Advancements in technology coupled with a growing awareness about health are likely to have a big positive impact on wellness programs in 2019. Experts agree on a few trends that are likely to make wellness programs more effective, and in the process, help organizations to reap rich rewards by way of lower premium payments, reduced employee absenteeism and increased productivity.
Here are four trends that are likely to be seen across major wellness programs in 2019.
Personalization
Today’s world is all about personalization because one-size-fits-all approach can never work. Each individual is different, so it makes sense to have a custom program tailored to meet the needs and health condition of that individual.
The good news is, rapid advancements in technology, especially in the areas of artificial intelligence and big data will fuel this trend.
Social recognition
Another significant trend that we’re seeing over the last few years is social recognition. How many times have we seen people post their physical activity on Facebook and Twitter? This trend is likely to grow because we crave this recognition, and in many ways, it also motivates us to do better. Most times, social media contacts also cheer and recognize our efforts and this gives us a satisfied feeling in turn. All this means, social recognition is likely to grow and more people are going to turn to social media for support in their path to become healthy.
Deeper insights
The information collected about each individual, including their diet and physical habits, along with their medical history, will help to create a broad picture of the individual’s health, This information is analyzed in-depth to give each individual a clear picture of where they are and how they should reach their target.
From an organization standpoint, these deep insights will give an idea of the overall employee health, so necessary changes can be made to wellness programs to make it more employee-friendly and effective.
Virtual sessions
In today’s global world, people work from different places and across time zones. From a wellness perspective, it may be hard for employers to schedule health sessions at specific times. This is why 2019 is going to see many virtual seminars and workshops that can help people to benefit, regardless of where and when they work.
For example, let’s say a company has offices in San Francisco and Singapore. That’s a time difference of 16 hours! Most likely, the Singapore employee will be sleeping when the American employee is working. Instead of squeezing a common time, both these employees can tap into the health seminars and watch them on their employee portal, at a time that is convenient for them. That’s why these virtual sessions are likely to be a big draw this year.
Thus, these are some of the prominent trends that are likely to transform the wellness programs in 2019, and make them more effective for employers and employees alike. Are you ready for these trends?