Blunovus is a new mental health solution that is revolutionizing the workplace. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, employees who miss work due to mental health problems are seven times for likely to continue missing more work than those with physical health issues. In the latest episode of Bikin’ Brokers, they talk with James Hadlock, Founder & Chief Evangelist, and Craig Weston, Relationship Engineer/Client Success at Blunovus. Blunovus is the world’s first Proactive Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Blunovus delivers proactive support on a cultural and individual level, allowing companies to create psychological safety in the workplace.
Mental health affects on employees
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, poor mental health and stress can negatively affect employee:
- Job performance and productivity.
- Engagement with one’s work.
- Communication with coworkers.
- Physical capability and daily functioning.
A missing link in mental health in the workplace
A few years ago, James Hadlock was dealing with his own mental health and addiction issues. His wife watched him struggle, along with many other family members. They realized there was something missing in the relationship between mental health and the corporate world. They put their heads together to start Blunovus as a way to look at mental health differently.
Preventative mental health approach
Hadlock says ,”We really saw that if we were going to address it appropriately, we have to take the same approach we take with our teeth. We need to talk about preventative care. The way we’ve been talking about mental health is like this – don’t brush your teeth, then you get an abscess tooth and you go to the dentist and they yank the tooth out. That’s how we’ve essentially treated mental health in the workplace for decades. We want to bring in preventative care to keep your teeth healthy before you get an abscess tooth.”
Human connection and mental health
The key to the Blunovus business model is human connection. It is a solution that provides support and leverages training and analytics to improve life/work well-being and productivity by going upstream and addressing mental health on a cultural level.
Beyond the average EAP
In a traditional EAP, employees can call their provider and the person will tell them they will help them find a therapist. Often times, they must wait weeks before being seen. This can be incredibly disheartening because most people calling need help immediately. With Blunovus, they strive to make it a positive user experience by offering the following:
- you can call into the service
- you can text into the service
- users can be anonymous (30% of the time they don’t say their name)
- they strive to make the user feels heard and supported
- help users get back to their baseline
- follow safety protocols
- ask users what they need
- do they need an advocate in the workplace
- do they need detox or treatment
- talked down off the ledge
- make sure they know they are not alone
Backed up by data
The founders of Blunovus like to say they are driven by heart, backed up by data. 1 out of 4 are living with mental health illness. 4 out of 4 people struggle from time to time. Mental health is deeply personal. It’s so personal, that 8 out of 10 people struggling with their mental health will never get the help they need. Hadlock says, “We have a culture where we say it’s ok to not be ok, but we don’t really mean it.”
In order to change this, we need to have real conversations and go beyond the nice idea of mental health. A key to changing this in the workplace is training leaders and managers on connecting at a much deeper level. 87% of leaders will never receive mental health training. In many studies, leaders are in the worst emotional health of anyone in the workplace. After going through a Blunovus training, people walk away with a deeper connection and more understanding.
Break the silence surrounding mental health
Back in 2019, Qualtrics and Mental Health of America came out with a report on mental health. They found that silence around mental health is the most damaging thing in the workplace. Mental health training is the solution to addressing mental health more effectively. It’s the thing that has been missing.
If you want more information on how to include Blunovus in your workplace, contact the Diversified Insurance team here. You can listen to all of the Bikin’ Brokers podcast episodes here.