From jamie.goodwin@hullcc.gov.uk | Monday 12 August 2019
Health tech start-up has developed the world’s first wearable device which allows users to log their mood and monitor their emotional wellbeing.
Hull’s Spencer Group has become the first employer in the engineering industry to adopt a pioneering device to support the mental health wellbeing of its staff.
Health tech start-up Moodbeam has developed a groundbreaking wearable device that allows users to log their mood and monitor their emotional wellbeing.
Linked to a mobile app and online platform, the device collects data as users touch a blue button for “anxious” or yellow for “calm”.
The gadget, which also records its wearer’s activity and sleep patterns, has just gone into production following a three-year research and development period.
Spencer Group has become one of the first businesses to adopt the device and offer it free to all staff members.
The company has begun by trialling it with four people in different roles across the company, including managing director Gary Thornton.
The move is an extension of Spencer Group’s strong focus on supporting the mental health of its staff.
Moodbeam collects data as users touch a blue button for “anxious” or yellow for “calm” on a wristband. The gadget also records its wearer’s activity and sleep patterns to see how these affect their wellbeing.
The firm has signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge, led by the Mind and Rethink Mental Illness charities, committing the company to support mental health wellbeing in the workplace and combat mental health stigma.
It will see the firm establish a network of mental health first-aiders and champions, as well as a mental health wellbeing area in its internal online portal, with employees encouraged to use the support and information available.
Training administrator Sarah Jarvill was one of the first staff members to try out the device.
She said: “I do feel anxious sometimes, so I thought it would be really good to be able to track and analyse why I feel as I do at certain times and identify triggers for those feelings.
“I think it’s really good that the company is offering this to staff. It makes you realise you’re not on your own, that people are interested in your wellbeing and the company is ready to provide the support you need if you’re struggling.”
