Turning to Tech to Support Employee Wellbeing

From smart building management systems to wearable gadgets that encourage regular movement, today’s workers increasingly inhabit a new kind of workplace, optimized by technology to enhance productivity, health and wellbeing.

Behind the scenes is a growing range of tech tools that gather data to allow companies to measure the impact of improvements to all manner of workplace features and create the right environment for their employees.
As a growing number of research shows, healthy and happy workers are more productive, and organisations are embracing elements that enhance wellness in the workplace.

• Sensors: As well as managing light and air quality, these tracks how people use office space bring a data-driven dimension to design decisions.
• Biophilic elements (those that mimic or incorporate the natural environment): have been shown to reduce stress and enhance focus and creativity.
• Wearable tech: allows employees to improve fitness levels and ascertain routines that help them to stay energised and engaged throughout the day.

The corporate focus on health and wellbeing is part of a wider acknowledgement of the advantages of mindfulness and mental health, both in the workplace and in general.

The shift is also driven by the evolution of the Internet of Things, which has increasingly moved from a domestic setting to the workplace, alongside a focus on enriching employee experience. Workers are now being incentivised to share their personal health data, including data from outside work.

At Locate Global we give the power back to employees – providing optional staff monitoring methods for use in emergency’s and to keep employees safe. Within the mobile application, users can turn monitoring systems on and off at will, adjusting tracking levels to suit what is comfortable to them.
Our solution offers features that can monitor movements, and meetings and provides employees with the confidence they need in dangerous risk situations. Our check-ins and 2-way chat features encourage direct communication between individual employees and monitoring teams, and daily check-ins provide insight into employee health and wellbeing.

While the evidence is stacking up in favour of the merits of tech tools for boosting employee wellbeing, companies still face some challenges when it comes to embedding them in the workplace. Due to the nature of the systems, there’s a risk that some aspects can seem like surveillance. Companies need to foster a culture of trust and authenticity and allow individuals to actively decide how and whether to engage with the technology. In future, Wellbeing tech will drive core decision-making and form a foundation of workplace strategy.

To find out more about the locate global workplace safety and incident management platform, or how it can protect employees, boost employee satisfaction and enhance wellbeing across your organisation book a demo at www.locate.global/live-demo.