Increasingly, workplaces are shifting their attention towards digitalised solutions, such as wellbeing self-help technologies, that are intended for use by employees to manage their own wellbeing (Jones et al., 2021; Torous et al., 2020). These innovations reinvent the way in which workplace organisations can support their employees, though it is debatable whether they have been designed from an end-user perspective. Ethical concerns associated with the use of these platforms have not been adequately considered in this new post COVID era, especially with regards to unhealthy incentives to encourage engagement, as well as social desirability concerns.
Further reading:
Hammedi, W., Leclercq, T., Poncin, I., & Alkire (Née Nasr), L. (2021). Uncovering the dark side of gamification at work: Impacts on engagement and well-being. Journal of Business Research, 122, 256–269.
Jones, N. M., Johnson, M., Sathappan, A. v., & Torous, J. (2021). Benefits and limitations of implementing mental health apps among the working population. Psychiatric Annals, 51(2), 76–83.
Martela, F., & Sheldon, K. M. (2019). Clarifying the Concept of Well-Being: Psychological Need Satisfaction as the Common Core Connecting Eudaimonic and Subjective Well-Being. Review of General Psychology, 23(4), 458–474.
Roberts, J. L., & Fowler, L. R. (2017). How Assuming Automony May Undermine Wellness Programs. In Health Matrix: Journal of Law-Medicine (Vol. 27).
Torous, J., Myrick, K. J., Rauseo-Ricupero, N., & Firth, J. (2020). Digital mental health and COVID-19: Using technology today to accelerate the curve on access and quality tomorrow. In JMIR Mental Health (Vol. 7, Issue 3). JMIR Publications Inc.
This author is supported by the Horizon Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Nottingham (UKRI Grant No. EP/S023305/1).