Chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and mental health disorders now represent 90% of the $4.1 trillion annual healthcare costs in the U.S., creating a significant burden on individuals and reducing workplace productivity and well-being. In response, companies are increasingly exploring proactive health and well-being solutions to better support their employees.
Thrive Global, experts in behavioral health technology, has joined forces with Function Health, a health management platform, to bring personalized, proactive health tools to the workplace. This initiative provides employees with actionable insights to take control of their health, targeting enhanced productivity, performance, and overall well-being.
I recently had the privilege of interviewing Thrive Global’s Founder & CEO, Arianna Huffington, and Function Health’s Founder & Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mark Hyman. They shared their vision for redefining workplace healthcare through this powerful partnership, aiming to transform employee well-being in today’s high-demand work culture. Our conversation delved into the inspiration behind this collaboration and how proactive health care can reshape productivity and quality of life at work.
The Growing Need for Proactive Health in the Workplace
Function Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer Mark Hyman, M.D explains, “We are in a moment when people are recognizing that our traditional health care system is a sick care system, for most of the problems we are suffering from are lifestyle-driven diseases caused by diet, stress, sleep disruption, and even environmental toxins. We cannot address those issues effectively through the traditional medical system. Thrive has created an extraordinary health coaching model with perfect synergy with functional health, allowing people to become CEOs of their own health.”
This collaboration merges advanced diagnostics, personalized coaching, and AI-driven health tools to enable employees to take charge of their health. Employers benefit through enhanced employee wellness, lower healthcare expenses, and the development of a healthier, more productive workforce.
Transforming Wellness with AI
“At Function, we know that being proactive with your health is essential personally and professionally,” Dr Hyman highlighted. “While annual physicals typically provide around 19 lab tests, Function offers access to more than five times that number, 100+ lab tests and insights from top doctors. Pairing these insights with Thrive’s personalized coaching can profoundly impact employees. Research shows that well-being is closely linked to productivity, and this program will empower individuals, driving success both in and out of the workplace.”
The health tests cover a broad range of chronic conditions, including early-stage markers for heart disease, diabetes, and thyroid disorders, along with insights into gut health and over 50 cancers—such as ovarian, breast, testicular, cervical, melanoma, colon, and pancreatic. The tests also analyze stress markers like cortisol, specifically designed to track stress patterns in both men and women. For women, there are particular metrics focused on reproductive health, addressing those who are planning to conceive or experiencing early menopause. Additionally, these tests can reveal early signs of burnout by identifying elevated stress indicators, providing valuable insights for proactive health management.
Supporting Long-Term Health with Coaching
Thrive Global specializes in supporting people in positive health behaviors with their data. Thrive Global Founder and Chief Executive Officer Arianna Huffington stated “Data is crucial for preventing diseases but also for optimizing management because 130 million people in America already have some kind of chronic disease. So, learning exactly how they can optimize their daily behaviors is key.”
Arianna Huffington said that “Thrive’s approach has always been to bring the latest in behavior change science and technology to improve health outcomes by focusing on the five key behaviors foundational to health—sleep, food, movement, stress management, and connection–and by integrating Function’s health management platform into Thrive’s expert personalized coaching, employees will not only be empowered to improve their biomarkers, but achieve optimal health.”
“We are taking everything we have built regarding human support and scaling it through AI-powered coaching. AI makes hyper-personalization possible. You can improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs for companies” affirmed Huffington.
Mark added, “With this data-driven feedback, you can even interpret their mood just by how they write. It integrates all the data points from the biometric data, wearables, and lab tests, which reduces turnover and improves engagement and healthcare costs. We are moving into a data-driven healthcare system.”
“For instance, yesterday, we were able to help detect a woman’s thyroid condition that would not have been picked up with the traditional biomarker panel. We check five different markers. Understanding your biology integrated with AI is the promise of precision health.” continued Mark.
“Based on the lab tests, the coach may need to recommend the employee to give up all refined carbs, but they may not be able to do it,” so the Thrive app provides microsteps to support them daily. Arianna said, “we actually produced a free cookbook with recipes. We even invited famous chefs to help us make the journey delightful and not based on fear. Through fear, they are not incentivized to stick to it.”
Privacy and Data Security: A Priority for Employee Trust
Fear of data privacy is a valid concern, as some employees may feel uneasy about their employer knowing too much about their personal health. However, as Arianna Huffington emphasized, privacy is a priority, and health results are shared only with employees, not employers. This ensures personal data stays confidential.
Mark agreed, adding, “Employers are incentivized to support the employees because it is a productivity multiplier to have healthy employees who are not burned out.”
Building a Healthier Future for Remote and Hybrid Workers
While remote work may seem natural to boost well-being, technology can still take a toll on our health, especially when boundaries blur between personal and work life. This is where ongoing coaching and small, impactful habits come in. For instance, Thrive’s microstep of charging your phone outside your bedroom and reconnecting only in the morning is a powerful way to ensure restorative sleep and set boundaries with technology. Simple adjustments like these support mental and physical recovery, helping remote workers truly benefit from the flexibility of working from home.
Thrive Global and Function Health’s collaboration marks a shift in workplace wellness, driven by AI, integrating advanced health diagnostics, coaching, and behavioral insights. As workplaces increasingly recognize that health and productivity go hand in hand, partnerships like this offer employees the chance to proactively manage their health in ways that are personalized, effective, and confidential. This forward-thinking approach doesn’t just aim to reduce healthcare costs; it empowers individuals to lead healthier lives—benefiting both personal well-being and organizational success.