Last Friday, Benefits Canada profiled an employer that had given each employee a Fitbit to promote exercise and wellness as part of its well-being program. The organization also plans walking challenges and has organized daily walking groups during lunch.
Read: Employer encourages workplace walking with Fitbits for all staff
The free Fitbit concept isn’t new: in September 2015, Target announced it was giving Fitbits to its more than 300,000 employees in the United States. A month later, the British bank Barclays followed suit, offering subsidized devices to 75,000 employees in Britain and the U.S. In addition, a report published in September 2016 by ABI Research estimated U.S. corporate wellness plans will pay for or subsidize 44 million wearables over the next five years, noting that programs that incorporate Fitbits and other devices increase employee participation from around 20 per cent to near 70 per cent.
Read: Target giving Fitbits to employees
But critics have questioned whether participation rates really improve from these devices and have pointed to other possible downsides. For instance, employees with health conditions like diabetes or obesity may feel alienated, especially if employers create organization-wide challenges with public leaderboards. Some are also concerned with who is keeping all the personal data. There’s also the danger that Fitbits are faddish — remember Pokémon Go? — and that just a few months after a company spends a significant amount on the devices, they’ll lie forgotten in desk drawers.
Read: Can virtual reality get employees moving?
What do you think? Is it worth it for employers to give their staff exercise trackers like Fitbits to encourage them to get active? Have your say in our latest online poll.
Last week’s poll looked at Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaw Companies Ltd.’s decision to include medical marijuana in its benefits plan. Most respondents (65 per cent) think other plan sponsors are likely to follow its lead, while 35 per cent disagreed, noting Shoppers’ has its own perspective since it seeks to distribute medical cannabis as well.
Read: Shoppers, Loblaw introduce medical marijuana into benefits plan
