Wearable gadgets are becoming more prevalent in the marketplace and promoted as accessories that give people the details they need to live better. But how does that perk translate into the workplace? Let’s find out by exploring what these wearables can do.
1. Reduce Absences
When employees take time off from work, their absences create problems for their employers and colleagues. Plus, it’s frustrating for workers who have to come back to their jobs and madly scramble to catch up.
However, a 2017 study evaluated what happened when a group of just under 300 workers participated in particular amounts of physical activity for 24 weeks — measured with Fitbits — to determine whether staying active affected absenteeism. The researchers discovered that the most-active group was also the least likely to stay home from work due to sickness.
2. Boost Satisfaction Levels
It’s challenging for people to focus on getting things done if they’re generally dissatisfied with their jobs. However, an investigation involving 80 people randomly assigned to use one of three wearables revealed a 3.5 percent increase in job satisfaction during the study.
3. Provide Offers Numerous Options
The rapid and abundant growth of the wearables industry is beneficial to employees because it provides plenty of choices when looking for wearables that support unique workplace goals. For example, some gadgets have record-tracking components that eliminate the need to carry clunky clipboards that can slow workers down. Other wearables pulse when users slump, thereby encouraging them to sit up straight.
Data indicates that nearly 215 million wearable devices will get sold and distributed by 2019. Some of those even have piezoelectric components that harvest energy from the actions users take instead of requiring frequent battery changes or recharging.
The vast number of options on the market means that workers who are interested in making productivity gains can spend time thinking about the factors that typically compromise their productivity, then look for wearables that reduce those barriers. They’re not restricted to only one type or brand of wearable, and the number of possibilities should only rise as the market matures.
4. Detect Emotions
Scientists developed wearables that give clues about how people feel emotionally. They track factors like pulse and respiration rates, making military personnel excited about using the gadgets for combat training.
For example, the tracker might pick up on the fact that a soldier is afraid to pull the trigger on a rifle. Outside of the military, though, the potential use cases make sense for all kinds of roles — especially those involving high-pressure situations.
If a call center employee’s heart rate and blood pressure spike while they attempt to calm an irate customer, the associated data could let a supervisor know that the worker might be about to lose composure during the conversation. Then, an intervention could happen that allows the upset employee to take a break to cool off, preventing further emotional unraveling.
When individual workers get rattled, their strong emotions can negatively affect others in the workplace. If that situation happens, a formerly small, relatively contained problem could grow and possibly change the output of a team.
5. Decrease Mistakes Made By Inexperienced Employees
Productivity problems can happen when people who are newer to the workplace than their more experienced counterparts make errors that other individuals have to fix later. That’s why companies associated with skilled trades like plumbing and mechanical work ask less knowledgeable employees to wear special glasses that transmit data to seasoned veterans and allow them to give input during jobs.
This approach works particularly well when employees are already accustomed to wearing safety glasses as part of their uniforms.
Wearables to Help Workers and Their Employers Excel
This brief overview highlights the promise of using wearables in the workplace. Employees can use the data to make improvements to their workflows, and in turn, employers could potentially make changes to the work environment that reduce the productivity pitfalls indicated by the wearable devices.
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