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TCS CHROMA™
TCS CHROMA™: A Cloud-based Talent Management Solution
Highlights
- Traditional wellness programs are losing effectiveness as chronic illness, burnout, and mental-health claims rise, creating a clear ROI gap.
- In response, progressive CHROs are embracing genetic and epigenetic-based wellness strategies to deliver deeper risk insights, targeted prevention, and scientifically validated personalisation.
- Genetics provides a view of baseline health risks, while epigenetics reveals how lifestyle factors such as sleep, stress, diet, and environment impact gene expression over time.
- Incorporating dynamic, modifiable epigenetic markers into wellness programs enables organisations to monitor the molecular effects of work habits and drive proactive interventions. Early adoption of these advanced approaches positions employers as leaders in innovation and employee care.
On this page
Visionary boardrooms
The next generation workplace will be shaped by a profound understanding of how our genetic code and epigenetic patterns impact health, resilience, and productivity. As Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) rise to lead organisational transformation, they are uniquely positioned to leverage the twin revolutions of genetics and epigenetics for truly personalised employee wellness. This future is no longer hypothetical; it’s emerging from scientific labs and entering forward-thinking boardrooms.
Rethinking wellbeing
CHROs are running out of road with traditional wellness. Rising chronic illness, burnout and mental-health claims keep eroding productivity, while generic “step challenges” barely move the needle. Diverse biology means the same program helps some and fails others, exposing an ROI gap leadership can no longer ignore. That tension is quietly pushing progressive CHROs toward genetic and epigenetic-based wellness programs — seeking deeper insight into individual risk, more precise prevention, and truly personalised care that can link wellbeing, performance, and cost in a scientifically defensible way.
Wellness frameworks
Best methods for enhancing HRMS data privacy:
- The genetic blueprint: Foundational wellness strategies
- Epigenetics: Real-time wellness adaptation
- The AI-powered wellness platform
- Preventive healthcare and cost optimisation
- Tailoring mental wellness to biology
- Personalised fitness and nutrition
- Organisational culture: Privacy and ethics first
- Future-proofing talent and benefits
Genetic analysis enables CHROs to transition from a “one-size-fits-all” wellness model to one tailored to each employee's unique needs. By implementing voluntary genetic screening within workplace wellness initiatives, HR leaders can proactively identify genetic predispositions to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disorders and specific cancers well before clinical symptoms manifest. These insights enable preventative action tailored not only to an organisation’s risk profile but to the very DNA of its workforce. Employees with genetic predispositions may engage in more frequent screenings or targeted lifestyle adjustments, and CHROs can allocate resources to support populations at higher risk.
While genetics reveals an employee’s baseline risk or capability, epigenetics shows how their gene expression changes in response to daily practices, such as thinking, sleeping, stress, diet, and environment. Unlike the genetic code, epigenetic markers are dynamic and can be modified. For CHROs, incorporating epigenetic testing into wellness programs means introducing tools that monitor how current work habits impact health at the molecular level. Interventions such as healthier cafeteria offerings, stress management workshops, and flexible work schedules can now be evaluated for their actual biological impact.
Emerging platforms combine genetic and epigenetic data with behavioral and environmental metrics. Imagine dashboards, available to HR in anonymised form, that visualise workforce health trends while empowering employees with their own health control panels. Employees may receive notifications when their biomarkers shift toward suboptimal patterns, with recommended interventions customised for their unique biology. This data-driven approach positions the CHRO as the steward of a proactive, precision wellness strategy.
Genetics and epigenetics enable organisations to transition from sick care to predictive and preventive wellness. Early identification of at-risk employees means timely and targeted interventions, reducing costly long-term health claims and absenteeism. Studies show that when employees act on high-risk genetic results, they are more likely to consult healthcare professionals and make lasting behaviour changes, creating a virtuous cycle of prevention and productivity gains.
Epigenetics is revolutionising mental health strategy. This science reveals how lifestyle and stress physically alter gene expression linked to mood, cognition, and anxiety. In practice, CHROs could offer epigenetic-supported mental health programs where cognitive-behavioural interventions are continuously adjusted based on individual biomarker responses. The result is a new class of wellbeing initiatives that move beyond generic mindfulness tips, tapping into the real-time interaction between employees’ minds and genes.
Genomic screening can reveal who metabolises caffeine or fats rapidly, who’s at risk for vitamin deficiencies, or who responds better to endurance versus strength training. Layering in epigenetic markers creates a feedback loop: as fitness regimes and diets evolve, biomarker data signal whether interventions are working. CHROs adopting these programs empower employees to select wellness pathways that are most likely to produce beneficial results, thereby boosting participation and engagement.
The adoption of sensitive genetic and epigenetic data brings major responsibilities for CHROs. Programs must be voluntary, privacy-centric, and built on transparent consent and data handling. CHROs should spearhead comprehensive education campaigns so employees understand both the benefits and limitations of genetic-based wellness. Health insights should serve as a source of empowerment rather than anxiety or discrimination, and aggregate data can be a force for policy change, not for individualised management.
As workforce expectations evolve, top talent seeks out employers dedicated to true personalisation in wellness. Early adoption of genetics and epigenetics positions organisations as leaders in care and innovation. Leveraging anonymised collective health data empowers CHROs to reconceptualise employee benefits and workplace environments, actively foster inclusivity for diverse health needs, and drive organisational resilience amid disruptive advances in medicine and technology.
The next frontier
Adopting genetics and epigenetics in wellness isn’t just futuristic thinking; it’s a pragmatic, people-centred strategy for CHROs who want scientifically robust, adaptive, and ethical employee care. The organisations that embrace this dual frontier today will be tomorrow’s exemplars of health, resiliency, and performance in the ever-changing world of work.