Employee Wellbeing Software

What do the tools offer employees?

There are over 300 products on G2 Crowd relating to employee wellbeing and employee engagement. The aim of many tools is to provide employees with content that is specifically tailored to their needs, life situations and interests. The aim is to inform and inspire them.

Many software solutions available on the market work according to a similar principle: employees provide information about themselves and in return receive content that matches their needs. It is important that employee data is protected and not made available to HR or line managers on an individual basis.

In the Thrive Global tool, for example, employees can specify which aspects of themselves they would like to improve. The app then provides suitable content, tips and small tasks that can be ticked off once they have been successfully implemented. Some tools also have interfaces to other software solutions. These enable the Software to recognise, for example, that an employee is on holiday or that an employee has been promoted. Based on such information, the content can be automatically adapted without the user having to actively provide input.

In addition to content, other software solutions also offer playful challenges. Employees' efforts can then even be rewarded. This principle is reminiscent of gamification, as we know it from learning games such as Duolingo. One of the oldest and best-known tools in this area is the Virgin Pulse Global Challenge. Employees can record their sporting activities in teams and travel around the world virtually. They receive tips, inspiring content and support to improve their lifestyle in the long term.

At HR Campus, we find software solutions that accompany employees throughout their entire time at the company particularly exciting. SAP has developed a tool that records important moments - whether in employees' private or professional lives - and offers support. SAP's aim is for managers to be able to optimally support their employees in these important moments. And not just for events that are relevant to the company, but also for events that are personally important to employees.

Valuable data for HR

The first priority is to increase the well-being of employees. This will not only increase their motivation in the long term, but also reduce costs and boost productivity. You can find an overview of the reasons why happy employees are important in the Specialist articles Employee wellbeing .

However, the use of Employee Wellbeing Software offers another advantage: data. To protect employees, individual data is never published, only aggregated team data as soon as a sufficient number of data points are available. This provides statistics on Team performance, Software usage, key needs and most read content. This data can be compared with performance data or project processes. This allows opportunities and risks in individual teams to be recognised at an early stage and exploited in a targeted manner.

What should be considered when selecting Software?

When selecting software, it is crucial to consider not only the company's goals and culture, but also the needs of the employees. Software is of little use if it is not accepted or used by employees. To avoid this, employees should be involved in the selection process at an early stage. For example, they could contribute their wishes and requirements for the software and thus develop an awareness of its benefits.

The right Software solution can then be selected based on these requirements. A number of practical and technical criteria should be taken into account:

• Data protection: is employees' sensitive data protected? Does the Software fulfil the European Data Protection Directive (GDPR)? Which data can be viewed by managers and HR employees?
• Customisability: How much time do we want to invest ourselves? Do we prefer a ready-to-use solution with little need for customisation or do we want to develop the Software flexibly ourselves?
• Content: How extensive is the available content? Where does it come from? Can the content be specifically customised and expanded? How up-to-date is the content?
• Language: In which languages is the Software available? Can it be used in the employees' preferred language?
• Analysis: Does the Software have a BI interface that can be integrated into existing analytics systems? Are the results clearly presented and easy to reuse?
• Interfaces: Can the Software be seamlessly integrated into the existing system landscape?
• Features and user-friendliness: What functions does the tool offer? What questions do users have to answer when setting up the tool? Are these questions customisable? Can the Software also be used for employee surveys?

An exciting task for HR employees

In our view, Employee Wellbeing Software solutions offer enormous potential to promote employee well-being in a targeted and measurable way. The insights gained from this can be extremely valuable for managers and HR employees. There are no limits to creativity when it comes to implementing measures.

However, there is a potential risk in the integrated challenges: these could cause additional stress under certain circumstances. It is therefore important to select and introduce the Software carefully. It should be clearly communicated what advantages and benefits the solution offers and how employees' privacy is protected. Only if these aspects are communicated transparently can employees perceive the Software as their personal "wellbeing newspaper" and benefit from it.

Sources

BSF, Annual absence volume of employees by selected reasons for absence, gender, nationality and degree of employment, 2002-2016; 2nd assumption average CHF 100 per hour

https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/100-best/2019