Workplace Mental Health
Mental health conditions remain the primary driver of work-related ill health, with 964,000 workers reporting stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by work in 2024/25 (UK Health & Safety Executive). This is in line with the upward trend in recent years.
Work-related ill health and injuries resulted in an estimated 40.1 million working days lost in 2024/25, continuing to place significant pressure on both workers and businesses. It is often forgotten that real people are at the heart of these statistics (see Mental Health and Me 999). Organisational & Behavioural Insights was born out of human connection and a shared purpose of wanting to create a better human experience of work.
What is Performance Edge VR?
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A Virtual Reality (VR) training solution for stress management skills
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Focused on practical training and skills development
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Preventative rather than an intervention
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Created for group delivery
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Includes six modules that can be delivered as a whole package or individually
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Choose your delivery method:
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workshops/well being or safety events/train the trainer
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Targeting high stress and/or safety-critical groups / workers
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Particularly effective for groups who face unpredictable stressors
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Contains widely accepted and evidence-based skills and strategies
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Provided/reframed as fundamental life skills useful in any challenging situation
Why Performance Edge VR?
Virtual Reality
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Mobile all-in-one deployment
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Biofeedback integration
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Unmanned, consistent delivery of content
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User engagement
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Immersion, engaging and interactive
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Privacy in a classroom setting
360° Video Content
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Immersive environments (relaxing, distracting and confronting)
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Grounding in a variety of different environments (visual, auditory)
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Maintain slow and steady breathing in a distracting environment (@ rock concert)
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Chose your own adventure style story telling (emphasising connection of thoughts, emotions and behaviour)
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Customise relaxation environment (Progressive Muscle Relaxation)
Practical Training in VR
CGI and game play elements can:
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Generate engaging training exercises
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Be used as visual biofeedback guides
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Generate activities and scenarios that are thought provoking and trigger emotions
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Create stronger carryover effects into real life
Developed with the Australian Defence Force (ADF)
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Extension to the existing stress management framework used within Defence
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Designed to be applicable for a broad training population and civilians
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User-centred design over 6 individual trials
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Over 400 training sessions delivered to ADF staff
Robustly Tested
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Comprehensive research and testing with ADF population
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Additional testing with healthcare professionals, and university students and staff
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"Training is immersive and engaging"
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"Improves skills, knowledge, and confidence"
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"Easy to use, set-up and implement within existing training context"
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"Privacy within the headset is a valued attribute"
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For healthcare workers "supports de-escalation training"
Scientifically Validated
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Scientific evaluation reported in peer-reviewed journals:
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Metrics go beyond levels of usability and engagement to show significant positive effects on:
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Skill development during training
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Skill improvement after training
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Training impact in the real world
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Intention to use the skill
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Confidence
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OBI & ATS Partnership
OBI have partnered with the Centre for Advanced Training Systems (ATS) to progress approaches, services and technologies, that relate to workplace Health and Wellbeing. This includes the stress management application Performance Edge VR
