How can you leverage technology for mental health support in the workplace?
Mental health is increasingly a topic of discussion in corporate sectors, and innovative methods to improve mental wellbeing are being implemented. This shift in focus on employees' self-care is crucial for both themselves and the company’s sustained success. One can leverage the power of technology to facilitate mental health awareness.
Advancements in technology have been pioneering and are being incorporated into various other industries to increase efficiency. The mental health industry has also flourished since utilizing technology, and companies can. This blog will discuss various methods technology can be leveraged for mental health support initiatives in the workplace.
The current landscape of workplace mental health
To comprehend the importance of mental health interventions in the workplace, let us take a look at the numbers about the current mental health situation:
- 48% of the employees reported having declined mental health in 2022
- 28% of the employees feel miserable at their workplace
- 60% of the employees feel emotionally detached from their workplace
- 1 in 6 employees reported struggling with mental health issues in the workplace
Now with these numbers, let’s see how it is affecting the trajectory of the overall economy:
- Around USD 1 trillion of the global economy is lost to mental health issues
- 12 billion working days are lost to depression and anxiety which equates to 50 million years of work
These alarming statistics illustrate the urgency at which firms must employ interventions leveraging technologies to improve sustained wellbeing for their employees, which will directly increase their efficiency.
Methods to leverage digital tools for employee wellbeing
The pandemic forced companies to begin adopting digital methods of conducting work. Mental health also sought the help of technological means, which has given the opportunity to prove its worth. One can leverage technology to provide mental health support to employees in multiple ways. These simple ways of leveraging technology can boost the team’s overall mental health and productivity:
Mental health apps
There are several apps online to aid your team in their journey of wellbeing. These apps often focus on assessments, journaling, and moodboards. This can help your employees with enhancing and engaging their wellbeing.
Online therapy
Many people are hesitant to have online therapy, however, there has been growing popularity of the same, proving its efficiency. Online therapy is more easily accessible, enabling people to receive the required help. Providing online therapy services for your team will significantly improve their wellbeing.
Wellness tracking
Data collection on mental health metrics for the team is essential. This allows one to infer the current status of the mental health of their team. Using the metrics, leaders can assess appropriate measures to improve wellbeing.
Manahverse, an AI-powered app offered by Manah Wellness is aimed to cater to your workforce’s wellbeing needs. It provides the above services for your team with additional features such as journaling, nudges, skilling, and more to ensure employees are actively engaged in improving their wellbeing.
Advantages of leveraging technology
There are multiple advantages of leveraging technology, that otherwise may not have been met. Technology can be a true blessing when it comes to enhancing wellbeing. Let us take a look at it:
Accessibility & convenience
Technology simplifies and eradicates potential obstructions when seeking mental health support. One can attend wellbeing sessions from the comfort of your home, or office, whenever there’s some free time enhancing accessibility.
Discreet & personalized
Many people may not be comfortable with others knowing of receiving mental health assistance. Technology allows people to discreetly seek and receive the employee support they require. Furthermore, technology can learn and handle certain aspects of the client making it personalized and adapted to deliver personalized help.
Cost-effective
Technology cuts costs in the mental health sector. The cost of traveling, and having a room for therapy or other mindful practices, among other costs are reduced, making it extremely cost-effective. Mental health apps can improve wellbeing with a few taps instead of having to pay for therapy sessions as well!
The topic of mental health causes many to be vulnerable, making it an extremely sensitive case. One must tread carefully when integrating it into a workplace. Popular media has sensationalized traditional therapy, however, many overlook the effectiveness of mental health technology. This may bring about some challenges like:
Hesitance with technology
Many people question the validity of technology in the mental health sector. They may be hesitant about digital tools being leveraged for the improvement of wellbeing which is a challenge leaders must address.
Maintaining privacy
To receive proper mental health care, one must have their right to privacy and security. Without these, the entire program may be a failure causing much backlash as well. Leaders must assure their employees of no breach of privacy and must be clear on how they plan to track the team’s wellbeing.
Assess effectiveness
Methods that are effective in the first few weeks may not maintain the same effectiveness in the future. One must conduct surveys regularly to assess the effectiveness of certain methods. This will provide invaluable insight on how to improve approaches to mental health.
Conclusion
Companies are increasingly realizing the importance of mental health. As evident from the numbers, employees have been suffering from mental health issues, and HR professionals and leaders must step up to deliver the improvement in wellbeing they require. Technology can be a great tool to facilitate the same. While addressing the challenges, the team must work together to fully integrate the program into their workspace.