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Editor's Note: This article has been updated on Aug. 25, 2023 to include new data and information.
Late last year, Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General released the first report of its kind: a framework outlining the role the workplace plays in employee well-being.
The framework emerged as businesses increasingly recognized the effects work has on employee mental and physical health — both for the good and for the bad — and their role in supporting employee wellness. As employers searched for methods to support their employees, they turned in part to technology to explore how it might aid their efforts.
And as is so often the case, there's an app for that. An employee wellness app, to be specific.
The Importance of Employee Wellness in the Remote Workplace
Social interaction is critical to mental health. Isolation can take its toll on workers in a remote setting, and employers have a responsibility to ensure employees enjoy both mentally and physically safe work conditions.
Steve Anevski, co-founder and CEO of Ohio-based staffing platform Upshift, has directly seen the increased symptoms of stress and burnout in remote employees. "In a remote workplace, work-life balance gets disrupted due to long working hours and no communication, which could lead to burnout if not addressed in a timely manner," he said.
To prevent burnout and other work-related mental health repercussions, employers should seek to create an environment where employee wellness is communicated as a top priority and everyone is welcome to speak up. Checking in regularly with team members and keeping a close eye on potential indications that an employee's morale is taking a turn for the worse are key to staying ahead of potential downturns.
Related Article: Is Burnout Getting Better or Worse? Survey Says: It’s Complicated
How to Support Employee & Workplace Wellness
Each employer situation is unique. Larger workforces require a different approach to a wellness program than small groups, and the same is true of companies whose employees are spread out over different time zones vs. those located in the same vicinity. Yet, there are simple guidelines every company can adopt:
Promote a Culture Open to Talking About Employee Health
Talking openly about employee health and mental wellness may be difficult for some, but it can be necessary. Instilling a culture that says it's OK to have a conversation about mental health at the workplace provides a healthy platform for employees to speak up when the burden starts to feel too heavy.
Encourage Away-From-Keyboard (AFK) Time
A walk, some light exercise or even just a few minutes away from the computer doing something other than work are all great ways to relieve stress. Anevski said managers "should set realistic timelines and achievable goals to lighten the employee's workload without expecting them to do everything at once."
Leaders Should Put Themselves in Employees' Shoes
Irene McConnell, managing partner at resume writing firm Arielle Executive, said employers should show empathy and try to understand the other person's situation or wellness journey. "Plus," she said, "being flexible and allowing the employee to take some time off is also essential for them not to feel burned down."
Prevent a Siloed Mentality
Employees in remote work environments can experience a growing sense of isolation and siloing, along with an insidious encroachment of their work into their private life. Managers should have conversations with employees to make sure boundaries and healthy behaviors are established.
Related Article: How Leaders Can Alleviate Workplace Burnout
7 Employee Wellness Apps Support Mental Health
There's been a boom in corporate wellness technology and tools that employers can use to facilitate conversations about mental well-being and support employee wellness. Here are seven popular ones:
1. Remente
Remente is a mental wellness app for both individuals and businesses. The company claims its app's wellness program can help build mental resilience, improve productivity and maintain motivation. It works through a series of daily reflections and wellness goals, including videos about self-care and wellbeing.
On the business side, this employee wellness app is designed to help organizations understand how their employees feel and identify areas that need attention and can be fixed.
This app helped Anevski obtain actionable insights to handle and manage common issues regarding mental health. "Real-time metrics such as engagement levels, workplace well-being and productivity are the key elements of its well-being programs," he said.
2. Hubstaff
Hubstaff's workforce management app provides organizations with the ability to track work progress as it happens, without disturbing employees. It lets employers know when employees check in and out. Employees simply select the task they're working on and start the timer, which automatically stops when they complete the task.
Hubstaff's app allows companies to keep a pulse on productivity and employee engagement, which, when low, can indicate potential issues in employee health and wellness or within the employee experience. The app also allows managers to set weekly work hour limits and get notifications when team members are approaching, allowing them to encourage healthier habits at work, like clocking out on time.
3. Calm
Calm is an app available to download on a phone or tablet. It offers hundreds of meditation practices and sleep stories written and recorded by actual people with proven results and aims to:
- Reduce stress or anxiety
- Improve focus
- Assist with self improvement
Organizations can find content tailored to their employees' needs, including health coaching from wellness experts and celebrities, corporate wellness workshops to help navigate current events and more. The app also offers insights to help organization's strengthen their workplace wellness programs, including behavioral analytics, real-time employee feedback and segmented and downloadable reporting.
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Related Article: Workplace Stress Is High. All the More Reason to Get Employees Moving
4. Sanvello
Sanvello is a mobile wellness app companies can incorporate into their employee wellness programs. The app is based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness meditation. Each day, users answer questions in health risk assessments to assess mood, identify patterns and track activities related to wellness, such as sleep and exercise.
The app also offers what is calls "guided journeys," or a series of step-by-step audio lessons and activities. These journeys center on topics like building confidence, mindfulness and managing thoughts and emotions.
5. Headspace
Headspace is another option for companies looking for an app to supplement their employee wellness program. It offers therapy, meditation, medication management, health coaching and employee assistance programs (EAPs) for those dealing with personal problems (physical health, financial, substance use, mental wellbeing, etc.) that could impact job performance.
As part of a corporate wellness program, the app also offers resources for leadership, including employee engagement strategies, leadership workshops, health data reporting and more.
Related Article: Thriving From Work, Not Thriving at Work
6. Yerbo
Yerbo is an employee wellness app that collects data from two-minute weekly health risk assessments and translates results into insights that help employers understand a team's burnout risk. Its measurable parameters assess employees' mental status to alert managers to potential signs of distress and allow them to remediate the situation before the onset of burnout.
Yerbo, powered by AI, supports a wide range of employee wellness assessments, including individual and group. These check-ins can be done online, one-on-one, in workshop, during conferences and more. Once health data is collected, Yerbo's AI provides personalized feedback, recommendations and calls to action.
7. Moodfit
Moodfit is a free wellness app with tools and insight meant to "shape up" a user's mood. Just like how someone might decide to get into good physical shape, this app is designed to help people get into good mental shape.
The app comes built with tools like a mood journal, mental health assessments, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) thought records and more. It develops personalized reports and charts to help users spot patterns that impact wellness and provide resources for deeper education to promote healthier habits.
Related Article: Can AI Help Improve Mental Health in the Workplace?
A Wise Investment in Employee Wellness Apps
Investing in employee wellness means investing in improved mental well-being, employee engagement and productivity. And many organizations choose to use wellness apps as part of their employee wellness programs.
However a company chooses to address it, it's clear that the cost of not addressing employee mental well-being is high. The US spends approximately $280 billion per year on mental health care. The global pandemic and more isolated work environments are only contributing to the increase in cases.
By prioritizing employee well-being through a wellness program and creating a healthier work environment, employers can set employees up for success.
