Health Update: Turning Psychological Research into Corporate Wellness Tools – What Experts Say

Both 27 years old, Francesco Caputo from Casoria, who graduated in psychology from Vanvitelli, and Mattia Santillo from Casavatore, who graduated in business management from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, have launched the MindFormula project. They describe it as: “It is a B2B SaaS platform that transforms psychological research into practical tools for companies. It uses scientifically validated assessments to analyze the health of organizational structures and, based on the results, offers targeted psychoeducational protocols based on evidence.” But how was it born? Francesco is quick to answer: “During my doctoral research—I’m also specializing in psychotherapy—I realized that what is missing today is using science as a tool to support us in various circumstances. Together with Mattia, we reflected on the idea of psychological wellbeing and how to intervene in this area.” Actions Explain it better… Francesco and Mattia are straightforward: “It was created to respond to the increase in stress, burnout, and turnover that impact performance and retention—that is, actions to keep employees. The goal is to intervene not on the individual but on the functioning of the team and the organization.” How? Mattia explains: “MindFormula provides dashboards and aggregated KPIs useful for HR and managers to make strategic decisions. It stands out from individual psychological support services because it acts at a systemic level.” So, are you aiming to measure corporate wellbeing? They reply quickly: “Exactly. Corporate wellbeing becomes a measurable variable, improving engagement and performance.” Why MindFormula? “We refer to the concept of Mind (the psychological aspect), while Formula recalls science and therefore validated assessments and protocols.” Mattia, who works remotely for a consulting firm in Milan, observes: “More and more in the world of work, there is strong job quitting in companies—that is, people deciding to resign, especially among Generation Z, because they feel uncomfortable in the workplace and thus leave the company without even having a plan B, prioritizing their wellbeing over staying in a toxic environment.” Aspirations Perhaps that job does not match their aspirations? Francesco reflects: “Analyzing the data, it’s true that more and more people are looking for jobs compatible with their values and, above all, that are in balance with their lives. Psychological support is provided by many companies but is individual in nature; it is a corporate welfare that favors a therapeutic psychological path. Thus, attention is not given to the team—that is, to people working together.” And so? Mattia continues: “We start from this evidence to act on the team.” Francesco adds: “In this area of corporate welfare, meetings and sessions with psychologists are organized, while our intervention concerns an assessment process, that is, the preparation of a questionnaire—in short, these are validated protocols within the team.” Are these interventions aimed at improving team performance? Francesco: “Exactly.” What do you concretely do? Mattia smiles: “Our goal is to allow chair managers—those who manage teams in companies—to have a more accurate picture, obtained through a questionnaire or a set of questionnaires managed by our platform, which employees fill out anonymously.” And then? “The data are analyzed to provide a systemic overview of the team.” In general, do you act for the individual employee or for the company? “It could be both, to have more reliable reporting on the work group’s conditions and to monitor the progressive improvements in achieved wellbeing.” Can an assessment process based on questionnaires improve team performance? Francesco clarifies: “These are psycho-educational questionnaires, speed learning, systemic exercises, whose results will be analyzed through graphs.” Are there prejudices about these tools? “It’s true, there are cultural barriers, but there is also openness, and we take advantage of this with innovation. Many companies, especially chair managers, are realizing that team health is fundamental for the organization, to improve performance.” Discomfort How is worker discomfort reported back to the employer? Francesco: “Since the assessments are standardized, they have scores—they are Likert scales, for example: how frustrated do you feel from 0 to 10. The result is a chart showing the trends of the individual or the team. They are designed based on parameters related to mental wellbeing, such as insomnia, assertiveness, inclusiveness in the team, frustration, or even receiving a different reward compared to the effort made—all signals of discomfort.” Are you sure employers are interested in knowing how their employees are doing? “We think so, because companies already offer psychotherapy; we know some companies care about corporate welfare.” Mattia adds: “It is in the employer’s interest, because by analyzing various studies, we have understood that many employees leave due to a lack of corporate wellbeing.” The next steps? Francesco and Mattia together: “To progress in the Vulcanicamente program to understand the evolution of the project and then the startup, and to reach an MVP—a product that is potentially valid for the market.”