How Charter Hall reimagined workplace safety, wellbeing and mental health with Sonder

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Insights.
When Charter Hall needed a wellbeing platform to support their people, they turned to Sonder. In a short time, they were able to implement the platform and support employees with complete, proactive care for their safety, physical and mental health.

In a recent webinar, Ben Cividin, People Manager at the property investment management company, shared the story behind their partnership with Sonder.

Ben explained:

  • How Charter Hall were able to achieve significant uptake of Sonder across their entire organisation
  • How they positioned Sonder's holistic care internally, in alignment with their broader wellbeing strategy
  • What features were emerging as firm team favourites.

You can watch the full 30 minute recording here, or catch the highlights below.

Sonder opened up greater channels of communication

"With Sonder, we've got people practically talking about their wellbeing and taking great steps to be strong in that space, which otherwise they wouldn't have done.

"Those conversations wouldn't have started, because they weren't in a moment of distress. They're not proactively asking: 'How can I learn more about my physical wellbeing? Or financial wellbeing?'

"So that's enabled us to unlock a lot more engagement in wellbeing as a strategy, by reaching those people that otherwise we probably wouldn't have had conversations with."

"Sonder opened up greater levels and channels of communication that our employees have responded to. The chat service has been something that's been really well received."

- Ben Cividin

The feature delivering constant engagement

"One of the simple things that our team loves is the daily notifications and updates. Even if it's something as simple as a traffic alert, or a disruption in the area they work in, they love it. It keeps that constant engagement, and really speaks to a practical example of the proactive piece.

"It's a really easy, simple functionality that they can get delivered to their mobile, and it's actually useful for them at that moment in their day. We've had more anecdotal comments about that feature than we anticipated."

Seamless implementation enabled us to elevate the offering

"From a tech onboarding perspective it was actually very, very smooth and very easy. We're a nationally dispersed organisation. And we were actually able to launch quite seamlessly, and focus on the messaging while we're doing it, as opposed to having to focus on, and spend a heap of time on, the operational side of it. Because that was very, very smooth and easy for us.

"It really enabled us to elevate the offering. I think that's why now, 12-18 months on, we see it as a really embedded part of our business, because we've actually been able to focus on why we're doing it."

Wellbeing has become a key element of EVP

"Increasingly, talent will move on from organisations if they don't feel like the whole of the offering is aligned to what they want.

"We've got a reasonably young workforce. Our emerging workforce is that 35 and under cohort. And I think increasingly that cohort really wants to understand: 'Does the organisation I'm joining have my best interests at heart? Not only are they going to give me the creative stuff, but are they actually going to create an environment where I can thrive and do my best work?' And that's where we really felt that this was a strong link for us in terms of bringing that wellbeing aspect to life."

"It is becoming a really, really key element of the EVP and if you're not proactive and strong in this space. It really does leave a gap."

- Ben Cividin

How is Sonder different from an EAP?

Sonder is an EAP alternative. We combine mental health support with safety and medical support. We also combine on-demand technology with 24/7 human expertise, as explained in the video below.

Download our deep-dive report

If you're considering upgrading your EAP offering and are curious to find out more, download our 'How to compare EAPs' guide. This insider's guide to employee assistance programs will help you:

  • Understand a typical EAP offering
  • Explore why employee uptake can be low
  • Discover what makes EAP alternatives different

About Sonder

Sonder is a technology company that helps organisations improve the wellbeing of their people so they perform at their best. Our mobile app provides immediate, 24/7 support from a team of safety, medical, and mental health professionals - plus onsite help for time-sensitive scenarios. Accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS), our platform gives leaders the insights they need to act on tomorrow's wellbeing challenges today.

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There's so much more to share

Sonder is reimagining health, safety and wellbeing support. Sonder proves human centric care leads to earlier intervention. Sonder impacts one person at a time to drive meaningful change across an organisation. Sonder understands people and how to support them.

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