A Journey to Digital Wellness by Tyler Rice

Several years ago, as a consultant, my team faced a pressing issue: identifying the root cause of physician burnout.

In 2017, a few years before nearly all knowledge workers would shift to fully remote or hybrid work, physicians were already experiencing the overwhelming effects of an "always-on" state of existence.

Through numerous user interviews, we discovered that physicians' burnout was partly due to their time on screen charting in the electronic medical record (EMR). Like today's knowledge workers, these providers would return home after a long day to continue updating records they couldn't complete during work hours.

While EMRs provided greater connection and data sharing across networks, they also left providers overburdened, overworked, and overwhelmed. In this case, technology was a double-edged sword: offering benefits but also causing significant stress.

I began to examine the broader impact of digital overwhelm on employee experience, suspecting that this wasn't an isolated case. As an entrepreneur at heart, I enrolled in a six-month business incubator at Stanford University. The idea? An employee wellness company focused on digital wellness.

I built a beta program for what is now our Digital Balance Workplace Initiative. However, when presenting to venture capitalists, I received empty stares. "Why would I want my employees not to be connected and available?" one asked. While other companies received funding, mine did not. "Good luck with your business," they said with a wink and a smile.

For a moment, I doubted myself. Maybe it was a silly idea. However, my passion for the topic only grew. I read books by Cal Newport, Johann Hari, Nir Eyal, and others, and I am convinced of the potential value for individuals and organizations.

As fate would have it, I met Nina Hersher and Amy Blankson, guest speakers, on a Zoom webinar I hosted. "I love the community you're building and the scientific approach to digital wellness education," I said. "Have you ever considered bringing that curriculum to corporate employees?"

For two years, I collaborated with them to create our Employee Wellness Programming.

A year later, I joined full-time.

One year after that, we closed our first round of funding.

And now, here we are, one year later.

The journey has been incredible, full of challenges and triumphs, moments of immense joy, and significant obstacles. We still encounter the same question those VCs asked in 2017: why should I care about employee digital wellness? The difference now is that we have the data to prove its efficacy.

Maintaining a human-centered approach to work is crucial in an increasingly digital workplace, where concerns about Artificial Intelligence are prevalent. This means placing humans at the heart of the workplace conversation around digital transformation. When considering new technologies and software, we must ask: will this help my employees disconnect, or will it further draw them in and lead to adverse outcomes, much like the cumbersome EMRs?

This is what digital wellness is all about. That's why we launched a scientifically supported workplace survey to measure employee sentiment around digital overwhelm. And it's why the companies that score the best on that survey are recognized by our partners at Fast Company as a Certified Digitally Balanced Workplace ?.

When I think of a human-centered approach to employee wellness, I think of Digital Balance.

The reality is this: if you're not tracking this, you're missing a significant piece of the employee wellness equation. Data from the Digitally Balanced Workplace Survey found that 22% of an organization's burnout is attributed to a lack of Digital Balance, 50% of employee net promoter score, and 12% of self-reported depression.

These are startling figures. They're the answer to the question: Why should I care? They reinforce my belief that the most productive and profitable organizations will take a human-centered, Digitally Balanced approach to employee wellness in this digital age. Thus, the evidence is clear: in our hyper-connected world, prioritizing digital wellness is not just a nice-to-have but a necessity for individual well-being and organizational success.

As we continue to navigate the complexities of a digital workplace, we must keep a human-centered approach at the forefront. Doing so can create environments where employees thrive, not just survive. Organizations that embrace this mindset will see improvements in employee satisfaction and productivity and set themselves apart as leaders in a rapidly evolving landscape.

At the Digital Wellness Institute , our commitment to digital wellness is unwavering. We will continue to develop and refine cutting-edge programs, gather data, and advocate for practices that support a balanced, healthy, human-centered integration. Together, we'll build a future where technology enhances our lives without overwhelming us and the workplace is a place of both productivity and well-being.

Sincerely,

Tyler Rice

CEO, Digital Wellness Institute