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Workplace Wellness Festival (Day 2 of 2)
Workplace wellbeing, health, safety, diversity, inclusion, gender equality, compliance, culture, and belonging. These were the themes of day two at the recent Workplace Wellness Festival (WWF) in Sydney, as guest speakers shared stories, data, and insights about how to evolve…
Workplace Wellness Festival (Day 1 of 2)
Every organisation wants its people to be well. But how do organisations evolve existing strategies to achieve this, given the pressures of COVID-19, the spike in talent mobility, and the changing needs of today’s hybrid workforce? This was the overarching…
5 roles of university leaders who are reshaping institutional wellbeing
In today’s world of higher education, international ranking is not the only north star. Senior university leaders must also focus on engaging and creating meaningful value with all stakeholders on that journey – students, staff, employers, partners, donors, community organisations,…
What does it mean to be an agent of change for university wellbeing?
To instigate meaningful change in institutional wellbeing, today’s VCs, DVCs, PVCs, and senior university leaders must step up and become personal agents of social change and true impact players across their ever-expanding ecosystems of influence. Senior university executives, spurred on…
The impact of customer hostility on a workforce in distress (Melbourne event)
Incidents of aggression from customers can be extremely stressful for frontline workers, and potentially have long-term impacts on employees and their organisations. Last week in Melbourne we gathered a selection of business leaders to discuss this important topic, highlight some…
5 roles of CEOs and leaders who are reshaping organisational wellbeing
In today’s complex business environment, shareholder value is no longer the only north star. As Lurie and Tegelberg from McKinsey & Company have said, modern leaders “must focus on co-creating meaningful value with and for all stakeholders, expanding beyond shareholders…
What does it mean to be an agent of change for employee wellbeing?
Today’s CEOs and senior leaders have become personal agents of social change and true impact players across their ever-expanding ecosystems of influence. This is different from the late 1990s and early 2000s trend of “corporations as social change agents” and…
The impact of customer hostility on a workforce in distress (Sydney event)
Since the start of the pandemic, some retailers have seen instances of aggression from customers increase by up to 400 per cent. With this in mind, Sonder recently brought together business leaders from consumer-facing sectors to discuss the impact that…
Wellbeing at Work Summit
For organisations across the world, 85% of costs are absorbed by their people. Talent is the “make or break” of an organisation, so an inclusive, supported, and healthy workplace just makes good business sense. To hear how some leading organisations…
Why is ACHS accreditation important to us and our customers?
Last year, Sonder proudly became the first technology company to become accredited by The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) to their EQuIP6 Standards. This post explains what this means and why it is important both to us and our…
University leaders and the NSSS results: why is student safety not improving?
Following the release of the 2021 National Student Safety Survey results at the end of March, the media has been abuzz with damning headlines about the extent of the “distressing” and “abhorrent” sexual harassment and sexual assault of university students…
Myth: employee perks keep people engaged
Yoga studios, rainbow slides, NASA sleep pods, organic lunches, daily ice cream allowances, volleyball courts, climbing walls, gyms, saunas, massage, ping-pong tables, games arcades, puppytoriums, hair salons, in-office scooters, childcare, acupuncture, Olympic-sized pools for SCUBA-certification at lunch, Botox-injection rooms, tanning…
Myth: employees need psychological debriefing after traumatic events
For years, employee support programs have prescribed the urgent deployment of a psychologist or trauma counsellor to the scene of a critical incident or traumatic event. Subsequently, well-intentioned employers who are keen to exercise their duty of care, have traditionally…
Myth: wellbeing cannot be measured
Wellbeing advocates often struggle to secure appropriate funding for their workplace wellbeing initiatives. Many times this is because their business case focuses on qualitative data, but budget holders prefer quantifiable metrics – to satisfy their due diligence, allay their sense…
Myth: digital-only is the answer
As the lines blur between our personal and professional lives, employees are increasingly turning to their employers for better mental health and wellbeing support. Looking for easy wins and low-effort solutions, many organisations are banking on self-help digital tools as…
Myth: paid time off cures burnout
In the past twelve months, the global media has done an exceptional job of glorifying companies that have gifted their employees with paid time off (PTO) to curb burnout and improve mental health and wellbeing. Business leaders who have not…
Employee wellbeing: what does the evidence say?
The world of employee wellbeing can be a maze of shiny objects and misinformation. Business leaders, trying earnestly to look after their people, are confronted with conflicting messages at every turn. It’s confusing and disorienting. How can you be sure…
Workplace mental health: employee experiences
Everywhere we turn, we’re reading statistics about employees wanting their employers to provide better workplace mental health support. Millennials in particular want their employers to implement additional mental health initiatives – 87 per cent compared to 67 per cent of…
Workplace mental health: right-fit solutions
Low employee uptake of workplace mental health support has largely been accepted with minimal inquiry. But with this year’s release of ISO 45003 and the subsequent spotlight on workplace psychological health and safety, it’s time for organisations to ask why…
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