🇫🇮 🇨🇦 Introducing Oura for Slack

Press release from Oura

Nurturing community at work is essential for individual and collective success. Recent research is shedding light on the vital significance of community and the deep-rooted need for a genuine sense of belonging. Startling reports are also drawing attention to a modern epidemic of loneliness.

If the majority of our waking hours Monday – Friday are devoted to work, can we forge more resilient and healthier communities within our workplaces? Connection in the workplace can be linked to wellbeing and performance. Similarly, the positive impact of workplace communities on employee health and overall happiness emphasizes the importance of social connections in creating a healthy and thriving work environment. These insights are echoed by thought leaders who advocate that cultivating a sense of community in the workplace leads to greater employee retention and a more vibrant organizational culture.

Build Community at Work with Oura’s Slack Integration

Oura’s new integration with Slack enables Oura members to synchronize their daily Slack status with their Oura Readiness and Sleep Scores. For those who opt in, this feature provides a unique way for remote and hybrid colleagues and Oura members to discreetly check in and connect with each other.

With Oura for Slack, you can easily identify when teammates are fully charged and ready to take on the day, as well as when colleagues may need a little extra understanding and support during times when they are not feeling their best.

In increasingly remote and hybrid work environments, Oura for Slack encourages co-workers and leaders to communicate with empathy and build a culture that is more connected, supportive, and engaged.

ŌURA & Slack

During a small pilot study, members using Oura for Slack within a work setting expressed that it helped foster compassion for co-workers, creating human connection across time zones in a remote work setting. One pilot participant shared, “I can see when my teammates aren’t feeling their best and encourage rest, or delay meetings for when they are more ready.”

Throughout the Oura for Slack pilot, safe spaces among colleagues emerged in which personal challenges such as caring for a sick family member during the night, coping with a demanding marathon training schedule, or dealing with work-related stress were shared in the context of Oura Readiness and Sleep Scores. For co-workers who may communicate and meet during the workday but may not engage with each other personally, Oura’s Slack integration was a breakthrough.

Other findings from the pilot include:

• 61% of survey respondents reported that a Readiness Score shared in Oura for Slack was brought up in a meeting they attended
• 35% said a coworker demonstrated support in regards to their Readiness Score displayed in Oura for Slack
• 39% shared that someone outside of their team asked them about their Readiness Score because of Oura for Slack

Access Oura for Slack

• Go to http://cloud.ouraring.com/profile/integrations/install/slack and log in to your Oura account.
• If you are not already, log in to your Slack account. On the Slack authorization page, click Allow.
• To change your share settings, open the Slack app and search for “ŌURA”. You’ll be able to configure your settings from the Home tab.

Good to Know

• In the ŌURA page within your Slack app, choose what you’d like to share on your Slack status:
  • Readiness and Sleep Scores: Maija Malli 92, 80
  • Readiness by category: Maija Malli Readiness is Optimal
• If you don’t produce a score (i.e. not wearing Oura Ring, low battery), a status won’t show for that day.
• Your status will only appear from Monday to Friday, from when you first sync your ring in the morning until midnight in your local timezone.
• If you don’t want your status to post during holidays, PTO days, or sick days, remember to turn the status sync off in the ŌURA page within your Slack app.
• Oura for Slack will not override an existing Slack status, however if you use a third-party Slack application that also posts a status (i.e. Google Calendar “In a meeting”), it will not override your Oura score.

Understanding Emojis

Readiness:

 = Optimal 85-100

 = Good 70-84

 = Fair 60-69

 = Pay Attention <60

Sleep:

 = Sleep Score

Build Community Using Oura’s Slack Integration

• Remember the use of Oura for Slack is voluntary and you are in full control of when and what you share.
• If you feel your Oura score is not representative of how you’re currently feeling, provide a short context within your status, like “jet lag”, “think I’m getting sick”, or “tough workout yesterday”.
• React and respond to others — cheer on great statuses or send support to colleagues who may be having a tough day.
• Use Oura for Slack to build empathy, compassion, and camaraderie. Although competition may emerge, this integration brings awareness to the reality that every one of us has good days and tough days, and this connects us.

As remote and hybrid work environments continue to thrive, Oura for Slack emphasizes the importance of empathy-driven communication and the development of an organizational culture that is highly connected, supportive, and engaged, fostering community in the workplace for colleagues and leaders alike. Your daily wellness is important, including the days when you work. Support your wellbeing journey, and connect with your co-workers, with Oura for Slack.

READ MORE: Introducing Oura Circles

Note: Not all Slack workspaces allow apps to be installed by users. In the case that the member doesn’t have permission, they may need to request support from their Slack admins / IT department.

Originally published on 26 June.