Why Biometric Screenings Are More Important During COVID-19

Throughout these stressful months, companies have developed innovative ways to keep employees safe, all while adapting their corporate wellness program around COVID-19. Mask mandates and social distancing policies have become the new reality. However, biometric screenings have been challenging to navigate and unfortunately, been on the back burner for most companies. 

Even the bravest of employees are hesitant to sit in close quarters with a stranger and let themselves be poked, prodded, measured and weighed at this time. Because of this, about 65% of companies that started biometric screenings are opting out for the rest of 2020. So what really is this the best for your company and it's employees? Are biometric screenings that important? 

What Is A Biometric Screening? 

According to the CDC, a biometric health screening is defined as "the measurement of physical characteristics such as height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood glucose, and aerobic fitness tests that can be taken at the work site and used as part of a workplace health assessment to benchmark and evaluate changes in employee health status over time."

Important note: Screening results and health data are protected by HIPPA laws and will never be shared with anyone without personal consent. For more information on HIPPA laws, click here.

Why You Should Not Skip Biometric Health Screenings:

• Because of the COVID-19 threat, screenings could save lives. We are just now starting to understand the various effects the virus can have on an individual. If someone finds out they have increased blood pressure, that could motivate them to take better care of their personal health.
• Screenings are a valuable part of a wellness program because they can help measure what’s going on with your population year after year.
• Lifestyles can change for the better. An employee may find out they have high blood pressure. By pairing screenings with in-depth education on nutrition fitness, they can live a healthier lifestyle and manage any condition they may have.
• It's Quick, Easy and Economical. Employees don't have to go anywhere, the screenings come to them.  Plus, a finger stick program offers instant results. Mass screenings can be a huge money saver for an employer. Many screening companies will even provide discounts and offer a wide majority of health data in a shirt period of time.
• Decreased health insurance claim costs. Let's face it - for many organizations, ROI is the main motivation for offering wellness programs. Simply put, it is a lot cheaper to cure a disease when you find the stages early on. Not to mention you are saving your employee's life from problems longer down the road. 

Especially in times like these, being transparent with your employees will allow them to be open to Biometric Health Screenings. Since the pros outweigh the cons, it is safe to say Biometric Health Screenings are necessary and important to the health and wellness of a company more than ever. 

Interested in learning more? Here are additional resources to check out:

How your Employees Benefit from BHS

8 Questions to ask your Biometric Screening Company

5 Tips for Getting Employees on Board with BHS