ByJulian Hayes II,

Contributor.

Julian Hayes II combines wellness, business, and leadership.

Sep 26, 2026

Summary

Wearables, once niche, are now mainstream with Whoop's high valuation and Oura's impending IPO highlighting their growing adoption. As companies invest more in employee health, offering wearables as a benefit introduces complexities, especially concerning personal data. Leaders must clearly define the purpose of these programs, from managing fatigue to reducing healthcare costs. Crucially, employee consent for data sharing must be meaningful and transparent, detailing what information is collected and how it's used to foster trust. Beyond mere device adoption, organizations should measure actual improvements in employee well-being, such as sleep quality. Ultimately, leadership's ongoing commitment to trust, individual choice, and program objectives is paramount for success.

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As wearables grow in popularity, leadership has new questions to answer.

Gado via Getty Images

Wearables were once niche products for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Today, watches, bands, and rings have become commonplace in leadership circles. Whoop’s recent $575 million funding round at a $10.1 billion valuation shows how far the category has moved into the mainstream.

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Oura, a leading smart ring maker, is preparing to go public with a fully diluted valuation target of up to $15.62 billion. As of June, it counted five million paid members and aims to expand through employer-sponsored access.

Companies are already investing heavily in employee health. For instance, Bank of America spends over $250 million each year to cover GLP-1 medications for employees. Introducing wearables as a benefit adds another layer of decision-making for leaders: how to support employee well-being when these tools collect personal data around the clock.

Define The Purpose Of The Wearable Benefit

Activity without a clear purpose often becomes background noise. Teams lacking a north star can spin their wheels and squander resources. Organizations offering wearables as a benefit should define what they expect the investment to achieve.

A consulting firm with partners regularly crossing time zones faces different demands than a company whose employees maintain a consistent office schedule. Both might invest in their teams’ sleep and recovery, but their objectives should reflect what their people actually experience.

Is the aim to help employees manage fatigue, foster a healthier culture, or reduce long-term healthcare costs? Each goal requires a different approach to evaluating whether the benefit is worthwhile. Tracking absenteeism and retention can be helpful, though many variables affect these metrics.

A clear purpose sets the standard the investment must meet.

Make Employee Consent Meaningful And Clear

When an organization introduces wearables as a benefit, employees arrive with varying expectations and comfort levels regarding data sharing. A successful rollout must balance management’s objectives with employees’ willingness to share personal information.

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Oura assures employers that employees retain control of their data. Its business terms allow some programs to operate on an opt-in basis, letting employees share individual data with the organization and withdraw that permission at any time.

An employee might use a ring to monitor sleep and heart metrics, yet still hesitate to share those readings with the company that oversees their pay and advancement. Even a voluntary request can feel different when it comes from an employer.

Leaders should clarify what information the company receives, who has access to it, and whether declining to share affects eligibility for the benefit. Employees should also understand how to change their preferences. Clear communication empowers employees to make informed decisions and, most importantly, builds trust: an organization’s most valuable currency.

Measure What Changes For Employees

In ‘Measure What Matters,’ John Doerr describes Objectives and Key Results (OKRs): a goal-setting framework for tracking progress. This approach works well in employee health initiatives, where participation is easy to measure but meaningful improvement is harder to achieve.

A company might distribute thousands of rings and see high enrollment. Yet if employees still struggle with sleep and recovery, a more meaningful goal is to help them improve over time. Voluntary, aggregated feedback on sleep quality could be one measure. Strategic changes to travel habits and schedules, along with practical support for better sleep, give employees concrete ways to make progress.

Leaders should communicate the outcomes they aim to support and how they will assess progress. While device adoption indicates program reach, its real impact on employees’ lives deserves closer examination.

Leadership Determines What Happens After The Purchase

Oura’s planned IPO reflects rising demand for personal health insights. As wearables become a fixture in workplace benefits, leadership will ultimately shape what that access means for employees. Purchasing devices is merely a financial decision; earning trust, honoring individual choices, and sustaining the program’s goals require ongoing leadership well after the rings are handed out.