Mobile apps for employee wellness programs (employee wellness apps) have long passed the point of just being a trend. Not only are there more than 40,000 of them on the market, according to the IMS Institute for Healthcare Infomatics, but many of them are free and work exceptionally well.
Research supports the concept is a good one. As far back as 2012, the Aflac WorkForces Report showed that employees who are given wellness programs and who use them are more inclined to have a higher level of job satisfaction and engagement than those who do not.
This finding, coupled with a Pew Research Center report that shows 60% of all Americans use smartphones, is enough to prompt the savvy human resources professional to consider searching for mobile apps to support the company wellness program.
Evaluating Employee Wellness Apps
There are four components of a good wellness mobile app:
- It has to be easy to use and deliver information in short portions. App users spend less time with their app than on a website.
- It has to be easily adaptable so when feedback is delivered, changes and corrections can be made quickly.
- The app should be capable of interacting with other wellness apps, since rarely does one deliver everything an employee might be seeking.
- You should be able to send employees enough personalized messages to encourage them to meet their goals, but not enough to be nagging them.
Testing Employee Wellness Apps
If you want to test out a few employee wellness apps with small groups of employees to gather feedback on which ones generate the most enthusiasm and engagement, you can start by encouraging them to download one of the many excellent free apps available.
Some good, free employee wellness apps to get started include:
- Human – This is so versatile because it merely encourages the employee to do their “daily 30” which means 30 minutes of any kind of exercise. The app tracks the person’s movements and tells them when they are done. It’s a great and easy start.
- Moves – Building on Human, this app has a pedometer that tracks every step taken and summarizes steps, stairs, and even pedals. It also calculates calories burned and is easy to read.
- Pact – Pact is fun because it requires the user to put up money as a pledge to stay committed to a fitness program. there are also nutritional options.
As more and more employee wellness apps are popping up, its critical for you, as an organization, to find one that suits the needs of your employees the most. The more you show your employees that you care about their well being, the more return you will receive as well.
About the Author
Roz Bahrami is a blogger for SkyPrep, an online training software. Roz regularly contributes to blogs related to corporate training, L&D, and marketing.
