Page 15 - PA_Enterprise_February-March_2021

PA Enterprise

A wristband that tells your boss

if you are unhappy

At first glance the silicone wristband
could be mistaken for one that tracks
your heart rate when you are doing
exercise.
However, the wearable technology,
called a Moodbeam, isn’t here to
monitor your physical health. Instead
it allows your employer to track your
emotional state.
The gadget, which links to a mobile
phone app and web interface, has two
buttons, one yellow and one blue. The
idea is that you press the yellow one if
you are feeling happy, and the blue one
if you are sad.
Aimed at companies who wish to known about it unless we had seen the data.”
monitor the wellbeing of staff who are working With depression and anxiety estimated to have
from home, the idea is that employees are cost the global economy $1 trillion (£730bn) per
encouraged to wear the wristband (they can say year in lost productivity before the pandemic,
no), and press the relevant button as they see fit according to the World Health Organization,
throughout the working week.
mental health in the workplace has long been
Managers can then view an online dashboard a concern. However, Covid-19 lockdowns and
to see how workers are feeling and coping. With home working appear to have worsened the
bosses no longer able to check in physically with issue.
their team, Moodbeam hopes to bridge the gap.
UK mental health charity Mind said last year
“Businesses are trying to get on top of staying that 60% of adults thought their mental health
connected with staff working from home. Here had got worse during the first lockdown. And
they can ask 500 members: ‘You ok?’ without a survey by human resources software firm
picking up the phone,” says Moodbeam co- Employment Hero suggested that a quarter of
founder Christina Colmer McHugh. people employed by small and medium-sized UK
One organisation now using Moodbeam is UK firms wanted more mental health support during
charity Brave Mind. the pandemic.

“One member of the team was in an With most of us not due to return to the office
uncomfortable place, struggling with a huge any time soon, a number of other technology
workload, and disillusioned with what was going firms are also exploring ways to help companies
on,” says trustee Paddy Burtt. “It’s not something better look after their employees’ emotional
he would have flagged up, and we wouldn’t have wellbeing.

PA Enterprise is published by
February/March 2021 15