Have employer based fit tracker programs fallen out of favor?
fishgutzy
Posts: 2,807 Member
If one searches on the topic of fit trackers and corporate insurance discounts one will find few articles beyond 2015.
FitBit made a big announcement about Target teaming up with fit bit in 2015. But today there is not mention of this as a "benefit" on Target's employee benefits page.
I'm guessing that that employers and health insurance companies discovered they have little overall impact on healthcare spending.
That doesn't mean that individuals don't get some benefit from them. But as a whole, there is not much benefit to employers when all the costs are accounted for.
Does anyone here work for en employer that gives health insurance discounts in exchange for allowing them to track your wrist movement with a basic FitBit?
[I use a Fenix 5X but I don't sync it with MFP because I prefer the more conservative numbers from the MFP swim calculator. What I like about the Fenix is that it tracks my swim well and I can try to push myself to set new personal pace records.]
FitBit made a big announcement about Target teaming up with fit bit in 2015. But today there is not mention of this as a "benefit" on Target's employee benefits page.
I'm guessing that that employers and health insurance companies discovered they have little overall impact on healthcare spending.
That doesn't mean that individuals don't get some benefit from them. But as a whole, there is not much benefit to employers when all the costs are accounted for.
Does anyone here work for en employer that gives health insurance discounts in exchange for allowing them to track your wrist movement with a basic FitBit?
[I use a Fenix 5X but I don't sync it with MFP because I prefer the more conservative numbers from the MFP swim calculator. What I like about the Fenix is that it tracks my swim well and I can try to push myself to set new personal pace records.]
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Replies
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My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc0
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Not the same thing, but somewhat related. If you don't care, say so and I'll back out of the tread... no biggie.
I work on a college campus, in the recreation department. We sell gym memberships to our facility much like you'd see in a commercial gym setting. We've recently started a program for faculty and staff where we offer a 50% reimbursement on their annual membership dues if they meet certain participation measures (basically, it's a minimum attendance measure - they have to come into the facility a certain number of times... what they do here is irrelevant).1 -
Not the same thing, but somewhat related. If you don't care, say so and I'll back out of the tread... no biggie.
I work on a college campus, in the recreation department. We sell gym memberships to our facility much like you'd see in a commercial gym setting. We've recently started a program for faculty and staff where we offer a 50% reimbursement on their annual membership dues if they meet certain participation measures (basically, it's a minimum attendance measure - they have to come into the facility a certain number of times... what they do here is irrelevant).
Can they just come in or do they have to stay for a set period of time?1 -
I see programs like this as more effective. One must still want to make life style changes if one is joining a gym.Not the same thing, but somewhat related. If you don't care, say so and I'll back out of the tread... no biggie.
I work on a college campus, in the recreation department. We sell gym memberships to our facility much like you'd see in a commercial gym setting. We've recently started a program for faculty and staff where we offer a 50% reimbursement on their annual membership dues if they meet certain participation measures (basically, it's a minimum attendance measure - they have to come into the facility a certain number of times... what they do here is irrelevant).
Counting visits it less invasive than the FitBit programs.
I've worked for employers that got group discounts at the YMCA. But it was not until I was diagnosed with weight related sleep apnea that I really started using my Y membership for more than the youth sports programs.1 -
My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc
This article from 2014 outlines well the arguments against corporate FitBit tracker programs.
Those who live in countries where they are raised in a surveillance society have been conditioned to accept more monitoring by an employer. Not so much in the US.
https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-use-wearables-to-monitor-employees.html0 -
My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc
This article from 2014 outlines well the arguments against corporate FitBit tracker programs.
Those who live in countries where they are raised in a surveillance society have been conditioned to accept more monitoring by an employer. Not so much in the US.
https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-use-wearables-to-monitor-employees.html
I would imagine some people might view it as their employers being sneakyy and keeping tabs on how much time they spend at their desk v walking to the coffee machine etc. Similar to employers uploading spyware on office computers to track Facebook usage etc.
I've heard of companies in the UK offering free membership to gyms (usually located at the bottom of the building). It makes sense as healthy employees are better long-term investments. It also probably encourages productivity.3 -
Not the same thing, but somewhat related. If you don't care, say so and I'll back out of the tread... no biggie.
