Early intervention: How Sonder’s Resource Hub supports employee wellbeing

When it comes to employee health and wellbeing, prevention is better than cure. Early intervention tackles the root causes of wellbeing challenges, before they can progress into more complex problems for an individual, and costly issues for a business.

According to our latest survey, nearly half (49%) of Australian and New Zealand employees are experiencing feelings of ‘burnout or exhaustion’. 52% reported that their mental health is suffering too, rating their mental wellbeing as average to very poor.

Burnout tends to result from multiple factors, from high job demands to poor support and even a lack of rewards and recognition at work-not to mention personal factors like poor sleep, financial worries, and even personal relationship conflicts.

But what if employees could address the earliest signs of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm before they become a deep-rooted problem? Or read up on the best ways to bolster their immune system to keep winter colds at bay?

With early intervention through self-help tools, managers can empower their teams to prioritise healthy habits and tackle the root causes of wellbeing challenges.

With this focus on prevention, we’ve continued to expand our Resource Hub with over 500 new videos, articles and audio experiences to empower employees to take control of their health and address potential issues before they escalate.

Despite one in five (20%) of Australians experiencing mental health challenges, more than half (54%) don’t seek out professional treatment, according to the Black Dog Institute.

But younger generations are leading the way by embracing the power of early intervention through digital self-help resources. According to new research by the McKinsey Health Institute, Gen Z respondents are more likely than other generations to use digital wellness apps and digital mental health programs

It’s not just Gen Z that is starting to explore the benefits of digital early intervention resources. Data from the ABS also shows that 945,000 Australians (4.8%) aged 16 to 85 have accessed mental health services from their phones, online, or using digital technology.

There are a number of reasons as to why self-serve digital resources are so impactful:

• Fostering healthy daily habits: From guided meditations for better sleep, to strategies for coping with stress, digital resources coach individuals to prioritise their wellbeing throughout their everyday lives.
• Discreet, on-demand support: Asking for professional help can be daunting, but digital content delivered 24/7 via a mobile app makes it easy to seek answers, support and guidance whenever an employee needs it.
• Practical and personalised resources: With the ability to browse by concern or health category, it’s never been easier for employees to take the reins of their own wellbeing.

At Sonder, our Resource Hub has been a key part of our approach to early intervention for employee health and wellbeing. Along with our 24/7 access to qualified care professionals, in-app safety tools and face-to-face support for critical incidents, our professionally curated resources step in before an employee reaches breaking point.

In fact, your people don’t need to know what’s wrong to get started. Instead, our Resource Hub allows individuals to explore health topics that align with how they’re feeling.

To continue supporting employees’ evolving needs, we’ve added over 500 new, searchable pieces of audio, video, and written content across a range of topics to the Sonder Resource Hub.

Covering everything from addiction to financial wellbeing as well as managing fatigue and burnout, this new content includes guided meditations, sleepscape sounds, fitness sessions and clinical advice to support wellbeing.

We know that your people consume content differently. Some employees want a video they can watch on their lunch break, while others are looking for long-form articles to read on their morning commute.

That’s why we designed our Resource Hub to include dynamic content across a range of formats, from audio to video and beyond. With access to a range of resource types, we can boost engagement and help your team get the most out of this content.

💡Sonder Tip: We’ve evolved our in-app functionality to allow members to share and like content. This means managers can easily curate content relevant to their teams and share these resources around the business in seconds.

The use cases for Sonder’s Resource Hub are broad and varied. But one thing this content has in common is this: it’s designed to have a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of employees.

With a ‘choose your own adventure’ approach that allows your people to hone in on resources that are relevant to them, these resources act as a personalised, on-demand wellbeing coach-available 24/7.

In practical terms, here are just some of the ways our members are using Sonder’s Resource Hub content to take an early intervention approach to their health and wellbeing:

• Tackling insomnia and sleep issues with guided relaxation meditations and sleepscape background music to help employees prioritise rest.
• Interactive quizzes that help employees assess if their mood, anxiety or stress levels are cause for concern-backed by mental health articles and resources to take targeted action.
• Curated content that helps individuals learn how to better manage their time with hacks and tips for boosting productivity and managing stress levels.
• Educational articles and engaging video content help individuals understand how to address conflict in their personal relationships and communicate more effectively.
• Free budgeting resources and access to handy apps help employees get smarter with their money, reduce financial stress, and boost financial literacy.

Ultimately, self-serve wellbeing resources are designed to help prevent employee challenges before they occur. By supporting your people to foster healthy daily habits, your team will be empowered to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best, too.

Understand what your business could save with employee care that focuses on prevention. Try our ROI calculator which estimates the value that Sonder could bring to your company’s bottom line, based on recent member and customer data.

Experience a modern approach to employee care. Get in touch with Sonder today to discover how our platform can benefit your organisation.

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.