A centralised gateway to support for Woolworths Group

Overview

Tangible results for one of Australia's biggest retailers

prefer live chat for mental health support

of support cases occur at night

would not have sought help if Sonder was not available

About Woolworths Group

Woolworths Group is the largest retailer in Australia and a major retail operator in New Zealand, housing leading supermarkets and consumer retail brands such as Woolworths, BIG W and Countdown in New Zealand. Serving over 29 million customers each week and employing a diverse and multicultural workforce of nearly 185,000 team members – Woolworths Group has significant influence on Australia’s population. Team members are at the heart of everything they do, they care deeply, and their leaders are committed to creating better experiences for their customers, communities and each other.

From August 26, 2024, employees in Australia will have the right to disconnect from work-related communications outside their working hours. This new protection, which is part of the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes No.2) Bill 2023, brings Australia in line with other nations like France, Belgium and Argentina where similar rights have been enacted to support employees’ work-life balance.

The right to disconnect is an increasingly important issue in an age where the lines between work-life and home-life are increasingly blurred. A recent study from Safe Work Australia found that 33% of workers are experiencing work-related mental health issues due to poor work-life balance. An absence of work-life balance can lead to burnout, a syndrome that results from chronic and unsuccessfully managed stress, among other factors. For organisations, this can mean increased absenteeism and turnover, as well as lower engagement and productivity.

From August 2024 the law will apply to organisations with 15 employees or more. It will be introduced for organisations with less than 15 employees from August 2025.

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The challenge

During the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers in Australia, especially those in retail, faced numerous challenges. Supermarket employees dealt with disgruntled customers, fatigue, stress, and health concerns. The pandemic worsened existing difficulties, blurring the line between work and home life for all employees. Managers took on multiple roles as mental health caregivers, financial advisors, and confidants.

To better support their team members’ safety, mental health, and wellbeing in a rapidly changing environment, Woolworths Group looked for a solution that would further enhance their support program. One that allowed them to further reduce the barriers to help, and provide the organisation with more insight so they can be one step ahead in preventing wellbeing challenges going forward.

The solution

Since launching Sonder to over 220,000 team members and their families in November 2020, Woolworths Group has seen a drastic change in three key areas:

Single-point of access to 24/7 support

The Sonder partnership has simplified the way their team accesses help by providing a single gateway to all of their benefits and support systems. From medical advice to financial aid, personal safety and mental health support, team members and their families can get trusted advice on any issue through chat or a telephone call via one simple app. More importantly, there are no limitations on their location, the time of day, or how many times they need to access help. For a workforce that’s predominately made up of shift workers, round the-clock support is essential so that members can quickly and easily access the right care at the right time. In fact, 38% of Woolworths team members have reached out to Sonder at night.

Holistic and human-centric support

Having a conversation with someone (even virtually) can be invaluable to a person, especially during challenging times. When a Woolworths team member reaches out to Sonder, a real and compassionate person is on the other end, ready to listen and help. The Sonder team use a holistic and empathy based approach to carefully consider all aspects of a person’s life. This full-spectrum, human-centric model lets them identify any ‘hidden’ underlying or compounding issues so that the right and personalised mix of treatment, resources and follow-up care can be provided to the person at the right time – before they get out of hand.

And when virtual support is not enough, Sonder’s team of on-the-ground responders are less than 20 minutes away – ready to assist in difficult or time-sensitive situations such as workplace aggression and injuries, suicide ideations, hospital escorts, welfare checks and more.

Data-informed wellbeing insights

Leveraging Sonder’s advanced analytics platform, Woolworths Group now has visibility over their blind spots with real-time trends, data and key insights into its team’s wellbeing. These are broken down by individual businesses across their workforce. With access to this information to predict organisational wellbeing issues before they cause a significant impact, Woolworths leaders are now using this crucial data to make informed business decisions to better allocate resources to support their teams and set up preventative measures in the areas causing the most concern.

"By partnering with Sonder, our 185.000 person team can access instant. confidential support. day and night, Sonder's network of professionals not only support our team but their families too."

The results

Since launch, Woolworths and Sonder have continued a close partnership, collaborating and sharing their experiences to provide optimal care for team members and their families. Consolidating providers across the business has provided additional benefits to Woolworths Group, including replacing the existing employee assistance program (EAP).

Leveraging their robust network of support services, the Sonder support team is now fully embedded into Woolworths’ risk and safety framework. Sitting on Emergency Management Team meetings in response to critical incidents and extreme weather events, Sonder is there to provide their expertise and assist Woolworths in managing natural disasters and other major public safety events.

Team members have praised Sonder’s accessibility, describing it as an “angel in your pocket,” resulting in increased usage of Woolworths’ support services and quicker, more personalised care.

Member story one

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a team member working at a major capital city store was feeling increasingly withdrawn from work. Every day, they risked exposure to COVID-19 while dealing with distressed customers and panic buying. Their performance was suffering, and fearing that they would lose their job, they opened the Sonder app and reached out for advice via chat.

Using a holistic approach to assess the member, a Sonder nurse listened to their concerns and, through gentle communication, uncovered that they were struggling with multiple interdependent issues, including anxiety and financial stress. Sonder reassured the member, directed them to the appropriate financial support package, and referred them to a psychologist for further support. Help did not end when the call finished – the Sonder health team set up regular follow-ups to continue supporting the member on their journey to better health.

Like 90% of members reaching out to Sonder for mental health support, the member first engaged with the service using its chat function. With texting being the preferred form of communication for many, Sonder’s tech platform helps break down the barriers to seeking help by providing a less confronting approach – allowing earlier intervention on problems before they cause real impact.

Member story two

Not all situations can be supported virtually. Sometimes extra helping hands are needed in real life – fast.

With police and ambulances on the way after a traumatic stabbing incident involving two customers and a security guard, the manager at this busy suburban Woolworths location quickly locked down the store and called Sonder. Multiple team members and customers witnessed the distressing event – as a result, the store manager knew that appropriate care was needed immediately.

Understanding the severity of the situation, two Sonder responders quickly arrived on-site and provided immediate psychological first aid to those affected by the incident. Those identified as at-risk were triaged and referred to a psychologist for dedicated support. All other team members and customers impacted by the incident received follow-ups from Sonder in the weeks following the incident to reinforce the support available through Sonder, if required.

Unlike traditional EAPs, Sonder’s comprehensive human support team is set up to provide dedicated guidance to leaders dealing with critical incidents.

Customer case studies