I work on a college campus, in the recreation department. We sell gym memberships to our facility much like you'd see in a commercial gym setting. We've recently started a program for faculty and staff where we offer a 50% reimbursement on their annual membership dues if they meet certain participation measures (basically, it's a minimum attendance measure - they have to come into the facility a certain number of times... what they do here is irrelevant).
Can they just come in or do they have to stay for a set period of time?
At this point, just come in. This is the first year we've done it, so we are still feeling things out.3 -
At this point, just come in. This is the first year we've done it, so we are still feeling things out.
The only gyms I have been to where they scan you out too are in China. Never at my YMCA.
(My daughter's college has a beautiful new gym. It is very expensive for non students to join. Costs more for one individual than my YMCA family membership. And it doesn't have the hours that my Y does.)0 -
For context: Target's partnership with Fitbit was never presented as a long-term program. It consisted of a one-time offer of free/discounted Fitbits for TMs and a one-time step contest (winning departments/buildings were able to choose charities to which Target made donations).
Disclosure: I've been with Target for several years although I had nothing to do with this program beyond participating in it as an employee.3 -
My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc
This article from 2014 outlines well the arguments against corporate FitBit tracker programs.
Those who live in countries where they are raised in a surveillance society have been conditioned to accept more monitoring by an employer. Not so much in the US.
https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-use-wearables-to-monitor-employees.html
Yeah, I was going to say that I don't think something like this would go over well where I work...people would just think it's another Big Brother type of thing.
About four years ago we implemented a "fitness contract" program for all of our employees. We get 30 minutes of additional paid leave 4 days per week to go do exercise if you sign the fitness contract. This was something I really pushed for back then as I had just lost a bunch of weight and had gotten into fitness and really felt like it would benefit the office as a whole and give incentive to move...I pushed hard for 5 days, but that was a no go.
You cannot accumulate this leave...if you don't do your 30 minutes on Monday or whatever days you signed up for, you lose it. It's great to see so many people at my office now going out for walks or hitting the nearby community center, etc. Most people do theirs before or after the lunch hour, so many people go get a full 60 minutes and then take a 30 minute lunch. It's been a very productive program and you can tell that stress levels are down and several people have lost a bunch of weight and moral is much better...7 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc
This article from 2014 outlines well the arguments against corporate FitBit tracker programs.
Those who live in countries where they are raised in a surveillance society have been conditioned to accept more monitoring by an employer. Not so much in the US.
https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-use-wearables-to-monitor-employees.html
Yeah, I was going to say that I don't think something like this would go over well where I work...people would just think it's another Big Brother type of thing.
About four years ago we implemented a "fitness contract" program for all of our employees. We get 30 minutes of additional paid leave 4 days per week to go do exercise if you sign the fitness contract. This was something I really pushed for back then as I had just lost a bunch of weight and had gotten into fitness and really felt like it would benefit the office as a whole and give incentive to move...I pushed hard for 5 days, but that was a no go.
You cannot accumulate this leave...if you don't do your 30 minutes on Monday or whatever days you signed up for, you lose it. It's great to see so many people at my office now going out for walks or hitting the nearby community center, etc. Most people do theirs before or after the lunch hour, so many people go get a full 60 minutes and then take a 30 minute lunch. It's been a very productive program and you can tell that stress levels are down and several people have lost a bunch of weight and moral is much better...
Wow, this sounds like a great program.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc
This article from 2014 outlines well the arguments against corporate FitBit tracker programs.
Those who live in countries where they are raised in a surveillance society have been conditioned to accept more monitoring by an employer. Not so much in the US.
https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-use-wearables-to-monitor-employees.html
Yeah, I was going to say that I don't think something like this would go over well where I work...people would just think it's another Big Brother type of thing.
About four years ago we implemented a "fitness contract" program for all of our employees. We get 30 minutes of additional paid leave 4 days per week to go do exercise if you sign the fitness contract. This was something I really pushed for back then as I had just lost a bunch of weight and had gotten into fitness and really felt like it would benefit the office as a whole and give incentive to move...I pushed hard for 5 days, but that was a no go.
You cannot accumulate this leave...if you don't do your 30 minutes on Monday or whatever days you signed up for, you lose it. It's great to see so many people at my office now going out for walks or hitting the nearby community center, etc. Most people do theirs before or after the lunch hour, so many people go get a full 60 minutes and then take a 30 minute lunch. It's been a very productive program and you can tell that stress levels are down and several people have lost a bunch of weight and moral is much better...
