Oura’s employer-targeted programme exemplifies the rise of workplaces prioritising employees’ wellbeing, as discussed in 10 Wellness Trends to Watch. The brand’s aim is to help employers explore health insights across their workforce or student body. The ring tracks wellbeing via three ‘scores’. Sleep considers sleep stages, schedule and nightly heart rate; Activity looks at step counts, calorie burn and heart rate; and Readiness charts sleep, activity and body stress signals to predict how much an employee can take on that day – a score of 85 or higher is optimal.
By tracking sleep over time, the linked app offers personalised guidance on improving sleep quality and general wellness. Oura claims that within the first month, its members experienced better overall health (87%) and sleep (88%), enhanced stress management (74%), and increased work productivity (71%).
But as we unpack in Tech Privacy, consumers are wary of corporate data collection. This is why, prior to launching the new offering, Oura conducted thorough research on the types of information workers are willing to share. “Before we even picked up the pen on any product design, we surveyed employees around what information would they be interested or not interested in sharing, and it really brought that level of data to the core of our product design,” Oura's head of business development, Geoff Wylde, told US publication Fierce Healthcare. An individual’s data is shared solely with the wearer, and employers can only access the anonymised, aggregate scores. Workers can then collaborate with Oura to evaluate insights or update their wellbeing practices.
