In this episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, Brandon Laws and his guest, Ravi Swaminathan, talk about how today’s businesses are supporting the well-being of their employees. According to Ravi, a growing number of companies are attracting and retaining top talent by offering exciting and unconventional wellbeing benefits. One new offering is TaskHuman, an app that gives users virtual one-on-one access to experts in virtually every category of wellbeing.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Ravi Swaminathan is the Founder and CEO of TaskHuman, a mobile app offering one-on-one video sessions with physical, mental, or emotional coaches from all over the globe. Ravi is passionate about developing technology that helps people and makes an impact in an ever-changing world.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
DEFINING WELLBEING
According to guest Ravi Swaminathan, the concept of wellbeing is difficult to define because, he says, “there’s really no standard definition of the term.” Instead of trying to define it, Ravi encourages each of us to first ask ourselves, “What does wellbeing mean for me as an individual?”
Whether we’re experiencing one of life’s highs or struggling through one of its lows, “wellbeing” is simply the state of who you are and how you feel. And “that can change depending on what you’re going through physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.” Add what’s going on around you — with your kids, your spouse, your family, or your work — and you come to the conclusion that the concept of wellbeing is quite multifaceted. It’s no wonder that much of the recent discussion in the workplace is centered on the timely topic of employee wellness.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Reevaluating Priorities
“As we discussed, wellbeing is so many things. It’s not just one. And, you know, part of how you kick yourself back into gear is really just a better awareness of what is important to you, right? We’re starting to see people take stock of what’s important to them, and then get out of that comfort zone — being open to trying things, reevaluating their priorities for me, and then really going and focusing on what’s important to them and their family.”
The Employer’s Role in Wellbeing
“The reality is that over the last twenty years, employers have been supporting what you might consider the employee’s personal life. In addition to standard benefits, many have expanded into things like fertility benefits for people having a hard time. And why should the company pay for that? The answer is that they’re buying your loyalty, right? So over time, companies have been choosing more and more areas of your personal life to support. And then in that context, you asked a great question: How much help should the employer give to the employee? And I would say give it all to them.”
A Wave of the Future
“We’re able to have those conversations with companies and say, ‘You care about mental wellbeing as an important theme, right? What about physical wellbeing? What are you doing for the employee that wants to lose weight?’ And companies are always trying to figure out how to best help them. That’s why you’re seeing more companies pay for gym memberships or therapy benefits — going beyond medical, dental, vision, life insurance, that usual stuff.”
The Cost of Benefits
“And I think there’s more to come. Certainly, not enough employers are forward-thinking on that front. Some of them may be having challenges when it comes to rationalizing these costs to the CFO. So I think companies are having those internal conversations. I think there is no choice but to move in this direction if you want to attract the best talent and if you want to keep them.”
What is TaskHuman?
“It’s basically a thousand-person coaching network. We’ve lined up almost a thousand coaches in thirty different countries. It’s a 24/7 network, and they’re all instantly available. And it’s really easy to use. You just go and type in whatever you need help with — ‘I want to lose the weight’ — then boom, there’s a coach that you can instantly video call with right there through the app. So for all the companies that have rolled out TaskHuman, their employees have unlimited coaching from all over the globe.”
Experts On-Demand
“We’re modernizing the ease of finding and engaging experts. […] I mean, ultimately humans are social beings, and we want to support each other in that intimate one-on-one call. It’s not a group class where there are 500 people. It’s not a live YouTube video. It’s not a recorded YouTube video. And it’s certainly not an article about fitness. It’s a different experience when you connect live over a video call instantly with somebody and you get going right there — that’s like having an army of experience living in your neighborhood.”
LEARN MORE
Looking to offer one-on-one coaching to your employees? Learn more about TaskHuman here.