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Corporate wellness and health programs evolve with technology and research while shifting interests of health care consumers and employers. These almost daily changes ensure that corporate wellness programs continually transform, deepening their impact on the lives of employees. James A. Martin, a writer for CIO, highlighted nine expected developments for corporate wellness programs in 2016 with an emphasis on technological innovation:

1. An Emphasis on Mental Health

Employers recognize more than ever that mental health plays an integral role in overall well-being. Organizations consider new forms of programming to bolster psychological and emotional support at work.

2. Subsidized Fitness Technology

Instead of solely subsidizing fitness trackers for employees, more organizations taking their efforts a step further. Hospital chain, Houston Methodist, for example, subsidizes fitness trackers for their employees’ spouses and partners, creates social support around new habits.

3. Companies Harness Innovation

Emerging technologies continue to transform the wellness industry. “CIOs will need to ensure their organizations' network bandwidth can support the additional burden,” says Martin.

4. Social Networking and Gamification Supports Wellness

Companies will begin to motivate employees through fun activities, games, and social interactions. Social workplace platforms like Yammer will become hotspots for fitness and wellness programs.  

5. Sleep is Essential to Health

Sleep deprivation is incapacitating for employees, negatively impacting performance and health. Martin argues that companies will emphasize the significance of a good night sleep in 2016: “Some corporate wellness programs provide employers with aggregated data about employee sleep trends, which they can use to help make staff more aware of potential sleep problems and suggest ways to enhance sleep quantity and quality.”

6. Organizations Use Fitness Data

The prevalence of data connected wellness programs makes it easier for employers to report impact to senior management. As companies continue to advance technology and tracking methods, the benefits of wellness programs will become more apparent.

7. Solutions to ROI Challenges

Despite this fitness data, ROI from lower insurance costs remains difficult for the average company to assess. Leaders in wellness will pioneer software and systems that make it easier for executives to calculate hard ROI.

8. Increasing Emphasis on Privacy and Security

One of the biggest concerns for employees is that their health data isn’t secure, or employers will use it to diminish their rights in their place of work. This year, companies will look for more ways to create a secure system that ensures employees data is safe and neutral.

9. Fitness and Philanthropy Go Hand in Hand

Partnerships will develop as fitness-focused employers tie wellness to non-profits— some organizations, for example, offer to donate financial incentives to charities. Walks for health organizations like the Breast Cancer Research Foundation will draw on community support, and increasingly complementing workplace wellness programs.

These nine predictions for the future of workplace wellness rely on companies investing in the health of their employees. New initiatives have the potential to make a marked difference for companies struggling with rising healthcare costs and concern over the price of absenteeism and presenteeism at work.