Companies and employees want measurable results

• 85% of large employers have wellness programs for employees¹1
• 66% will emphasize mental/behavioral health over the next three years²2
• Top corporate wellness trends are being driven by wellness technology³3

With workplace mental issues now costing many billions of dollars each year, the corporate world is taking notice and taking action. Teaching employees resilience skills can deliver some very impressive returns, thanks to improvements in productivity and decreases in the costs associated with absenteeism, worker’s compensation and staff turnover. Organizations worldwide have been investing increasing amounts of time and money into the latest wellbeing technologies to promote employee health and performance.⁴4 With this explosion of product and demand, companies and employees want objective information about what the science says actually works. This enables payers looking to build out their employee wellness programs to make smart purchasing and application decisions and it can empower employees to understand the relevance these applications have, both on the job and in their lives. 

As corporate plans shift their focus from wellness to wellbeing, BrainFutures is leading a project that aims to ensure employers receive value for their investments in brain performance applications. This will mean analyzing the types of evidence-based interventions that can improve cognitive performance for working adults and developing clear recommendations to ensure employers and their third-party administrators have the information they need to make smart decisions. With input and feedback from our partner organizations—the APA Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health, the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, and the National Business Group on Health—we are creating a resource that overviews brain-targeted interventions, like cognitive training and mindfulness programs. These employer offerings can enhance cognitive skills, boost performance, and improve overall employee wellbeing, promoting employee success in the workplace and beyond. 

This project is currently in development. Check back for future updates. In the meantime, be sure to take a look at the great work that our friends at Northeast Business Group on Health put together—Digital Tools and Solutions for Mental Health. An Employer’s Guide (May 2020).

[1] O’Boyle, E., & Harter, J. (May 13, 2014). Why Your Workplace Wellness Program Isn’t Working. Washington, D.C.: Gallup. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236531/why-workplace-wellness-program-isnworking.aspx

[2] 2019 Willis Towers Watson Best Practices in Health Care Employer Survey. Retrieved from https://www.willistowerswatson.com/en-US/Insights/2019/11/2019-best-practices-in-health-care-employer-survey-highlights

[3] Kohll, A. (2017, December 13). 8 Trends That Will Impact Worksite Wellness In 2018. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2017/12/13/8-trends-that-will-impact-worksite-wellness-in-2018/#1f3523da227a

[4] Pogrebtsova, E., Tondello, G. F., Premsukh, H., & Nacke, L. E. (2017, October). Using technology to boost employee wellbeing? How gamification can help or hinder results. Retrieved from http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2055/paper5.pdf