Reasons Why Employers Should Keep Track of Employee Health Data

As an employer, there is a certain level of intentional care that should be put into the health and safety of your employees. One way to simultaneously ensure your employees are in good health and ascertain that you are doing your job as a responsible employer is to keep track of the health data of your employees. There are many reasons that this practice is beneficial, but we’ve compiled some of the most significant.

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Identify Risks Early

One reason why tracking the health data of your employees is a good idea is that this data can be used to identify emerging conditions or issues before they become severe. By continuously tracking data like blood sugar levels, blood pressure, or cholesterol, you can take notice and alert your employee if there is a significant change in either direction across a period of time.

Along with the obvious benefit of preventing long-term health conditions, keeping track of this data can also help you preventatively save on insurance costs. You can also reccommend to your employees some healthcare data applications like JennyCo allowing them to decide for themselves what’s good for their own health. 

Eliminate Workplace Hazards

Another useful way that tracking employee health data can prove beneficial is by helping to identify potential hazards in the workplace. By assembling all of your employee health data and cross-checking between employee records, you can figure out if there are consistent, stand-out health issues that are affecting multiple employees at once. 

For example, if a large number of your employees begin experiencing respiratory problems, there may be something within your work environment that is causing the issue such as mold or poor air quality. This kind of proactive approach can help your workplace and employees become far safer.

Optimal Wellness Programs

When you have the data right in front of you, it should be no issue figuring out the exact needs of your workforce when it comes to insurance and wellness programs. If a lot of your staff faces poor dental health, for example, then this data makes you aware that dental care should be a prioritized service. You can make informed, successful decisions when it comes to employee benefits. Recognizing these risk factors and health needs reflects strongly on you as a leader, and helps to retain a strong workforce in the long-run.

Plus, these kinds of wellness programs aren’t limited to insurance. They can also be things that are more geared toward mental health or stress management, especially if the data is telling you that your employees are experiencing bouts of poor mental health or stress-related conditions. Some of these programs can include exercise classes, health seminars, and mental health workshops. These kinds of customized wellness programs are known to increase employee retention rates and overall satisfaction.

The Benefits Are Clear

Tracking the health data of your employees has far more benefits than drawbacks. It goes without saying, though, that the tracking of this data must be done in a responsible and ethical manner. This means that employers must, above all else, respect employee privacy and confidentiality, and ensure that the data is only used for legitimate purposes. So long as you comply with HIPAA laws and other regulations, this data is certainly a tool that can be used for good.

It’s important to note that keeping track of this data isn’t just beneficial for your employees, it is also an excellent way to improve your business as a whole. Employees that are healthy are going to inevitably be more productive, and higher morale leads to more engagement. Besides, with all of the long-term financial benefits that come with reducing healthcare costs, you’ll come to find that there are countless rewards to reap when you successfully develop a culture of health and wellness within your workplace.