Giving Employees the Option of Digital Wellness Benefits

In the digital era, employees' peace of mind is increasingly tethered to their online security. Recognizing this, innovative employers are now augmenting traditional benefits with digital protection services as part of what is called digital well-being.
Amid the rising tide of cyber threats, these forward-thinking companies are providing cybersecurity insurance, identity theft protection, and technology support as part of their benefits packages. This strategic shift is not just enhancing digital safety and wellness for their workforce—it's setting a new standard in employee care, where safeguarding digital lifestyles and identities becomes as routine as healthcare and retirement planning.
 

Digital Wellness as a Benefit

Organizations are recognizing the growing need to personalize benefits to stay competitive in the market. 

Today, the rise in cybersecurity concerns has led organizations to turn to digital wellness. In fact, our study found that 92% of organizations offer a digital wellness solution as part of their employee benefits package.

In the HR Research Institute study, we specified that a healthy state of digital wellness means “people are protected from weak spots in their security, their privacy is protected, and they remain in control of their personal data—who can access it and how it’s used; it can also mean they have a healthy, non-addictive relationship to technology.”

So, what is a digital wellness offering? It’s a solution that provides a safe, private, and secure online experience for employees and their families, one encompassing personal data protection, identity monitoring, virtual private networks (or VPN), protection for devices, and identity theft protection. 

It might also incorporate education about how to practice safe online behaviors and increase awareness of potential cyber threats, thereby giving employees peace of mind when using technology. Ultimately, the idea is to enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty while also protecting digital assets.

Why It’s a Good Idea 

Our report found that 80% of HR professionals at large organizations are concerned about employees exposing confidential information when using personal devices for work purposes. Further, 83% believe employees are concerned about identity theft. 

Digital wellness as a benefit can help reduce these concerns both on the organizational side and on the employee side. Offering digital wellness can help organizations display their commitment to employee well-being, potentially helping in the areas of talent acquisition and retention. It can also help organizations by educating employees on potential breaches, thereby reducing security risks both at home and in the workplace. 

Digital wellness benefits provide safeguards so that employees can have peace of mind when browsing both for work and in their leisure time, even when using public Wi-Fi. Further, a digital wellness solution can offer identity theft protection and restoration aid for employees and their beneficiaries when faced with identity fraud. 

Some digital wellness initiatives can also teach employees to create healthy boundaries for their technology use. For example, setting boundaries on screen time can help reduce issues related to the overuse of technology. These issues include poor sleep, worsened vision, and mental health issues.

Potential Cost-Effectiveness

Of course, digital wellness can pay dividends for employees. Consider the issue of identity theft. In 2022, there were over 1.1 million reports of identity theft received through the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov website. Digital wellness initiatives can potentially reduce the likelihood of such events.

However, employee digital wellness may help employers as well. Our report found the most widely cited outcome of organizational data breaches was financial losses (53%). Even smaller organizations are at risk. Hackers are no longer just going after larger companies. Companies with revenues of $100,000 to $500,000 can now expect as many cyber-attacks as those earning $1 million to $9 million annually. 

What Such Benefits Might Include

Digital security plays a large role in the well-being of employees. A digital wellness benefits package, provided as a benefit, is designed to enhance employees' digital security. 

The features may include, but are not limited to, the following:
 

• a robust firewall to guard against unauthorized access
• a secure VPN for encrypted internet connections to safeguard sensitive information
• a password manager to create stronger, more secure passwords
• personal data cleanup services to ensure digital footprints are minimized
• continuous identity monitoring from emails to bank accounts that alert against identity theft
• a protection score that rates the security of an employee's digital profile and shows them areas for improvement

Why Employees Would Appreciate Such Benefits

Benefits packages can vary, with some being a relatively no-frills approach to identity theft and others being more advanced plans with all the components listed above and more. 

The decision to invest in digital wellness often stems from an understanding of the potential consequences of identity theft, cyberattacks, phishing scams, and other digital dangers. 

Employees may appreciate such benefits because:
 

• they have direct experiences with identity theft or know others’ experiences. In fact, our study found that 59% of respondents say they are aware of employees in their organization who have experienced identity theft. Employees who have personally experienced identity theft understand the gravity of the situation firsthand. The impact extends beyond finances; it can be an emotional rollercoaster. Having benefits in place is akin to having an insurance policy against future upheavals.

 

• they want to keep their personal digital devices secure, in part for their own sake but also because those devices are increasingly used in the workplace. For example, employees will often use their personal smartphone for work purposes. No one wants to be the cause of either a personal or corporate security breach.

 

• they are “power users” of digital devices both at home and at work. Some people spend most of their waking hours using a digital device and need greater protection.

 

• they often find themselves traveling for work. This opens them up to security concerns such as public Wi-Fi networks. A secure VPN can be invaluable in such circumstances. 

 

• they have found that their “digital footprints” are all over the Internet and they want to make sure they can clean up this information to boost their security. 

 

• they are at a particular stage in their life when they have certain things they want to protect. For example, younger employees might be concerned about safeguarding their growing credit scores, while those approaching retirement may worry more about protecting their life savings. 

The Win-Win Scenario

A comprehensive digital wellness benefit is a potential win-win solution for both the employer and the employee. The employee gets a solution that provides them with peace of mind when browsing the Internet both personally and professionally. In some cases, they are also better trained, helping them stay aware of different cybersecurity threats. In turn, this could potentially help the employer safeguard sensitive company data. The employer then gets an improved value proposition which leads to more effective talent attraction, retention, and engagement.

Ultimately, though, many organizations will view helping employees stay digitally well as simply the right thing to do in an age of constant digital connection.
 

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