.webp)
When it comes to employee wellbeing and mental health, Megan Kille is pretty much our dream guest!
Megan is the VP of People & Talent at Unmind, who is on a mission to transform mental health at work through the power of science and AI.
And she shared insights from both perspectives: how the companies that use Unmind approach wellbeing, and how she’s facilitating that internally within the company.
0:00 Intro to Megan
3:18 The current state of wellbeing
8:52 Unmind’s approach and product
12:24 Being data-led and context-driven
20:33 Accidental bosses
26:06 The signs that people aren’t at their best
30:42 What Unmind is doing internally
Megan explained how Unmind’s AI Coach, Nova, is helping remove the barriers to accessing wellbeing and mental health support.
“There's been lots of positive shifts in the mental wellbeing space, and there's now a language around mental ill health and mental health generally that we just didn't have before.
“But I think there still is a lot of stigma and lots of barriers to accessing tools or therapy and coaching more broadly.
“So I think with AI, for those that are ready, I would really encourage anyone to embrace technology and the benefits that we can get from leveraging technology, because it just makes it much more accessible.
“And as I mentioned, it's 24/7, so we haven't got to wait for an appointment or to speak to our manager or anybody else. It's there in our pocket, ready to access.”
You might have an employee assistance program, a gym membership or mental health app in your employee benefits package…
“But it's hard to know if those are making a difference… and we're sometimes guilty, as HR teams or as organisations, of having a benefits mindset when it comes to wellbeing.
“With wellbeing being a nice to have rather than having a strategic mindset when it comes to that. And that again is the differentiator, because mental health solutions are only as good as the impact they can have on the individual.”
This is where being data-driven can help us hugely, and why Umind Insights exist in the platform.
“So Insights can give you information as to how your teams are using the platform. So you can see what they're accessing most often, and you might see things at different periods of time.
“You might be in a crunch time, whether it's a sales cycle or really work-heavy period within your organisation, and you're seeing that everybody's accessing the sleep tools or mindfulness [resources] and you can then, in the moment, respond to that and know how you can best support your organisation.”
“84% of managers, from a study we've done, say that they haven't had access to formal training to be a manager.”
“And managers have a bigger impact on their team's mental health than their doctors or therapists, and just as much as their partners. And that specific percentage is 70%.”
“It's what we're calling The Leadership Gap at Unmind. Leaders are stuck between competing demands. They've got the needs of their teams and the business, but they themselves are overstretched and feeling mental health challenges themselves.
“And they aren't getting the training they need either to support themselves, but also to support their teams.”
“Think about what you're like when you perform at your best. So as a manager, you'll probably know what your team members are like when they're at their best day to day, when they're being happy and positive.
“Quite often, when people are struggling with their mental health, you'll see the opposite.
“Somebody in your team might be very extroverted and bubbly, and bring lots of energy when they're on a call or in a meeting and be full of ideas.
“And if they’re not at their best, you might see the opposite from them. If they're under high stress, they might go really quiet and not be contributing to meetings, or become very withdrawn.”
%20(1).webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.png)
.png)
.webp)
.png)
.webp)
