Changing lives in 30-second increments
When I started Victoria Gay Consulting last year, CheckingIn were one of my first clients. I was blown away by Sean Burke’s simple idea that a 30-second daily check in could really improve the mental health of employees.
After doing research into the current mental state of our workforce, I was shocked:
50% of the population will have, or have had, a mental illness by the age of 40.
500,000 employed Canadians are unable to work due to mental health issues in any given week.
6-25 work days are missed by depressed employees each year.
In an organization of just 100 people, 19 are experiencing mental health issues, 409 days are lost each year due to stress, burnout, depression, and anxiety, and the annual cost of unaddressed mental health will be $117,454 (discover your numbers with the CheckingIn calculator, based on data from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the Canadian Mental Health Commission).
CheckingIn online mental health calculator for organizations
CheckingIn are addressing these shocking statistics with a simple application that focuses on checking in with a word and a number each day – for example, today I am energized and a 9, but on Tuesday, I was apprehensive and a 6. It takes 30 seconds.
The science behind it relates to self-awareness of our feelings. If we are not self-aware, we jump right from a stimulus (a child moaning, a customer snapping, a colleague needing help) to a response. By checking in with our feelings each day, we grow self-awareness, and as self-awareness grows, so does the time between the stimulus and reaction. This means you have time to notice how the stimulus affects you and instead of reacting automatically, you learn to accept your feelings and choose how you want to respond. (Read more here).
Does it actually work? Personally, I can say yes. I was introduced to it last year. It has helped me stop and think before I react in times of high stress (usually involving arguing children!).
But looking into the statistics, we can see this impact isn’t just isolated to a few people. Researchers at the University of British Columbia Vision Lab demonstrated that using CheckingIn significantly improved user well-being.
CheckingIn have helped 300 organizations and their employees so far. Interested in learning more about how they can help your organization? Visit CheckingIn.co.
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During the month of May, in recognition of May Mental Health Awareness week, CheckingIn is offering a limited number of companies an opportunity to roll out their plug and play 30 day Mental Health Awareness Campaign during the month of May. Learn more here.