As the founder and CEO of WONE, I’m deeply concerned about the pervasive issue of workplace stress. The legal profession has shown itself to be particularly at risk, which is why I’m proud to be sponsoring and speaking at the Legal Summit at the MAD World Festival of Workplace Culture, Employee Health and Wellbeing on Thursday 17th October. The one-day Summit will bring the different elements of the law profession together to discuss key issues and decide the best way forward to make the law a healthier profession.
The toll of stress on individuals, teams, and society as a whole is undeniable – we have normalised a society where the majority of people are suffering dangerous levels of workplace stress. In the professional services industries, where the demands are high and the stakes even higher, this burden is acutely felt.
WONE research conducted in 2023 found 38% of employees experience daily chronic stress. The cumulative effects of chronic stress can result in poor health outcomes, burnout, and chronic illness. Building on this is a direct financial impact for employers and economies. Work-related stress costs the UK economy £28bn a year in sick days and in 2023 UK sick-leave reached a 15-year high (CIPD/Simplyhealth). Existing solutions treat employees after an issue exists, when their performance, and therefore the business, is already suffering.
We cannot afford to ignore the toll that stress takes on our collective wellbeing. It not only affects how we show up and perform at work but has far-reaching consequences on mental and physical health.
WONE is here to address workplace stress
We’re here to tackle this issue head-on. The WONE Platform equips teams with the tools and support necessary to effectively manage stress. We blend AI with science to support employees in building resilience to stress, by delivering micro moments of recovery during the day. Our short sessions and work calendar integration drive our market-leading utilisation rates, with clients across professional service industries, such as Quinn Emanuel, Fidelity, and Arm, as our platform is especially useful for employees in fast-paced and high-stress environments.
We have found that while the problem of stress is large and growing, a key barrier for individuals to engage in needed wellbeing solutions is a lack of time during the day. Workloads are high, and spending time finding a way to relieve stress inevitably falls at the bottom of the priority list. By focusing on measurable impact and meeting people where they are, when they need it most, we have created a product that employees love to use.
We conducted research in June 2024 with our engaged user base, to understand the impact of our platform on levels of stress, burnout, and performance. Our research confirmed that 74% report a reduction in their stress levels, 80% report a reduction in 1 or more dimensions of burnout, and 90% report a positive impact on productivity.
We also have super users who’ve been using the platform for years and have seen multiple positive impacts to their performance, happiness and health. For example, one individual, Abhishek, said that in just weeks of using WONE, his blood tests vastly improved, ‘My cholesterol improved dramatically and my insulin resistance came down. I felt more energetic and vigorous.’
It’s these individual and macro trends of impact that make me most proud of the work we’re doing to proactive support employees.
Bringing measurement to prevent employee burnout
Your people are your greatest asset, and your scarcest resource. A resilient workforce is more capable of handling challenges, driving innovation, and sustaining long-term productivity and success for the business. A resilient workforce is less likely to burn out.
The WONE Index is the gold standard measure of resilience to stress. It is a sophisticated stress score created with input from stress scientists, data scientists and machine learning researchers, and blends biometric and clinical assessments to evaluate stress levels accurately. Individual assessments provide your employees with the data they need to determine areas of personal growth, and provide you with an overview of the state of health of your people.
Join us at the Walking on Earth stand in the exhibition to get a taste of the WONE Index in action. Find out how you score across activity, energy and resilience, and quickly learn how you can train your brain to deploy like a muscle, in moments of need.
Let’s tackle the stress epidemic, together
Our platform isn’t just a resource – it’s a movement.
By prioritising preventative health and building supportive environments, we can create a future where stress no longer impedes our ability to thrive. Together, by advocating for proactive management, we can build a healthier, happier, and more sustainable future for all.
The Legal Summit will take place on 17th October at 133 Houndsditch in Central London as an integral part of the MAD World Festival. You can find the full agenda here and register with a 50% discount using code MAD50. Or apply to join the Leaders’ Club to receive a VIP registration rate.
About the author:
Reeva Misra is a 3x founder, investor and advisor. She is the Founder and CEO of Walking on Earth (WONE), a preventative health platform for workplace stress. She is passionate about using technology as a force for good and has held leadership roles at tech scale ups across AI, education, and health. Previously, she was VP Strategy at BenevolentAI. Reeva holds degrees from Oxford University and Yale University.
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