Even though employees may have varying degrees of awareness that everything they do is free for a company to see and know about, experts suggest that companies are better off setting clear rules and gathering data about their employees’ experiences on an aggregate level.

“The main issue is confidentiality,” Bersin says. “If an employee has problems at home, at work, or with a manager or peer, it should be kept confidential. Third-party apps do this, and coaching networks are confidential.”

Rider University's Promislo says the holistic solution is clear communication. “Transparency and guidelines have to be there,” he says. “This is very personal, and I think most employees may not be aware that companies are using data to assess well-being.”

Better yet, he suggests, collect and analyze employee data at the aggregate level. “Then employers can see that, for instance, maybe all the people who work remotely tend to have mental health issues, so maybe we can introduce a program to alleviate that,” he says.

Ultimately, says Bersin, “There’s no substitute for a well-run company with managers and supervisors who listen, care, support, and help develop their people.” But technology for measuring employee well-being and tools that make work easier can certainly help.