The Travelers Cos. Inc. on Thursday announced the launch of Wysa for Return to Work, an app designed to promote the mental health of injured employees and facilitate a more holistic recovery.

According to the company's workers' compensation claim data, more than 40% of employees who have missed workdays due to injury have experienced a psychosocial barrier to recovery.

The app helps users “build mental resilience skills that can assist in overcoming those barriers. The app responds to what users communicate through a secure, anonymous, texting-style platform, and offers strategies that include cognitive behavioral techniques, guided meditation and breathing exercises,” Travelers said.

The app was created in partnership with Wysa Ltd., a provider of mental health support tools that incorporate artificial intelligence.

The new app is accessible to injured employees who indicate one or more psychosocial barriers to their recovery during conversations with a Travelers nurse or claim professional. Early pilot results show that injured employees using Wysa for Return to Work have reduced the number of missed workdays by approximately one-third, compared to those not using the app.

Business Insurance is a sister publication of WorkCompCentral. More stories are here.