When the corona-virus pandemic seized the world, the team at Unmind knew we could act fast and help our users to proactively protect their mental health in the face of many unknowns. We were humbled by their feedback, and are now excited to share the impact of our efforts.
It was with a sense of bewilderment that most people walked away from their workplaces for the foreseeable future in mid March. So many questions, so few answers. The only things we could all agree on was that the situation was unprecedented and uncertain.
At Unmind, we realized we were in the privileged position to offer something practical and helpful to people amid the chaos. After all, we’d spent the last three years developing tools and clinically-backed content for proactively improving the mental well-being of our users wherever they are, from any device.
Now was the time to act fast, to apply our expertise to the situation and examine how to deal with the uncertainties, to leverage our platform and to deliver uniquely valuable support.
Here’s what we did.
Launching the Navigating Covid-19 Series
Within days of lock down, we launched Navigating Covid-19. This five-day Series helps users traverse the uncertainty of Covid-19, tackling issues such as self-isolation, increased job demands and home working. It encourages users to adopt a coping mindset and equips them with various evidence-based strategies to manage their mood and anxiety through the pandemic. The Series experienced rapid uptake and enthusiastic engagement, with some incredible outcomes:
On average, users completing the Series felt 52% more able to manage their mental health through the pandemic.
By the end of the Series, users felt, on average, 47% better prepared to cope with the impact of the pandemic.
Users’ optimism and positive attitudes towards the pandemic rose by an average of 55% over the course of the Series.
User feedback on the Series was overwhelmingly positive, with 45% of users rating it as ‘Excellent’, and 48% as Good. Here are a few of our favorites:
“This was really great and very much needed. Thank you so much for putting it together.” Hogan Lovells employee.
“This has really helped me though the last eight weeks. I have recommended this to a lot of my colleagues as well.” John Lewis & Partners employee.
“I’ve found this series so helpful and have enjoyed every session. I’m a mental health nurse and even though I know the theory around supporting good mental health, I found it difficult to practice this during the covid pandemic. I can’t tell you how useful it has been for me to be reminded of this, to boost my own emotional resilience and to be able to recognize how I’m supporting others.” NHS worker.
Launching Firesides chats
Long-form content is an excellent way to dive deep into a topic and gain valuable insights. And, during lock down, many of us have found we have a little bit more time on our hands to devote to the right pursuits. With that in mind, we launched ‘Firesides’. Firesides are insightful chats designed to address some of the most common concerns raised by users and clients. Firesides are categorized in line with our seven areas of well-being, within each include:
Connection
- Parenting and Covid-19
- Protecting Relationships
- Why Kindness?
- Helping Stressed Teenagers
Health
- Relationship with Food
- Building a Healthy Brain
Coping
- Coping with Loss
- Self-Care for Carers
- Leading in a Crisis
Fulfilment
- Leaning Into Your Values
Calmness
- Mindfulness Amidst Stress
- Coping with Anxiety
Sleep
- Sleep in Disruptive Times
Happiness
- Managing Your Mood
Giving NHS staff free access to Unmind
The epidemic posed new challenges and huge levels of stress and anxiety for many people, but nowhere was the pressure felt more acutely than on the front line of our National Health Service. Spotting an opportunity to offer support, our Head of Marketing, Ross Pert, led the charge on getting NHS workers free access to the platform. After many phone calls, reams of paperwork and a few late nights reinforcing our infrastructure, on 18 March, we rolled Unmind out to 1.5 million NHS staff. Within weeks, over 30,000 health workers signed up to the platform.
“Unmind has really helped me to remain calm and utilize techniques to minimize stress during the Covid-19 pandemic – as an NHS key-worker I feel that this has been an invaluable resource, thank you!” NHS, user
“I’m so grateful this has been open access for NHS staff, I tell all my colleagues how useful this site is and especially this series. I’m most grateful – huge thanks!” NHS, user
“I used Unmind on my way to work so I feel not just physically ready to tackle my shift but also emotionally.” NHS, user
“Unmind has helped me stop and think about how I’m feeling and to take time out during my working day to make sure I am coping with current situations” NHS, user
Life after Lock down
Now, as we slowly begin to reemerge from lock down, there are new challenges to face. To continue our support, we recently released our Life After Lock down Series, which helps users to navigate anxieties and to manage mood during the next transition.
Alongside this, our latest handbook outlines how managers can support the mental health of their people as they return to work.
As the world continues to navigate this new normal, we’ll keep supporting our community. To find out more about Unmind could help you manage the mental health of your workplace through the pandemic and beyond, do get in touch following this link.
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