The commitment of the twenty-first century technological revolution was to make employees more lucrative and mobile. Consequently, today’s generation of employees is easily the most technically sophisticated ever. Mobile email devices, high-speed broadband, laptops, and a number of other innovations have certainly helped to make today’s technically-savvy employees more lucrative. But there’s been an unintended consequence: these ‘always-on’ workers are becoming less active. Weight problems rates in the usa have elevated 43.8% in under one decade and 67% (200M) of Americans are actually considered obese or overweight (CDC – Cdc – 2004). Consequently, information mill ongoing to combat rising healthcare costs for any workforce that’s getting much less healthy.

However, some information mill starting to create a new strategy in line with the old adage of “fighting fire with fire”. These businesses are actually beginning to utilise technology to battle back from the growing lack of exercise of the employees. One particular clients are Kensington Electronics, a number one distributor of connector solutions for that electronics industry. While searching for methods to lower their healthcare costs, they found a business known as demandFITNESS which utilizes video, assessment, and tracking technology to produce a ‘virtual gym’ that may deliver fitness classes straight to employees online.

“We had arrived searching for the way to permit our employees to achieve fitness to be able to reduce our lengthy-term healthcare costs,” stated Patrick Rabbitt, Chief executive officer Kensington Electronics. “The demandFITNESS approach of employing technology to obtain employees fit appeared as an ideal solution.”

Within the demandFITNESS program, Kensington Electronics employees begin by taking a web-based health risks assessment which is used to exhibit them precisely what their own health risks are whilst suggesting behavior changes which will enhance their outlook. Employees then can view or download any one of over 200 fitness videos varying from traditional classes for example aerobic exercise and Bikram yoga to niche classes for example heavyweight yoga or senior fitness. By looking into making these classes on a 7×24 basis, the normal excuse of “I haven’t got time for you to workout” is definitely prevented. Online tools for example fitness and goal trackers will be accustomed to show the workers their progress.

Actually, you will find new waves of companies who’re utilizing technology to breathe new existence into static corporate wellness programs. Much more established companies for example Dieters are jumping in to the technology game. The Load Watchers approach now utilizes social networks, monitoring tools, and interactive diet advice to assist augment their well-known meeting-based method of slimming down. Healthcare costs have elevated 87% since 2000 (source: Deloitte Talking to Healthcare Surveys 1999-2006) therefore it is no question that solution providers are striving to build up innovative methods to address this growing problem.