About Built
Built is a major player in the construction sector, delivering complex, large-scale projects across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Their genuine commitment to construction innovation has enabled them to tackle technically demanding projects that others find difficult.
When it came to the health and safety of their people, Built wanted to tackle two core challenges: high mental health stigma and workforce dispersion. As a digital-first business, Built applied that same forward-thinking mindset to its people, partnering with Sonder to bring a technology-led solution to employee wellbeing.
Systemic barriers to care
Given the pace of the construction industry, the demanding nature of work can make it easy for people to overlook early signs that they may need support. And as a predominantly male sector, where stigma around mental health unfortunately still persists, many industry members hesitate to reach out, whether for mental, physical or general wellbeing concerns.
With a dispersed workforce, the Built leadership team recognised an opportunity to strengthen their wellbeing and safety approach with a solution that was easy to access, judgement-free and available wherever their people were working. The Built team wanted to offer their people early-intervention support that was more approachable and better aligned to the realities of project life. As Haydn Masters, Head of Health and Wellbeing at Built said, “People want to get help, but they don’t want any bias or judgment. That was the lacking component.”
Support scaffolding at scale
Built partnered with Sonder to enhance their current wellbeing programs, introducing a holistic, one-stop wellbeing platform that met the everyday demands of construction. Through a single, confidential app, employees and their families can access mental health support, medical advice, real-time safety alerts and practical wellbeing tools 24/7. This empowers workers to ask questions early, get guidance in the moment and take action before issues escalate.
Haydn Masters and the Health and Wellbeing team took a proactive and hands-on approach to rolling out Sonder to their people. They aligned the launch of the Sonder partnership with an existing wellbeing initiative and ran a national roadshow across project sites to introduce Sonder directly to teams. Managers were encouraged to use the platform themselves, helping them feel confident supporting their people and giving them a place to check in after difficult conversations or tough days onsite. This built early trust and helped normalise reaching out for support within a workforce that hasn’t always felt comfortable doing so.
Managers need support too—they’re accidental counsellors. Sonder gives them somewhere to debrief and get reassurance.
Head of Health and Wellbeing at Built
Rapid, responsive care intelligence
Built saw strong early engagement, with one in three employees adopting Sonder within the first three months. This immediate uptake showed that employees were looking for a more accessible and practical way to get support.
Medical support emerged as one of the most valued features. Through the app, employees can chat with a registered nurse or send a photo of an injury to the nursing team for guidance, instead of arranging a GP appointment. This is a meaningful shift in a workforce where men are 24% less likely than women to visit a GP each year. The 24/7 availability of Sonder has also proven essential to construction life, with over half of all support interactions occurring outside standard business hours. Most employees choose to reach out via chat, lowering the barrier to seeking help and making the experience feel more comfortable and immediate.
Sonder’s real-time safety alerts have delivered additional day-to-day value, helping employees avoid traffic incidents or local disruptions as they move between sites. This practical support reduces stress and helps people get home more reliably after long days.
Today, Sonder is firmly embedded in Built’s health and wellbeing strategy, providing timely, confidential and easy-to-access support that aligns with the realities of project-based work. The partnership has encouraged earlier help-seeking behaviour, improved access to medical and mental health guidance, and strengthened overall awareness of wellbeing across the business. In a traditionally tough industry, Built is setting a new standard; making support easier to reach, easier to use and part of everyday life on and off site.
Engagement and adoption outcomes
- 38% of the total workforce have activated their account, significantly outperforming traditional EAP usage rates.
- 1 in 3 employees adopted the platform within the first 3 months of the launch.
Accessibility and usage behaviours outcomes
- 55% of all support interactions occur out of hours, validating the necessity of a 24/7 safety and wellbeing model.
- The majority of members choose to reach out via chat, indicating a preference for discreet and accessible support.
We want our people to get help when they reach out. If you genuinely want to improve support and engagement, you need to speak to Sonder.
Head of Health and Wellbeing at Built
Building a resilient legacy
For Built, partnering with Sonder was a fundamental move to tackle two core challenges: high mental health stigma and workforce dispersion.
Bringing on Sonder immediately reinforced Built’s commitment to safety. Sonder’s discreet, medical-first entry point via chat empowered the historically hard-to-reach male workforce. This made seeking support easier, and more frequent, often occurring out of hours. The result is a safer, more resilient culture across their complex project sites.
Ready to achieve similar engagement?
Move beyond reactive EAPs that fail to engage your teams. If your organisation requires both practical support for workers and clear reassurance for managers, Sonder is ready to help.
Discover how our holistic, 24/7 care model:
- Reduces stigma and drives high support utilisation.
- Turns your safety commitment into tangible wellbeing outcomes.
- Aligns perfectly with the realities of demanding, onsite work.
