How AI can help employees improve mental health and wellbeing

A lot more than eight in ten persons worldwide are reporting higher degrees of anxiety and depression at work this year, but most are ready to turn to technology to greatly help, according to a fresh study.

Some 86 % of UAE respondents to a survey by software firm Oracle and consultancy Workplace Intelligence were reporting higher degrees of stress and anxiety consequently of the Covid-19 pandemic, with 41 % citing higher stress levels, 39 per cent reporting deteriorating work-life balance, 29 % experiencing burnout, 33 % claiming depression from a lack of social interaction and 19 % also expressing loneliness.

Remote working was cited as a challenge by 94 % of respondents, with the largest factors being no distinction between personal and professional lives (cited by 39 per cent) and coping with increased mental health challenges like anxiety and stress (34 per cent).

“With new remote work expectations and blurred lines between personal and professional lives, the toll of Covid-19 on our mental health is significant - and it’s a thing that workers across every industry and country are coping with,” said Dan Schawbel, managing partner of Workplace Intelligence.

Nearly all respondents also expressed a preference to use technology to manage mental medical issues, with 77 per cent of UAE respondents stating they might prefer to speak to a robot over their manager about stress at the job, higher than the 68 % global average. Respondents cited a belief that robots give a judgment-free zone (35 %) and an unbiased outlet to divulge problems (35 per cent).

The technologies they wish to see include self-service usage of health resources, on-demand counselling services, proactive health monitoring tools and access to wellness software and chatbots.

More than 12,000 responses globally were gathered to the survey, of which 929 were in the UAE. The survey took place between July and August.

The pandemic has elevated mental health not merely as a broad societal issue, but a top workplace challenge, according to Emily He, a senior vice president at Oracle.

“There is a lot that can be done to support the mental health of the workforce and there are so many techniques technology like AI might help,” she added.

Organisations have to add mental health with their agenda, Ms He said.

“If we are able to get these conversations started, both at an HR and an executive level, we are able to begin to make some change … and the time is now.”

The UAE, a hub for start-ups and venture capital in the Arab world, is projected to benefit the most in the region from AI adoption. The technology is likely to contribute up to 14 % to the country’s gross domestic product - equal to Dh352.5 billion - by 2030, according to a written report by consultancy PwC.

In the survey, six in 10 UAE professionals said that AI has helped them to shorten their work week and allowed them to take longer vacations, against a worldwide average of 51 per cent. Nearly 60 % of local respondents said AI has improved job satisfaction and overall well-being, in comparison to 54 % globally.