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Human Resources invest an enormous amount of energy and resources into employee health initiatives given that prolonged sitting is associated with a 40% increase in mortality. However, their efforts are often ineffective because the goals are set by HR staff rather than employees. The goals end up being too broad, and fail to take into account individual variability and employee motivation. As such, employees feel that the expected goals are too daunting or even discriminatory. This wasted effort accumulates as employers traditionally spends $150 to $200 in cash incentives per employee.

PhysioHealth is a company in our Winter 2016 class that allows employees to take ownership of their health while reducing costs for employers. PhysioHealth is an app that introduces 1 minute workouts throughout the day to help prevent back pain and mental stress. PhysioHealth goes a step beyond current apps by providing coaching in a consumer-centric way while gathering data. The app alerts you when youâve been sitting or standing for too long, and delivers instructional stretching and breathing exercises. But staying active outside the office is also important. PhysioHealth integrates with AppleHealth, GoogleFit, Fitbit, Jawbone, Runkeeper, Swarm and more to suggest new places to exercise or when itâs time for vaccinations.

PhysioHealth offers a rewards network with brands at no additional cost. This complements and increases ROI on cost-heavy wellness programs already in use. They recently ran a pilot and saw a 27% increase in productivity, 23% decrease in lower back pains, and a 54% increase in staying active during the day.

Firdevs and Melike Abacioglu are the two Turkish sisters behind PhysioHealth. They both hold MBAs from Harvard, and are former financial investors & strategy consultants who have experienced the effects of working long hours. While they have worked for and consulted Fortune 500 companies, Melike and Firdevs want to draw attention to employee health and productivity. They currently work with a multi-disciplinary team of psychologists, gamers, dietitians, orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists and yoga experts.

PhysioHealth is available in the US and in Europe.

Learn more about PhysioHealth here.



