Workplace Health: How DearEmployee Provides Sustainable and Personalized Support | Berlin SÜDWEST
20/8/2024
More and more companies are promoting healthier working conditions to remain attractive in the face of a shortage of skilled workers. Organizations usually fulfill their duty of care for their employees with general stress management measures. The Berlin startup DearEmployee, which was launched as a spin-off from Freie Universität Berlin at the Zukunftsorte Berlin SÜDWEST 2017 innovation center, goes one step further: it offers a smart platform to prevent work-related health consequences such as burnout at the source and tailored to the individual.
DearEmployee is a software for mental health in the workplace. The corporate health startup supports employers in creating healthy and motivating working conditions for their employees in order to reduce mental illness and thus increase employee productivity. Using the DearEmployee platform, companies can scientifically, easily, and digitally measure mental stress in the workplace and book health and personnel measures. The solution fulfills the legal requirements for risk assessment of mental stress and connects experts with specialists in the company.
Image: DearEmployee
Alarming Data
The data collected by DearEmployee shows alarming trends: many employees suffer from time pressure and constant work interruptions, and some feel burned out. On average, employees complain of five work-related ailments, such as sleep problems, back pain, or eye strain. These findings are based on 25,000 surveys from over 200 companies.
From Data to Action
DearEmployee goes beyond the mere data collection. “We turn data into action,” says Dr. Amelie Wiedemann, scientific director and co-founder of DearEmployee. In contrast to conventional analysis tools, DearEmployee prepares the results in such a way that they enable targeted improvements in working conditions.
Image: Dr. Amelie Wiedemann, Scientific Director and Co-Founder of DearEmployee
DearEmployee starts with kick-off workshops to explore the organizational structure and fields of activity before creating specific surveys. These scientifically validated question modules cover relevant health aspects, such as time pressure. Employees rate their stress levels on a scale of one to ten and can explain them in more detail using tags such as “too much work” or “constant work interruptions.”
The tool analyzes the data and uses an online dashboard to show the state of health, motivation, and company loyalty, as well as provide specific recommendations for action. These include suitable apps, workshops, or psychological first aid.
Personalized Measures through Data-Driven Technology
Thanks to the app-based application, it is possible to customize the offer for individuals and make decisions about the measures accordingly. Needs and risks can be considered on a personalized basis, thus optimizing the result. Work-related burnout can thus be prevented at the source.
DearEmployee GmbH has links to several Zukunftsorte: as a spin-off from the FU Berlin at the Zukunftsorte Berlin SÜDWEST, the company is now based in the Charlottenburg Innovation Center (CHIC) at the Zukunftsort Campus Charlottenburg. The platform is also used by WISTA Management GmbH at the Zukunftsort Adlershof.
On April 22, 2024, DearEmployee released “Workplace Insights 2024,” an updated interactive dashboard on work environments (https://www.dearemployee.de/workplace-insights/) that provides information on the status and changes in working conditions, mental health, engagement, and retention. It is a meta-analysis with data from 46,000+ employees from 400+ companies collected through standardized scientific surveys. It also includes an industry comparison with, for example, public administration and health and social services.
Additional Links:
DearEmployee | Die Software für gesunde Teams