That's great!0 -
My employer provides free step trackers and holds motivational challenges. Completing the voluntary challenges tallies into a broader point system for earning health care spending credits.
This year they’ve added more step challenges than years past, so it’s still a thing.
Employees who choose to participate may also sync up their own tracker rather than wear the employer provided one.0 -
I work for a company in the broad healthcare sector... We still have reduced prices for Fitbits and voluntary challenges (2x per year) that result in up to $500 in savings for monthly healthcare premiums. We "earn" other points for preventative medical care (e.g., eye exams, dental exams, mammograms, etc.). Most our of sites have on-site gyms that are inexpensive, and we also have negotiated discount rates at some outside gyms.
For the most part I think it is a good thing to keep your employees healthy, but I am still wary of overstepping on the part of both my company and the insurance company--my health records should remain private and separate of my employment record. Also--we recently updated to a new rewards program administrator and the implementation is just awful.2 -
My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc
This article from 2014 outlines well the arguments against corporate FitBit tracker programs.
Those who live in countries where they are raised in a surveillance society have been conditioned to accept more monitoring by an employer. Not so much in the US.
https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-use-wearables-to-monitor-employees.html
In the EU the General Data Protection Regulation and its predecessors would prevent an employer holding any data collected at an individual level, although if it was tied to some form of incentivisation mechanism the scheme provider could do. That would still need to be firewalled from the employer.
Gym discounts, and discounted kit, are quite common elements of discretionary reward schemes though.0 -
My company runs a walking challenge every summer but the payouts have been reduced every year.1
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My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc
I really don't understand why people would be paranoid about this. What human right is my boss infringing on when I voluntarily tell him how much I walked, but not when or where?1 -
My husbands company does this. I just wear my Fitbit and it syncs up to let them know I reached my goal for the day. It's not a "smart" Fitbit so they can't use it as a location device- though with phones and social media, and Amazon- that's not exactly a secret either.1
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The company I work for had a walking challenge where they gave everyone knock-off trackers, with rewards for the most steps per week. An inordinate amount of participants were showing six figure steps every week. Combined with many of them bragging to others that they had put the trackers on their dogs all day or found the right way to swing your arm to get a step registered and just swung their arm while watching TV all weekend, the program was scrapped.
I love my Fitbit and the affect it has had on my activity level, but considering lots of people say they aren't accurate for them, it might be hard to use them as the primary way to measure activity for all participants.1 -
@fishgutzy This is an interesting question, and it's fascinating to see the replies. Thanks for staying this thread.1
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cwolfman13 wrote: »My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc
This article from 2014 outlines well the arguments against corporate FitBit tracker programs.
Those who live in countries where they are raised in a surveillance society have been conditioned to accept more monitoring by an employer. Not so much in the US.
https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-use-wearables-to-monitor-employees.html
Yeah, I was going to say that I don't think something like this would go over well where I work...people would just think it's another Big Brother type of thing.
About four years ago we implemented a "fitness contract" program for all of our employees. We get 30 minutes of additional paid leave 4 days per week to go do exercise if you sign the fitness contract. This was something I really pushed for back then as I had just lost a bunch of weight and had gotten into fitness and really felt like it would benefit the office as a whole and give incentive to move...I pushed hard for 5 days, but that was a no go.
You cannot accumulate this leave...if you don't do your 30 minutes on Monday or whatever days you signed up for, you lose it. It's great to see so many people at my office now going out for walks or hitting the nearby community center, etc. Most people do theirs before or after the lunch hour, so many people go get a full 60 minutes and then take a 30 minute lunch. It's been a very productive program and you can tell that stress levels are down and several people have lost a bunch of weight and moral is much better...
Wouldn't do me any good. I swim 4 miles before work. Takes me about 2:15.
But I can see how that might help encourage some people.0 -
I think as more employers look at the numbers they will likely find that for their purposes the trackers aren't worth it. As others stated, peope figure out quickly that it is a wrist movement tracker and find ways to cheat. That these "Cheaters" win the step challenges is disheartening to the who actually workout.
Personally, as I said, I did not sync my Garmin to MFP. I enter manually, only specific activities, 90+% of the time that means only entering swimming.
