Spencer Group rolls out staff wellbeing app across entire company

Hull-based Spencer Group has rolled out a wellbeing app to its entire workforce to support their mental and physical health.

The engineering company was the first in the industry to adopt the Hapstar app when it launched a four-month trial among 80 of its 350 employees in April this year.

The app, which staff can use anonymously, enables employees to track their mental and physical wellbeing, as well as accessing support, setting happiness actions and providing anonymous feedback.

The data reflects personal feelings, such as happiness, relationships, activity and lifestyle, alongside career satisfaction, thoughts on their team and overall role.

Based on positive feedback from participants, the app has been rolled out to all employees, enabling more colleagues to keep track of their wellbeing on a regular basis. 

The app creates a regular anonymous report for Spencer Group to assess the feedback across the business and data is collected on teams, rather than demographics, to ensure anonymity.

Gary Thornton, managing director at Spencer Group, said: “One of the key drivers behind rolling out Hapstar to the entire company is the development of the mobile app. During the trial, it was only available on a work desktop, so the app means it can now be used as a lifestyle tool used anytime and anywhere.

“Lots of people who took part in the trial found the app to be a useful tool. While it benefits us to look at the analytics to potentially improve areas of the business, employees said it helped them to improve their own lifestyles.

“They fill in their responses on the app and it gives them a good indication of how the changes they’ve made are making a difference to their wellbeing.”

Adam Campbell, CEO of Hapstar, said Spencer Group is leading by example in focusing on employee wellbeing.

“Spencer Group prioritises wellbeing and cares about it. They’re doing something which is effective, not just implemented and forgotten about,” he said.

“When it comes to engineering, some people see wellbeing as an insurmountable challenge. That’s not the case and you need a unique approach to reach everyone.

“Spencer Group is willing to try new things and is leading the way with an evidence-based approach.”

Harry Towle, design engineer at Spencer Group, took part in the trial.

He said: “The app is really good. It’s not just a tool that we can use to communicate with the business, we can also use it to improve our own health and wellbeing.”