Hull wearable tech start-up Moodbeam has struck a new deal with engineering firm Spencer Group to supply its pioneering device to staff.
The health tech business created a device which allows users to log their mood at the touch of a button, and monitor their mental health using an app.
Moodbeam has now supplied four of its products to members of staff at Spencer Group in Hull, who will trial the device.
Yvonne Moir, HR director at Spencer Group, said: “Everybody has some anxiety in their life – that’s perfectly normal. It’s when that anxiety becomes overwhelming that it becomes a problem.
“The beauty of Moodbeam is that it helps people to pinpoint periods of anxiety and times when they are feeling calm or happy.
“It will help them to put measures in place to manage and control their anxiety, where appropriate with the support of managers or colleagues.
“Mental health wellbeing is a real challenge within the engineering sector. It can be a very stressful environment and we know that, unfortunately, suicide rates are high in the construction industry.”
Moodbeam has just gone into production after a three-year period of research and development, with Hull-based Spencer Group becoming one of the first businesses to adopt the device and offer it free to all staff members who wish to take advantage of it.
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 also records its wearer’s activity and sleep patterns to see how these affect their wellbeing.
Spencer Group’s adoption of Moodbeam supports its strong focus on supporting the mental health of its staff.
The civil engineering 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.
As part of a Time to Change Action Plan, Spencer Group has established a network of mental health first aiders and champions and launched a mental health wellbeing area within its internal online portal, with employees encouraged to use the support and information available.
Training administrator Sarah Jarvill, who is one of the first staff members to try out the device, 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.”
Based at Hull’s Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI), Moodbeam was founded in 2016 by Gadget Shop founder and Red5 co-founder Jonathan Elvidge and former journalist Christina Colmer McHugh.
In June 2019 Moodbeam secured a £200,000 investment from NPIF-Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia Fund Managers and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, to enable production of the first Moodbeam One devices.
Ms Colmer McHugh said: “When we first spoke to Spencer Group, it was clear they understood the urgency and need to address better mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
“When you hear that in recent years more than 1,400 construction workers in the UK have taken their own lives, the highest number in any profession, we know that support in the form of self-care and connection can’t come quick enough."