A side note. Anyone ever notice that all of the marketing for fitness trackers feature people that are already fit? Seems they don't even believe that the devices motivate people to change habits to get fit
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idk . . . it is an interesting topic, and i can't help wondering how much of the cooldown came from the employees side.
not so much the surveillance/intrusion factor, but just that i think most people already feel pretty overwhelmed and overprogrammed - and over-incentivized from the outside. the whole thing about shrinking levels of truly personal/down time is real imo. stuff that you do entirely for your own reasons, entirely privately, entirely just because you want to.
technically, i understand that it doesn't make any difference. but psychologically, i can't help thinking it does. so much of life is now doubled down, where almost nothing you do is done entirely for your own self. everything has to have some sort of parallel optimization factor built in.
i never know if 'm just unusually contrary and ornery, but y'know . . . deep in my innermost heart i just think that i'm right about this. and it's only a matter of time before a new crop of 'studies show' will come out to explain what i mean better than i can right now.1 -
My employer was doing one with Vitality for about 3 years but discontinued it. They are saying that the benefits didn't justify the cost. It wasn't changing behavior enough to improve employee health and reduce health care costs. My guess is, they were paying out rewards to employees who were taking good care of themselves anyway and the rewards weren't enough to change behavior for people who don't.1
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My employer was doing one with Vitality for about 3 years but discontinued it. They are saying that the benefits didn't justify the cost. It wasn't changing behavior enough to improve employee health and reduce health care costs. My guess is, they were paying out rewards to employees who were taking good care of themselves anyway and the rewards weren't enough to change behavior for people who don't.
that is my suspicion as well.
For me, it was the weight related sleep apnea diagnosis that motivated change. Not any employer incentive.2 -
NorthCascades wrote: »
I guess it depends how voluntary it is - if it affects the cost of your healthcare insurance via the same person, it is coercion. Just a matter of scale and perspective as to whether it gets seen as a neat discount or something darker.
Could the 30 minutes be used at the start or end of the day? That would accommodate longer workouts if it was allowed, but easier to abuse.
100,000 steps isn't even 15k a day - I'd find that very doable if I was trying so not sure that implies much cheating! Depends on the person, but I definitely don't look like a fit person so would be easy to misjudge. The bragging not so much though...2 -
Just because something isn't still "news" doesn't mean employers aren't still doing it.2
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@Rosemary7391 I don't look like I can swim 10km but I can.
However, I couldn't walk or run 15km (nearly 10 miles a day). Arthritis in my feet won't let me. Hiking is actually easier on my feet. Uneven terrain, less focused impact.
The most "steps" my Garmin logged in one day was just over 30k. That was a day in China when I did a 10km and walked around the mall.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »Just because something isn't still "news" doesn't mean employers aren't still doing it.
Usually the sellers make big announcements when a large employer adopts their product for an employee program.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »My guess is that perhaps it was viewed as judging employees, some infringement of their human rights etc
This article from 2014 outlines well the arguments against corporate FitBit tracker programs.
Those who live in countries where they are raised in a surveillance society have been conditioned to accept more monitoring by an employer. Not so much in the US.
https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-use-wearables-to-monitor-employees.html
Yeah, I was going to say that I don't think something like this would go over well where I work...people would just think it's another Big Brother type of thing.
About four years ago we implemented a "fitness contract" program for all of our employees. We get 30 minutes of additional paid leave 4 days per week to go do exercise if you sign the fitness contract. This was something I really pushed for back then as I had just lost a bunch of weight and had gotten into fitness and really felt like it would benefit the office as a whole and give incentive to move...I pushed hard for 5 days, but that was a no go.
You cannot accumulate this leave...if you don't do your 30 minutes on Monday or whatever days you signed up for, you lose it. It's great to see so many people at my office now going out for walks or hitting the nearby community center, etc. Most people do theirs before or after the lunch hour, so many people go get a full 60 minutes and then take a 30 minute lunch. It's been a very productive program and you can tell that stress levels are down and several people have lost a bunch of weight and moral is much better...
Wouldn't do me any good. I swim 4 miles before work. Takes me about 2:15.
But I can see how that might help encourage some people.
I use mine before work in the summer or after work in the winter...That means I can get a longer ride in the AM because I don't have to be to work until 8:30...0
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