Mental health in the workplace has long been a concern for employers. Covid-19 lockdowns and remote working have worsened the issue. Even before the pandemic depression and anxiety estimated to have cost the global economy $1 trillion, according to the World Health Organization. Now, a UK-based startup has developed a wristband that allows employers to track their workers’ emotional health. Called Moodbeam, the smart wristband allows its wearer to log how they feel at the click of a button.
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Moodbeam links to a mobile app that you can download and to a web interface and features two buttons. One yellow and the other blue. The idea is you press the yellow one if you are feeling happy and the blue one if you’re feeling, well, blue.
Moodbeam is aimed at companies that wish to monitor the wellbeing of staff who are working from home. Employees are encouraged to wear the wristband (it’s optional) and press the relevant button as they see fit throughout the working week, reports BBC.
Managers can then view an online dashboard to see how workers are feeling and coping. With bosses no longer able to check-in physically with their team, Moodbeam hopes to bridge the gap.
“Businesses are trying to get on top of staying connected with staff working from home. Here they can ask 500 members: ‘You ok?’ without picking up the phone” says Moodbeam co-founder Christina Colmer McHugh.
McHugh told BBC that she came up with the idea for this wristband after she found out that her daughter was struggling at school and she wanted a way for her child to let her know how she was feeling.
She said it started out as an anonymous system, but after lots of testing, they realized most people want to be identified when they send their mood.
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Some of its other features are that it is waterproof and has a five-day battery life, according to the website and also can count steps.
Available for both IOS and Android, the Moodbeam App is the perfect partner to visualize and understand more about your mood.
