{"id":158289,"date":"2023-06-05T07:19:55","date_gmt":"2023-06-05T07:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shrm.org\/resourcesandtools\/hr-topics\/technology\/pages\/biometrics-in-the-workplace-wellness.aspx"},"modified":"2023-06-05T07:19:55","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T07:19:55","slug":"biometrics-in-the-workplace-wellness-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/squarehr.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/05\/biometrics-in-the-workplace-wellness-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"Biometrics in the Workplace: Wellness and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

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?In 2017, a River Falls, Wis., company\u2014Three Square Market, a maker of self-service vending machines\u2014offered to implant radio-frequency chips in its employees that would allow them to make purchases in their break room micro market, open doors, login to computers, and use the copy machine. It was a very controversial move and received a great deal of media attention<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2023. The issue isn’t dead, but it’s no less controversial, with Alabama recently moving to make it a felony for any employer in the state to require employees to be microchipped. <\/p>\n

While implantable devices have yet to take hold outside of the pet community, a less invasive use of biometric devices is on the rise, primarily to support health and wellness. Other applications are also emerging.<\/p>\n

Biometrics and Wellness<\/p>\n

Three Square Market was arguably trying to get attention back in 2017 when it made the news for planning to microchip its employees. And while the idea hasn’t yet taken off, the use of nonimplanted but wearable devices has, particularly for health and wellness applications.<\/p>\n

In March 2023, Global X Research surveyed 1,032 people in the U.S. about their openness to, and reservations about, digital health and wearables. More than 50 percent indicated that they perceived real-time monitoring and convenience as positive attributes of the technology\u2014almost 50 percent felt that digital health care offered more coordinated care and ease of access, especially in underserved areas. Nearly 90 percent of respondents viewed FDA-approved wearable devices as at least moderately accurate.<\/p>\n

That level of interest bodes well for organizations using or considering the use of wearables or biometrics in the workplace to help employees manage and improve various aspects of their health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n

Interest Growing Among General Public and Employees<\/p>\n

Chelsea Ashbrook is senior manager of corporate digital experience at biotech company Genentech and the founder of TheFlexibleWorkers.com. “These fantastic devices are more than simply fashionable accents,” she said. Biometric devices, she noted, can help employees “monitor their physical and mental health, set objectives, and assess their progress toward achieving optimal health.” <\/p>\n

From an employer’s point of view, the use of biometric devices can help engage employees while also potentially boosting their health, which can minimize absenteeism and health care costs.<\/p>\n

“Companies are using biometric screenings to cut their health care costs and identify positive, and negative, health trends across their employee base,” said Betsy Nota-Kirby, vice president of national health management consulting at Marsh McLennan Agency, the U.S.-based small- and mid-size business arm of global brokerage Marsh. “Biometric tools, such as smartwatches, aim to alert a person to any possible health risks. They also provide an easy way to keep track of changes in vital statistics from year to year.” It’s reasonable to assume, she added, that if employees are more aware of health risks, then they’re more likely to follow up with their primary care providers. <\/p>\n

Beyond Health and Wellness: Biometrics for Other Purposes<\/p>\n

There are other applications for biometrics in work environments\u2014not all with as much employee support as wellness trackers. For instance:<\/p>\n