"66% of employers are upping their game in stress management and resilience programs this year. Job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover aren’t just HR buzzwords—they're the real cost of unchecked stress." - WELLABLE
I know that you know the ones I am talking about...The wellness apps that are filled with Meditations, Mindfulness, Visualizations etc.
My opinion is this - Unless provided a dedicated time to tap into such a resource, the app is not going to be utilized to its fullest potential because a habit has not been established.
Hear me out...as we sit with our current workforce shortage, it seems almost impossible that employees are going to have "free time" to do a 5-10 min meditation...In spite of the data showing that taking these valuable breaks are invaluable!
Employers are putting the burden of responsibility onto the employees to deal with their stress and feelings of overwhelm instead of working alongside them to truly help create better practices. In turn, when the metrics come back that the app is being underutilized the employer doesn't see the ROI they were hoping for and cancels the platform.
We all know how habits work and how long it takes to create them or break them. Work with employees to create habits around the app. Create dedicated times that they can be utilized and lead by example. Make it fun!
A great way to create impact is to have in person workshops around Stress and learn about Mindfulness. Companies with the greatest success find times that everyone is already gathering and works the workshops or classes into that time frame so as to not additionally burden employees. Having leadership present and engaged is also a way to lead by example and get further buy in from employees that it is worth their time and energy.
All in all, wellness apps can work if there is first a solid foundation to build upon.
Here are some interesting metrics recently provided by WELLABLE:
"In 2024, the majority of respondents anticipate greater investment in mental health solutions (91%), stress management and resilience tools (66%), telemedicine (65%), mindfulness and meditation programs (55%), and lifestyle spending accounts (52%)."
Stay Mindful,
Rosa
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