Use of a Wearable Device to Promote Healthy Behaviors Among Employees of a Small-to-Medium Enterprise in the Netherlands

Abstract

In 2013, a small-to-medium ICT consulting company in the Netherlands initiated use of a wearable device to promote health behaviors among its employees. All employees of this company agreed to use the device for an undetermined period of time. After the first three months of the project, qualitative research (interviews, observations and focus groups) was initiated in order to understand early expectations and actual experiences with respect to using the device, and opinions regarding its contribution to both personal health and team functioning in the workplace; the research lasted six months. Although the participants in this project were initially enthusiastic about this new ‘gadget’ for tracking their personal health behaviors, they later indicated that the device alone was insufficient to sustain motivation and behavioral change over a longer period of time. Prior to the start of the project, participants made social agreements regarding sharing personal data in the workplace; most employees felt this was acceptable as long as both the employer and their fellow colleagues were discrete about the data and what it revealed. However, they became increasingly concerned as the project progressed, especially about further use of the data by the technology provider.