Lanes Group and Thames Water say they have reduced staff attrition and cut recruitment and training costs after introducing a digital employee psychological safety platform.
The companies report that using the Wellcrowd app has reduced employee attrition by 57%, delivering annual savings of £1.2m in recruitment and training costs – equivalent to around £800 per employee per year. They also claim a 20x return on investment, with all employees using the app.
The app, which is used by more than 1,500 operational workers, asks employees to record their mood daily, providing employers with anonymised wellbeing data intended to identify trends and enable earlier interventions when staff require support.
Andy Brierley, framework director at Lanes Utilities, said the platform had helped embed conversations about wellbeing within the organisation.
“The app is making everyone in the organisation recognise that feelings, emotion and attitude contribute to our success as individuals and as a business. Unlocking that insight, and reminding us of it every day, is transformational.”
Tailored support programmes
According to Wellcrowd, employees who indicate they are struggling can be contacted by a wellbeing practitioner within 24 hours, before being offered tailored support programmes covering areas such as mental health, physiotherapy, sleep, nutrition and financial wellbeing.
The company says the platform differs from traditional employee assistance programmes (EAPs) by collecting real-time wellbeing data through regular check-ins rather than relying on employees to seek help themselves. It also provides employers with dashboards showing wellbeing trends across teams and departments to help identify potential issues. By carrying out dynamic stress risk assessments, it also meets ISO 45003 criteria for mental health and wellbeing.
Wellcrowd says organisations using the platform have also seen an 81% reduction in employees reporting they are “very unhappy”, a 30% improvement in retention, a 16% increase in employee engagement and a 55% reduction in recruitment and training costs, although these figures are not independently verified.
