Technology news

Tue, 12 Apr 2011

Sequents’ HRV kit helps monitor workplace stress

Combating workplace stress could become a finer science with the launch of a technology that measures stress levels in employees.

Developed from the same medical equipment that monitors stress experienced by foetuses in the womb, Sequents has received accreditation from the European Society of Cardiologists for its Assessment Technology Test, which measures a worker’s Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

HRV analysis is used by doctors to screen for diseases, but Sequents uses a portable version of the kit within offices to conduct a non-intrusive test that measures both short and long-term stress levels. The test involves attaching a plethysmography to a finger, which measures blood flow – two sensors on the left arm and one on the right – and lasts up to 15 minutes.

John McLaughlin, executive director of Sequents, said: ‘This gives us a mental stress report of recent stress levels (those within the last few weeks) and a measure of physical stress (the long-term impact).’

The results are compared with 40,000 previous test results that determine a scale by which to measure stress levels. By repeating the tests annually, employers can monitor workplace stress levels and put changes in place to rectify tense office environments.

‘According to research from the CIPD, stress costs UK businesses around £3,900 per employee, per year. But our technology means stress levels can be objectively determined, patterns and problems identified and acted upon, and costs reduced,’ said McLaughlin.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, an estimated 9.8 million working days were lost as a result of work-related stress in 2009/10.