as people take control over their own wellness. In fact, in 2018 self-care apps were Apple’s largest growing app sector delivering over $32 million in revenue.

It’s a growing belief that integrating wearables and tech solutions into the workplace can help transform the working environment. Gone are the colourful offices, ping pong tables and beanbags of the early noughties, replaced with sleep pods and yoga classes, wearables and meetings-on-the-move.

In 2020 it won’t be enough for businesses to pay lip service to wellness as employees increasingly demand it is present in their everyday.

Health and wellbeing at work

Today’s employees make use of a range of personalised health care apps to ensure they can make wellness a part of their work day. From wearables like FitBit which track your steps, sleep and so much more to apps that can guide you through a meditation to ensure you are focused or challenge you and team mates to complete activities. It is now easier to take control of your health than ever before. While studies are showing businesses that encourage wellness practices benefit from increased focus, motivation and productivity.

Tech and wellness

To ride on the coattails of this trend, employers should consider offering wellness rewards such as wearables or app subscriptions to encourage their staff to stay fit and healthy.

It’s important to note, wellbeing also includes mental health and businesses have an obligation to ensure their staff are not put under undue stress. Mental health service provider Headspace is doing a roaring trade in Headspace pods -small pods carved into interesting designs that provide a dedicated place for employees to be calm and meditate. The pods have rolled out in over 500 corporates around the country. If your budget doesn’t stretch to a pod (and frankly what small business has that kind of money) a subscription to Headspace’s meditation platform could also do the trick.

Boosting staff morale

Smart phone apps are also key when it comes to boosting your staff morale. Apps like Calm allow for stress busting relaxation, while programs such as BetterSpace can help your staff find the right resource to avoid burnout – whether that is an app, a program or suggestions to help you kick a bad habit.

As the workplace evolves, ensuring your staff have access to the technology that can improve their wellbeing will become not a nice-to-have but a must-have. Ensure you stay ahead of the game by including wellness tech in your workplace wellness strategy.

This article is brought to in partnership with Connexus – Business phone technology for better communication and collaboration.