Prioritizing mental health and wellness during a pandemic and beyond
Illustration by: Sensibill
The shift to remote work has introduced new stress to employees across the world as they attempt to balance their at-home life and new virtual workplace. Canada is no exception: a recent study by Morneau Shepell reported that 81% of Canadians felt the pandemic is negatively impacting their mental health, indicating a significant drop in overall worker mental health since the beginning of COVID-19. At Sensibill, we measure our employee engagement weekly and across 10 key metrics, including wellness. To support our team and ensure employees’ wellness is maintained in this new reality, we have introduced new initiatives to help our Sensibillians navigate these trying times while keeping their mental and physical health in good shape. Here’s how we went about it:
Expanding on mental health support
Our team first looked at the existing mental health coverage in our benefit plan and increased that coverage to $1,000 per year for psychologists, social workers, or psychotherapists. This gives our employees (and their families) the opportunity to prioritize their mental health without worrying about the cost. Next, we set out to maximize that spend and make therapy even more accessible by implementing Inkblot Therapy, a video counselling provider. Employees can access the service online and choose from a short-list of best-matched counsellors based on their unique needs and preferences. Appointments are booked directly on the platform with the selected counsellor at our employees’ convenience and appointments are available as early as the same or next day. With service fees at $75 per hour (half the national average), this was a win-win. One month after launch, our team has received great feedback, and the engagement metrics are promising:
51% completed the self-assessment survey
25% completed registration
18% matched with a counsellor
12% booked their first session
Going virtual with healthcare and physical activity
COVID-19 has made in-person visits to the doctor extremely difficult, so the People and Culture team introduced Consult+ (also known as Dialogue Virtual Healthcare). This service allows our team and their families to skip the walk-in clinic and doctor’s office and virtually seek non-critical healthcare. The team also launched two successful fitness challenges encouraging Sensibillians to stay physically active and connected through friendly competition. We saw over 50% employee participation and over 880 activity submissions, resulting in over 10,000 KM walked/run/cycled and over 10,000 minutes of mindfulness!
Delivering Sensibill culture and care
Dubbed Project Care internally, our team surprised Sensibillians by delivering a box of goodies designed to support their health during these strange times and to feel connected to one another while working remotely. Each box contained a mug, t-shirt, hoodie, chocolate, hand sanitizer, mask, gift card, Rocketbook, values stickers, personalized avatar stickers and a frontline donation made to CAMH.
image of Sensibill's care package box, unopened
Images by: Sensibill
The impact on wellness
The team has received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from these initiatives, with many employees reporting that their health is in better shape than at the start of the pandemic and that they’re more connected to their peers. Our team saw an impressive 7% increase in employee wellness during the first month of these initiatives’ launch. We’re thrilled with the progress we’ve made thus far and are excited to continue to measure employee wellness and look for new ways to keep Sensibillans happy and healthy—inside and outside of work.
Interested in learning more about life at Sensibill? Check out our blog on virtual onboarding.