80% of employees needing support for workplace change are suffering four or more other conditions

Organisational change, such as new leadership and restructures, was a top contributor to complex wellbeing challenges last quarter.

Eighty per cent of employees who reported organisational change as a concern had four or more other conditions they were dealing with, such as stress, anxiety, medical, and/or mental health issues, according to the Sonder Quarterly Trends: July to September 2022 report. 

The report, by leading wellbeing and safety company Sonder, says organisational change is an example of the health complexity that is often overlooked by workplaces. Most employees needing wellbeing support are not dealing with only one issue - they’re contending with multiple intertwined challenges and the impact is compounded for each challenge.   

Twenty-seven per cent of employees reaching out for support primarily need medical help, compared to 21% for mental health, 20% for safety, and the remainder for miscelleaneous support.

Back pain, chest pains, menstruation, sexual health, and allergies featured in the top 15 medical complaints, while members reached out for help when they needed it, most often outside of the 9am to 5pm workday, with many stating they would not have reached out for help if they did not have a support option available 24/7.

“A significant proportion of the workforce is navigating diverse and often complex health challenges, which is likely costing organisations time and money in reduced productivity, higher rates of absenteeism and presenteeism, delayed return to work, unnecessary employee turnover, and more,” says Sonder CEO Craig Cowdrey. 

“Our inaugural report confirms that each person experiences a situation or challenge differently, and it is not possible to generalise how or when each challenge affects each individual,” Cowdrey says.

The report is the first time the company has shared anonymised data and insights from the company’s 10,000+ active member cases the previous quarter. He says this will assist companies in directing resources to better support employees in their physical and mental wellbeing.

Cowdrey says his company provides workplaces with a technology-driven platform, supported by 24/7 safety, medical and mental health experts, to help employees with a broad spectrum of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, suicide prevention, family breakdowns, domestic violence, workplace bullying, and frontline manager support.

He says the service is backed up by a physical responder network that can be onsite quickly for time-sensitive scenarios such as workplace aggression and injuries, domestic violence and accidents, suicide ideation, welfare checks, hospital escorts, car breakdowns, and more. 

 

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About Sonder: Sonder is a leading Australian wellbeing and safety company accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS). Our solution is a technology-driven platform supported by 24/7 safety, medical, and mental health experts. This is backed up by a physical responder network that can be onsite for complex scenarios, plus a capability to deliver unique and timely data insights which drive meaningful business decisions