How wearable technology is transforming wellbeing in the workplace

As more companies focus on improving employee health and wellness, wearable technology is becoming a means for employers to monitor and support how people feel at work.

While smart watches and fitness bands that track data like heart rate and steps taken are most common in the workplace – due to high uptake in personal life – other devices are also emerging.

Smart patches can monitor health indicators such as heart rate variability, blood pressure and posture, while in warehouses and on construction sites, smart goggles augment workers’ vision with information overlays that aid decision-making. Smart helmets and full-body suits can improve safety by tracking vital stats on workers’ physical condition.

“We invest so much in the healthy, productive workplace – such as sensors measuring occupancy, air quality and movement – yet the most important metric is its impact on individuals,” says Andrew O’Donnell, UK Real Estate and Workplace Director at JLL. “Employers are recognising this and seeing wearables as a way to understand whether and how they can improve employee wellness.”

As companies adopt remote working policies, wearables can help employers understand how staff wellness fluctuates across different workspaces.

The Moodbeam wristband, for example, enables remote workers to report their emotional state as either positive or negative. Bosses can check in via the app’s dashboard and react accordingly.