Manage HR Magazine | Thursday, September 21, 2023
Technology empowers professionals to create a healthier and more supportive work environment, benefiting individuals and organisations.
FREMONT, CA: The advent of new technologies, wearable devices, diagnostics, digital health apps, online transport services and absence management systems has ushered in a new era in how organisations safeguard and promote the well-being of their employees. As these technologies continue to evolve, it becomes of great importance for HR professionals to grasp the significance of responsible, ethical and compliant utilisation. It allows a thorough understanding of how to grasp technology for a holistic approach to upgrading and sustaining employee health and well-being.
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Technology solutions play a crucial role in workplace well-being across three key phases: prevent, develop and support.
In the ‘preventive’ phase, job redesign helps technology solutions address their issues through tools such as activity tracking, safety sensors, etc. In the ‘develop’ phase, technology solutions focus on enhancing employee skills and resilience to cope with job demands through e-learning platforms or tele-coaching. The ‘support’ phase ensures technology solutions are geared towards rehabilitation, treatment and support, including online counselling services, personalised physiotherapy services, etc.
Benefits of Using Technology: Well-being of Workers
Technology has the potential to improve the work environment of the employees. It can reduce the physical workload of the people and create opportunities for job enrichment through effective, flexible, remote, hybrid working environments, which are supported by access to video conferencing and collaboration tools. This promotes inclusivity by breaking down barriers that may have hindered those with long-term health conditions.
By monitoring and analysing performance and attendance data, corporates can identify potential risks to employees' physical and psychosocial health and safety. It can identify hazards by using smart cameras and analysing patterns of work-related stress.
Analysing real-time data on the emotional tone of workforce communication through tools like sentiment analysis on emails and employee surveys offers a valuable opportunity to gauge the overall emotional climate within an organisation. It becomes possible for organisations to pinpoint emotional tones as positive, negative, or neutral and take immediate action where required.
Technology facilitates online educational programs and medical facilities such as screening, diagnostic services through online consultations, and predictive technologies such as retina scans to spot potential health risks. It also provides delivering care tools through a spectrum of digital solutions, including remote health care services, medication management apps and pain management interventions. It can also support tracking behavioural change using wearable technology to motivate being active through gamification or incentive programs.
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