Workplace wellness programs often fail to improve mental health due to minimal uptake and engagement. Digital tools for mental health support are becoming increasingly popular; however, work programs are typically delivered through in-person formats, and focus on more severe forms of support (e.g., offering leaves of absence). As such they limit engagement, and lead to requiring mental health treatment instead of supporting active prevention. This project examines how wellness strategies can be more effectively supported digitally and enable mental health promotion, with a focus on savouring positive experiences.   

While photos are a popular method for fostering savouring in everyday life, people do not typically have photos of work contexts. We will explore how generative AI can create meaningful and memorable images of work life and investigate whether integrating these into everyday work technologies such as calendars can boost positive emotions and motivate the uptake of wellness strategies personalized to work life. Research findings are expected to aid in gaining deeper insights into the development of health-related apps, allowing for the discovery of new intervention strategies and feature possibilities for systems that can better support worker mental health. 

This project is co-funded in partnership with Mitacs and iA Financial Group.