A corporation’s long-term viability relies heavily on the health and wellbeing of the people who keep it running. Poor employee mental and physical health costs United States employers billions each year in absenteeism and lost productivity. Employers who do nothing about employee wellness pay dearly in terms of high turnover, health insurance and short term disability costs, and more.  

Employers who fully grasp the importance of employee wellbeing experience higher productivity, better job satisfaction, decreased turnover rates and fewer workplace accidents. However, many employers fail to provide corporate wellness programs that are effective or scalable. One innovative solution is the use of smartphone health monitoring. Imagine if your employees could track key health metrics instantly—without extra wearables or office visits? We’ll take a closer look at this in a moment. But, first let’s explore why employee wellness is so important. 

Why corporate wellness matters

Health and wellness at work should be a top priority for employers. It helps meet Europe’s targets for sustainable, inclusive, and smart growth. Unfortunately, many employees are exposed to stress at work. 

A study conducted in 2008 revealed that between 30% and 40% of American and European Union workers are regularly exposed to workplace stress. Stressful work conditions can cause workers to suffer from poor mental health, leading not only to a higher rate of depression and anxiety but also to increased healthcare costs, significantly impacting your corporation’s expenses. In addition to workplace stress, obesity is another common problem that costs companies millions of dollars annually.

Addressing corporate wellbeing is challenging. Financial constraints, inadequate resources and the difficulty of tailoring wellness programs to the diverse needs of any workforce make it extremely difficult to implement these plans. Fortunately, there are innovative tools available to help you tackle these challenges. Recent technological advances may offer you the best solution to implement comprehensive wellbeing support for everyone in your team. These tools can boost productivity and retention while reducing absenteeism and enhancing your workforce’s health and quality of life.

Stress and obesity as workplace epidemics 

One 2021 study looking at the actual cost of work-related stress found that the overall amount ranges from US $221 million to US $187 billion. The cost to employers keeps rising. A more recent study found that employee stress costs employers in excess of $300 billion a year. High turnover rates, decreased productivity, absenteeism and increased medical and legal costs can significantly affect any company’s bottom line.

Workplace stress may also lead to employee burnout, which has serious consequences for both mental and physical health. Exhaustion, irritability and a sense of ineffectiveness may lead your workers to search for meaningful employment elsewhere, affecting your turnover rate and company reputation.

Obesity can also pose a challenge amongst workers, especially since obesity-related conditions continue to rise. Obesity costs employers hundreds of billions of dollars a year in terms of increased health insurance costs, absenteeism, and reduced productivity, increased absenteeism and higher healthcare costs. High workplace turnover rates related to stress or obesity can harm your company by disrupting the natural workflow of your teams and negatively affecting your day-to-day operations.

Why use video- and AI-based health monitoring?

There are so many benefits to having a healthy workforce, which is why companies are turning to the latest technology to help them achieve this goal. Not only that, but the EU now requires companies with more than 250 employees to report on corporate sustainability, which includes their employee wellbeing initiatives. Employers are required to take action to improve employees’ mental and physical health. 

One way to empower employees’ to improve their mental health is via Shen AI’s video and AI-based monitoring. Shen AI’s technology utilizes a face scan to capture vital signs in real-time. This technology is compatible with computers, tablets, and smartphones. No data is stored on the device, so the information is kept secure.

Heart rate measurements, heart rate variability, blood pressure, BMI, stress index, and additional health information can all be conducted remotely within 60 seconds through the use of Shen AI’s technology. 

This technology is made possible using RPPG (remote photoplethysmography). RPPG is a well-studied technology that provides you with an objective assessment of your facial expressions to measure heart rate, heart rate variability and other indicators of stress or obesity using just the camera on a smartphone.

When combining these measurements with traditional self-report health surveys, this technology provides the user with an overall picture of their physical health, which also lends insight into their mental wellbeing. In addition, smartphone-based health monitoring can help them make positive lifestyle changes as necessary to combat obesity by tracking their basal metabolic rate and BMI.

Video- and AI -based health monitoring vs. wearable technology

AI health monitoring vs wearables

Many people are already familiar with the rise of wearable technology in collecting health data. However, there are several advantages to using video and AI based technology. When compared with wearables, no additional hardware is required to get started. Wearables must be purchased separately, leading to higher costs. They can also be challenging to incorporate into your existing wellness program. It’s also easy to forget to wear them, making employee health tracking inconsistent at best.

Video and AI-based health monitoring is a better way to incorporate improved health and wellness practices into your business. Not only is no additional hardware required, but it’s also more cost-effective and can be seamlessly integrated into your existing program. Most people also already own a smartphone, making this technology readily available for your team without needing to buy additional devices.

The benefits of using Shen AI 

Using Shen AI offers numerous benefits for employees, employers and HR teams. Shen.AI is a powerfully simple health monitoring solution that offers huge benefits. It can transform employee behavior by offering real health data that motivates them to make a change. Shen’s technology can measure more than 30 vital signs using just a camera using AI technology. It is clinically-validated, as well. 

Empowers employees to make healthy changes 

Constant stress and anxiety in the workplace can increase the risk of stress-related disorders and chronic diseases like hypertension and cardiovascular problems. With Shen.AI, employees can gain immediate insight into a variety of health data that can help identify the need for further evaluation for these issues. 

Employees can gauge their heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, and more. These factors can provide insight into cardiac stress and provide an overall picture of health. 

Employees can also gain a better understanding of their BMI, total body fat and basal metabolic rate to develop healthier habits that may help them lose weight.

Employees also receive personalized recommendations for mental wellbeing and can use this platform as a powerful tool to take a more proactive stance in managing their health and establishing a better work-life balance.

Lowers healthcare costs for employers 

Shen.AI offers employers the opportunity to reduce burnout-related turnover and increase employee performance and engagement. Additionally, Shen.AI can help employers substantially lower employee healthcare costs associated with stress-related conditions by encouraging healthy lifestyles. 

Using video and AI-based health monitoring is easily scalable to any size company, making it an extremely cost-effective option whether you’re a startup or a well-established business.

Helps HR teams develop wellness solutions 

HR teams can use the information gathered by Shen.AI to gain powerful insight into workforce wellbeing. They can identify stress hotspots and peak workload periods to help make positive workplace adjustments. In addition, this data can help them create targeted wellness initiatives to improve the overall wellbeing of every employee.A healthier, happier workforce means improved morale, decreased absenteeism and an increase in daily productivity. Having a clear understanding of vital signs and health metrics through health monitoring can empower your employees to take control of their mental and physical wellbeing. Make Shen AI an instrumental component in your company’s wellness program and start your free trial today.