Mental health is just as important as physical health at work
Some weeks are hard. You get to work and do not really want to be there. Sometimes you are assigned other people’s tasks, extra responsibilities, or have to attend meetings and conferences. Personal and professional issues can rapidly take a toll on your emotional and physical health, as well as your productivity, if you do not take the time to focus on the issues at the source, but one company wants to help.
MoodHacker wants to help cultivate a more enjoyable work environment. If you are happier at work, you tend to get more done. Orcas, a health technology company, wants to offer MoodHacker to employers and their employees. “MoodHacker aims to activate and engage employees in positive cognitive and behavioral skills to improve their mood, reduce depressive symptoms, and prevent escalation to clinical depression,” Michael Mulvihill, CEO of ORCAS tells TechCrunch.
MoodHacker is available both on the web and via a mobile app. Once you log in, it asks you to rate your mood from 1 to 10. If you are worried about your boss seeing you rate yourself as a “1;” rest easy.
How MoodHacker offers employees ultimate privacy
Employers that offer MoodHacker to employees are never given access to an employees’ data. Only non-identifiable aggregated reports will be shown: for example, what the collective group mood rating was, etc. Never and individual score. This allows MoodHacker to maintain HIPAA privacy, while still offering the employer the benefit of seeing how employees are feeling overall.
Once you have logged in and rated your mood, you will be presented with a list of mood-enhancing activities. Each activity is categorized: active, productive, positive, sensory, nurturing, creative, social, or mindful; all of which are aimed at improving mental health. You can add custom activities and read articles regarding mental health, as well as, find out how and where to seek further help for depression. Some activities include listening to music, or doing a light exercise. There is also a journal space to enter particular events or feelings for the day, so you can better track your mood over time.
While MoodHacker is optional and some employees may choose not to use it at all or seek help elsewhere, it is certainly a solid foundation for addressing that mental health is just as important as physical health if you want to keep your employees happy and productive.
