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HR
West
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W
earable wellness is no longer a
concept relegated to sci-fi movies
and books. It’s a reality. Estimates
vary, but it’s likely that well over
13 million wearable devices will be integrated into
corporate wellness plans by 2019, if not prior.
Wearable technology isn’t limited to watches either.
There are clip-ons, shoe inserts, belts, headphones
and even apparel – and we’re just getting started.
These developments provide a new opportunity
for organizations desiring to create an effective
employee wellness strategy. Technology provides
accountability, ease of tracking, simplified game-
ification, and additional motivation for participants.
The WOW factor tied to many of these tools can be
eye-opening, and their integration provides a straight-
forward way of communicating an organizational
commitment to a culture of wellness for all involved.
Step or movement-based technology leads the pack
(FitBit is the most widely utilized as of this writing).
Auto tracking of steps can be integrated into team
challenges and many of these devices provide
additional motivation on an individual level. However,
steps are only the beginning. You can now measure
everything from stress levels to sleep, posture to
chewing speed (no – I’m not kidding – and it actually
looks like a cool idea to create additional mindfulness
when eating). One guy even hacked his device to
automatically shut off the power to his refrigerator
if he didn’t hit his targeted minimum activity levels,
essentially giving him the choice between walking or
eating spoiled food!
Wearable wellness is clearly here to stay – and for
good reason. However, this doesn’t mean there
aren’t considerable warnings to keep in mind when
you’re looking at integrating these options into your
employee wellness program strategy. According to
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 82% of Americans say
they’re worried that wearable technology will invade
their privacy. 82%! It doesn’t matter how secure the
system may be, 82% of Americans don’t agree on
anything, so this is obviously a considerable issue that
must be overcome.
There is also the fact that the device can become
little more than a smaller version of the common
household clothes hanger (the home treadmill that
goes unused after the first month of ownership).
The device is a shiny new toy initially, but beyond the
committed 10% (who were probably already quite
active and this device proves to the world what was
already true), it may find it’s way to the bottom of a
desk drawer.
So what is the secret to successfully integrating
wearable technology into your employee wellness
program? Here are a few tips to help you make the
most of this valuable (but not magical) opportunity:
• Remember that ANY truly effective wellness
program is all about “One Size Fits One.” It
doesn’t matter that everyone on the wellness
committee loves the wearable tech. It’s not for
everyone – at least not in the exact same way.
• Make certain the integration involves individual
autonomy. Autonomy creates stronger willpower.
According to Muraven and Roseman (Journal of
Experimental and Social Psychology 44, no.3:
573-85), “If they (employees, in this case) feel like
they have no autonomy, if they’re just following
orders, their willpower muscles get tired much
faster.” Is the wearable tech just another way to
provide marching orders? If so, it won’t only fail, it
may make things worse.
• Incorporate personalized (not simply call-center-
based, generic) wellness coaching into your
strategy. If done effectively – and believe me, I’ve
seen more than my fair share of terrible coaching
models and approaches – this can provide
the catalyst for your desired outcomes. The
relationship-based and personalized approach
in this aspect allows each employee to find the
best way to integrate the technology in a way that
improves his or her life – in a meaningful way.
• Building on the above, make the wearable
technology an important PART of the wellness
program, but don’t make it THE wellness program.
• When using wellness technology, make certain
your wellness partner can help you integrate
reports on the utilization of the technology. This
will make your life – and your incentive program –
much easier.
• Keep it fresh and keep it strategic. While those
words may not seem to go in tandem, they are
critical to a solid long-term approach. It’s easy
to do one or the other. In fact, most programs
excel at one or the other. They just keep throwing
random “wellness things” (including wearable
tech) against the wall, hoping something sticks.
Or, they develop some long-term but generally
boring strategy that loses any sort of momentum
before it’s into the 2nd quarter (if it ever had it in
the first place). Stay fresh and meaningful – while
at the same time creating a 2-3 year strategy that
is updated (or at least reviewed with your wellness
partner) every 6 months.
Wearable wellness provides organizations of all
sizes and industries an excellent opportunity to
create a more meaningful, engaging and outcome-
driving employee wellness program if done right.
And, the tools also provide an easy way to waste
money and drive down employee engagement if not
approached with wisdom. HR are you ready to plug in
and get started?
HR
Brad Cooper, MSPT, MBA, CWC is
the CEO of US Corporate Wellness
(USCorporateWellness.com), one
of only 9 national firms to earn
Full Accreditation through URAC
as a Comprehensive Wellness
Provider. He is also the Co-founder
of the Catalyst Coaching Institute
(CatalystCoachingInstitute.com), one of the top programs for
individuals looking to earn their CWC certification as a Certified
Wellness Coach. Brad can be contacted at
Wellness Tech
WEARABLE
WELLNESS?
WOWS, WARNINGS AND THE WAY TO SUCCESSFULLY
INTEGRATE TECH INTO YOUR WELLNESS PROGRAM
By Brad Cooper
