What makes
BetterSpace different?
BetterSpace is a one-of-a-kind solution for workplace mental health and wellbeing. Find out how we differ from the tools, practices and programs you might be familiar with here.
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BetterSpace versus EAPs
(Employee Assistance Programmes)
What is an employee assistance programme?
Employee assistance programmes are employer-funded benefits programmes that allow an organisation’s workforce to offer confidential counselling and referral services that address personal problems that might be affecting their work performance, such as marital breakdowns, financial trouble, mental health conditions and substance abuse.
How is BetterSpace different?
While employee assistance programmes have been around for a long time and are often well-intentioned, they are insufficient for addressing the global mental health crisis we are currently facing. Employees that access support through EAPs are already in crisis with their mental and emotional wellbeing, meaning that these problems have already impacted them professionally and personally as well as costing the organisation money.
BetterSpace is a choice-based, holistic platform designed to help employees manage their wellbeing on an ongoing and sustainable basis. This helps prevent problems from deteriorating to crisis point while still providing access to services that might aid an individual in recovery and minimise re-occurences. We want to break the stigma around mental health in the workplace that might prevent someone from accessing services through traditional methods, such as EAPs.
EAPS are…
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Reactive
No matter the quality of services offered through your EAP, they only become relevant once a problem has already developed.
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Prescriptive
EAPs fail to account for a person’s unique wellbeing needs. Not every person will benefit from counselling or similar services in the same way.
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Under-utilised
The stigma around mental health means that employees are unlikely to seek help through their workplace. EAP utilisation rates can be as low as 2%.
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Limited
Counselling services offered through EAP are short-term, designed to address the immediate problem and refer to other, private services if needed.
BetterSpace is…
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Preventative
BetterSpace helps you entire workforce develop and sustain their mental wellbeing, decreasing the likelihood of them reaching crisis point.
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Choice-based
BetterSpace provides access to a broad range of activities and services across the Six Pillars of Wellbeing, empowering employees to find what works for them.
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Engaging
The deployment model of BetterSpace empowers and incentivises employees to take charge of their own mental health, resulting in 94% engagement rates.
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Ongoing
Mental wellbeing is always a priority. BetterSpace is year-round helping employees track and manage their wellbeing needs.
BetterSpace versus mental health apps
What is a mental health app?
Mental health apps have grown significantly in popularity over the last few years as we collectively become more conscious of the importance of cultivating positive mental wellbeing. Some names you might recognise are Headspace, Calm and Happify. Most mental health apps are content-based points solutions which allow the user to teach themselves the therapeutic tools of practices such as cognitive behavioural therapy, meditation and mindfulness.
How is BetterSpace different?
BetterSpace is a more comprehensive marketplace of tools that employees can use to support their mental wellbeing. This marketplace includes many of the mental health apps mentioned above, as well as plenty of other options to nurture their mental health.
With BetterSpace, employees complete a confidential self-assessment that evaluates their current lifestyle and mental state, then gives them access to countless localised options to help them improve across the Six Pillars of Wellbeing. A user might then use Calm to support their sleep or stress management, while improving their social connections and meaningful activity scores using other tools.
Apps are…
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Optional
Giving employees access to a mental health app does not guarantee that they are going to use it. The average utilisation rate is 10-40%.
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Singular
The majority of mental health apps specialise in a certain method or practice, such as meditation or mindfulness.
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Entry-level
Mental health apps provide a basic toolkit or set of resources to help an individual learn the essentials of a certain practice, such as meditation.
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Abstract
It is difficult to quantify the effect of meditation on an individual’s wellbeing, beyond simply knowing that they’ve done it.
BetterSpace is…
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Incentivised
The wellbeing budget acts as a ‘use it or lose it’ incentive for employees to take charge of their mental health. If the money’s there, why not spend it?
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Broad
BetterSpace gives employees access to a broad range of activities or services, allowing them to choose what they are interested in.
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Extensive
With BetterSpace, employees can learn new skills pick up new hobbies, develop new interests and explore a range of activities to their heart’s content.
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Measurable
BetterSpace’s self-assessment provides ongoing and tangible insights into the impact of our platform.
BetterSpace versus employee wellbeing programmes
What is an employee wellbeing programme?
Employee wellbeing is a thriving and diverse market. We are far from the only innovator in this space. Platforms like Unmind, Welbot, Rise and Olaf have made inroads with organisations seeking to build a healthier and more productive workforce whilst also improving their ability to attract and retain talent with competitive benefits. These solutions typically focus on the physical wellbeing aspect of employee health and offer gym membership, online classes and home fitness equipment.
How is BetterSpace different?
BetterSpace has a more holistic approach which is focussed on the mental wellbeing of employees. Our six pillar approach include physical health, with gym memberships, yoga classes and more available through the platform. However, there is much more to building health, happiness and productivity. Backed by clinical experts, we also offer access to a broad range of solutions that support meaningful activity, stress management, sleep, social connections and helping others.
Wellbeing platforms are…
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Work-centred
The focus tends to be on the impact that positive mental wellbeing has on performance, productivity and engagement.
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Focused on physical
Most mental health apps’ main offering is gym memberships and yoga classes, as physical fitness is known to support mental health.
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About learning
The onus is still on the employee to take on courses, wellbeing tips and more and then apply that to their working day.
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Expensive
There is a lack of transparency around pricing in the employee mental health software market, and many platforms include hidden fees and admin costs.
BetterSpace is…
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Person-centred
BetterSpace focuses on developing a person’s individual mental health as a priority, which then has sustainable business benefits.
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Holistic
Physical fitness is one aspect of our platform, but we recognise that it is not everyone’s priority.
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About doing
BetterSpace is about quality of life. Our activities can apply to inside and outside of the workplace, and add important dimensions to a person’s life.
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Cost effective
BetterSpace’s unique pricing model relies on organisations assigning their employees an individual wellbeing budget and our platform fees are just £3.