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Methods and Procedures
Procedure
The first wave of recruiting was completed by WSPS, which leveraged its clients, two
open webinars that introduced Hugr Authentic Connections app, and WSPS mailing lists and
council groups. Organizations were also recruited through Territorial's connections. Interested
organizations that wanted to provide their employees with the opportunity to participate in the
study (which was required to get access to Hugr Authentic Connections app) opted in. Once an
organization opted in, it was provided with a pre-recorded webinar delivering information on the
study and followed by individual meetings with the lead PI to answer any questions.
Organizations that agreed to participate completed a company intake form that included
basic demographic information such as company size and sector. The organizations were
provided with a standard email and distribution materials regarding the study to send to their
employees internally. Employees interested in participating contacted the researchers directly,
such that organizations did not know if they were participating in the study.
The second wave of recruiting was facilitated by the Johnston Group (Administrators of
the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan) in April 2021. Johnston Group, through their
strategic service partner, Arete, promoted and made available the Hugr app to all members of the
Chamber of Commerce Group Insurance Plan. Chambers Plan members were also invited to
participate in the research study but were not required to participate in the study in order to
access the app and therefore, understandably, had lower participation rates. Most participants
(over 98%) were recruited via organizations connected with WSPS or Territorial. Arete and its
partners may have additional data on the Chambers Plan members' engagement that is outside
the scope of this research study, which followed the ethical guidelines of the SMU Research
