Hull and Beverley-based James Legal has adopted a workplace wellbeing programme that will monitor the mental health of participating employees.
The law firm has signed up to Moodbeam, whose wristband and app help track the wearer’s emotional wellbeing.
The device takes the form of a bangle that transmits data to an accompanying app. A wearer need only press the buttons to log their feelings, which they can then access and understand. The device also tracks sleep and some physical activity.
James Legal was first introduced to Moodbeam, the brainchild of Yorkshire entrepreneurs Christina Colmer McHugh and Jonathan Elvidge, at one of its InspiringBusiness seminars.
Nick Miller, solicitor and managing director at James Legal, said: “We first got to know about the project when Jonathan gave a presentation on Moodbeam at one of our James Legal InspiringBusiness seminars, and it immediately struck a chord because it aligns so well with the things we are passionate about at James Legal.”
“So, we’ve kept in touch since and are keen to do anything we can to support what we believe is a phenomenal invention. Christina spoke about her personal Moodbeam story, once again, at our September seminar.”
All James Legal employees will be offered a free device to use to track their own moods, feelings and thoughts. They can choose to keep their data entirely private if they wish and use their Moodbeam as a personal tool, or they can opt to share anonymised data with the wider team at the law firm.
Sharing the data in this way will allow Miller to analyse any trends and patterns that emerge among his workforce, and allow for meaningful conversations with people about how they are feeling.
He said: “We already have a major focus on wellbeing here, with a flexible working policy and access to counselling. Introducing Moodbeam devices will further strengthen this approach and ensure that our mental health is always front of mind.”
James Legal solicitor Byron Swarbrick said he’s looking forward to the benefits Moodbeam will bring him and the wider team: “The legal services industry is inevitably stressful, with a high workload, clients who are often under stress themselves as they are dealing with challenging situations, and big expectations.”
“Nick really cares about the team, he wants to know how we are feeling and help us be as happy as possible in the workplace. The Moodbeam initiative is fantastic, I’m really excited about how we might all benefit from it, and it’s just great to be involved with an innovative product like this.”
McHugh added: “I’d like to welcome Nick and his team as one of the pioneering local companies that are implementing Moodbeam in the workplace.”
“In the past few years we have built some amazing relationships with organisations who care deeply about supporting better mental health in their industries. I’m looking forward to seeing how Moodbeam’s technology can help James Legal make a real difference.”
