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or optimal levels of participation. This study had ambitious timelines and a limited budget to
engage WSPS clients fully.
Unlike the WSPS experience, Chambers Plan had a multi-pronged communications and
promotion plan that was comprised of 15 different pieces and a variety of mediums that was
guided by a project manager (Arete). An additional featured added to Hugr as part of the
Chambers Plan implementation was a digital access point so users could be connected to
professional support (Arete's intake team) should they wish to access professional counselling
services. As only a few research participants were from the Chambers Plan, the research study
could not analyze the impact of these additional aspects of rollout for facilitating worker
engagement. We do feel strongly from this experience that to deliver a mental health solution
communications and engagement are critical and must be well thought out.
The issue addressed by Hugr Authentic Connections app will continue even as the crisis
of the pandemic recedes. The researchers suggest that because of the magnitude of the loneliness
epidemic, employers may benefit from more education on how they can mitigate isolation and
loneliness, especially considering the growing hybrid workforce and the percentage of
employees who will be working remotely permanently. Employers would be prudent to explore
what they can do to help employees build and maintain authentic social connections, like the
recommendations in the WSPS Roadmap [49].
With Hugr Authentic Connections app as a standalone mental health digital solution, a
body of research suggests that "people need people" for mental health interventions to have the
maximum potential for success. The research literature on self-help resources indicates that these
rarely show effectiveness without some human component [50], [51]. Contact may be a phone
call, email check-in, or community forum on the app. Overall, the literature suggests that there
