"In 2013, about 2,000 companies offered their employees fitness trackers, according to technology research company Gartner. In 2014, this rose to around 10,000.
By 2016, the firm predicts that most large companies - those with more than 500 employees - in both the US and Western Europe will offer fitness trackers with their programmes."
...
{"A lot of companies view [these schemes] as giving them a competitive advantage," says Ryan Martin, wearable technology analyst at 451 Research.}
{"They can improve overall employee wellness through data collection. They're not just making workplaces better, but decreasing unplanned leaves of absence."}
Today the average
American’s health insurance payments fluctuate once a year. Imagine
if that rate changed each day, determined in part by a sensor-rich
gadget on the wrist. Sound far fetched?
If you’re sitting down while reading
this, you might want to stand up and pace the room. The next wave of wearables
has nothing to do with tech upgrades. This time, it’s about insurance companies
that want you to be more active.
Providing health-insurance benefits
is key to employee retention, but rising costs can make this a challenge for
small-business owners. Here are six options that may be able to help keep costs
down.