5 tips for HR/benefits professionals to ensure successful biometric testing of employees

Millions of Americans have delayed or entirely skipped medical care since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Today, as many employees are returning to offices while others make remote work permanent, employers are recognizing just how many members of their teams have undiagnosed health issues, from high blood pressure to diabetes and beyond. 

This hidden health crisis, coupled with the tight labor market, has put increased importance on the employer’s role in offering more comprehensive wellbeing support as a way to attract and retain top talent. Increasingly, this includes making employer-sponsored biometric testing a vital piece of employee benefits packages.

However, in order to realize the full advantages of biometric testing, it has to be done right. So, what is the responsibility of HR and benefits team members when it comes to implementing biometric testing and exactly what health metrics should this testing measure/? How can your company offer biometric testing effectively, with on-site or at-home options, and in a way that motivates employees to embrace this benefit? 

What is employee biometric testing?

While the term sounds technical, employee biometric testing is not a medical diagnosis or treatment – it’s simply an informative indication of an employee’s current state of health. Biometric testing provides a set of data points that help motivate employees to be more proactive about preventative care. 

Biometric testing can help employees identify potential vulnerabilities and underlying health issues that may have been ignored for months. Having those baseline numbers checked on a regular basis also helps track changes in these important health indicators. 

These biometric screenings can provide advance warning against diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and more. This important screening tool sends the message to employees that their organization is invested in their health, which can reduce absenteeism, increase employee retention and potentially lower employer health costs. After all, the goal is not simply for your company to have employees, but to facilitate and support healthy employees. 

During the pandemic, many companies pulled back on on-site biometric testing as employees transitioned to working from home. With increasing numbers of people returning to work in office and factory settings, return to work can mean a return to employee testing. And, for employers offering remote or hybrid options to their workforce, home test kits allow employees to easily complete a screening safely and comfortably anywhere they choose. 

How do you make biometric testing successful?

TIP 1: Be sure your biometric testing is measuring the correct data

Data from biometric testing can spark behavior modification, so HR professionals are increasingly moving toward more advanced metrics that can measure the effects of lifestyle changes over time. 

On a basic level, testing of your employees should include blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose (fasting blood sugar) levels, waist circumference and Body Mass Index (BMI). Additional levels of testing can provide heart rate variability, ketones and lipid profiles (LDL, HDL, cholesterol, triglycerides) as well as essential screening for diabetes and colorectal cancer. A comprehensive and actionable data set can help inform appropriate follow-up for both employees and employers. 

TIP 2: Put your biometric testing data to good use

One of the most crucial, and often missing, aspects of biometric testing is following up on the data that’s collected. Without action, that potential goldmine of employee population health information is just another set of numbers in a spreadsheet. 

• Be sure each of your employees receives their individual biometric testing results so they can follow up with their health care provider and take action on any areas of concern. 
• Provide access to board-certified health coaches who can guide employees through their results and make suggestions for lifestyle adjustments based on their screening data. 
• Finally, study the aggregate data you receive to get a fuller picture of employee health across your enterprise, and then take action. For example, if your aggregate data suggests your company’s employees tend to be overweight and are facing diabetes or worrisome cholesterol numbers, consider implementing a program to help employees make healthier food choices and an incentive program to get employees up and moving. 

TIP 3: Only your employees should know their test results

Without properly communicating the confidentiality and data protection systems in place to safeguard test results, biometric testing can be perceived as employer overreach or a violation of privacy. Utilize every opportunity to make it clear that individual biometric health data is private and no one within the organization has access to employee test results. 

Your third-party biometric testing provider should enable each employee to access their own results so the insights can inspire action, like scheduling a visit with their health care provider, making changes for better nutrition, getting more exercise or other health-improving steps. 

TIP 4: Make biometric testing easy and accessible for your employees

No matter where biometric testing is performed, the most essential message is that it’s important not to put off regularly scheduled testing. While the most reliable results come from onsite testing events, at-home biometric testing and access to off-site labs is an option for employees working remotely. 

The easier your organization can make the biometric testing process, the more likely employees will make positive changes in their physical and mental health. 

TIP 5: Make biometric testing a regular habit at your company

Biometric testing is less useful if it is “one and done.” While having a snapshot of vital health information can be helpful in motivating employee follow-up, biometric testing is most constructive when done on a regular basis – annually or biannually.  

Regular testing provides a consistent baseline of your employees’ numbers, providing a more accurate snapshot of health issues and better facilitating appropriate goal setting. 

It’s an unfortunate fact that only 25 percent of American employees feel their employers care about their wellbeing. When your organization makes an effort to show employees you’re invested in their health and willing to assist them in making healthy improvements, they are less likely to search for a new job, less likely to experience burnout and more likely to be engaged while on the job. 

Adding convenient biometric screenings can be an excellent tool to help increase the overall health and wellbeing of your workforce. Being proactive about leveraging that data can be a great indicator of your care and concern. The results? A win-win for employees and their employer. 

Dr. Darren White is co-founder and CEO of Aduro, the Redmond, WA-based employee wellbeing software company. For more information on Aduro, visit https://adurolife.com/solutions/wellmetrics/