Insights.

For years, employers have complained about the lack of data and insights shared by EAP providers who stood behind the guise of “privacy and confidentiality”. HR managers – forced to rely only on anecdotal feedback from employees – reported feeling…

Like any investment, an EAP (or EAP alternative) has the potential to realise positive dividends, but only if employees use it. This is where many employers need help, and post-sales activation support from their EAP provider can often make or…

Customer case study A proactive approach to employee wellbeing for Medline 65% of support cases occur outside of regular 9-5 business hours 52% of support cases come via chat 34% of support cases are medical related About Medline Medline is…

Every day at Sonder, we’re asked what a ‘good’ utilisation rate looks like for an employee support program (EAP). Even though we’re not an EAP – we’re an EAP alternative with a much broader safety, medical, and mental health offering…

Workplace employee assistance programs (EAPs) have long been a popular option for employee wellbeing support. However, their results can be disappointing, and in a catch-22, sometimes as few as one to five per cent of employees utilise their services. This…

Selecting an employee assistance program (EAP) – or a modern employee support alternative – can be tricky. Vendor and industry terminology can vary greatly and it can be difficult to compare apples with apples. One great example of this is…

By their very nature, critical incidents in the workplace can be overwhelming and traumatic. They can also trigger snap decisions out of fear, panic, and a sense of helplessness. That’s why employers need to put a post-incident support plan in…

Much has been said in the media about people waiting longer for medical care and mental health support. But, what’s not being said is that many people are waiting unnecessarily because their employee assistance program (EAP) is not open when…

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) have long been synonymous with employer-funded mental health counselling services. But today’s employees expect more than only mental health support. To perform at their best, many employees are looking to their employers and EAPs to provide…

Last month, following the tragic bus accident in the New South Wales Hunter Valley that killed 10 innocent wedding guests, a spotlight was once again shone on the practice of psychological debriefing. Richard Bryant, Professor and Director of the Traumatic…

If you’re a business leader who loves data, you might enjoy the recent Workplace Wellbeing and Firm Performance working paper, published by the University of Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre. The May 2023 paper aggregates data from employees at more than…

Probe CX is a globally recognised and award-winning customer experience organisation that designs and deploys solutions to bolster and optimise client operations. Founded in 1979, they have 18,000-plus staff across five countries, delivering exceptional customer experiences…

Customer case study Care at the touch of a button for Design and Build 160 safety alertsshared 65% of support cases occur outside of business hours (5pm-9am) 70% of team members used chat About Design & Build and Public Sector…

In today’s workplace, leaders understand that an increase in sick days is just the tip of the iceberg. These “sickies” can signal a larger issue known as the ripple effect, where employee wellbeing concerns worsen over time if left unaddressed….

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, safety is fundamental. Maslow’s “A Theory of Motivation” argues that unless people satisfy basic physiological and safety needs, they aren’t motivated to acquire emotions such as belonging and love,  esteem needs, or self-actualisation. Logic…

When leaders talk about wellbeing, their first conversation is often about stress and burnout. Whilst this is important, an equally critical conversation needs to be had around personal safety – because it’s hard for people to perform when their fundamental…

Every week, news headlines showcase how unsafe it can be to go to work. We read about customer violence, armed robbery, vehicle accidents, building site accidents, and more. Even for employers who implement rigorous preventative measures, safety-related critical incidents can…

ABC News published today an excellent warning about how mental health apps could be harmful – if they do not have a human layer of personalised, clinical expertise. With nearly 9 million Australians aged between 16 and 85 experiencing a…

Mirvac’s Brian Long recently sat down with Sonder’s CEO Craig Cowdrey to talk about psychosocial risk, shared responsibility, and employee wellbeing. Their conversation shares some fabulous quotes and insights about creating a wellbeing culture that moves beyond traditional HR and…

Recently, our CEO Craig Cowdrey had the pleasure of talking with Mirvac’s Brian Long about leadership, self-care, psychosocial risk, shared responsibility, workplace wellbeing, and the different expectations of younger generations. Their conversation delivers some great insights into how a prominent…

Increasingly, P&C leaders are under pressure to identify and act on new initiatives that drive lasting, positive outcomes for the wellbeing, health and safety of their people. And despite the proliferation of data sources, the age old question remains; Where…

With $904.9 million per year of compensation paid for work-related mental health conditions, it’s no surprise that one of the hottest leadership topics right now is psychological health and safety. Or more specifically, the management and reporting of psychosocial risks,…

With the current barrage of media headlines about mortgage stress, rental accommodation shortages, job layoffs, long waits for urgent healthcare appointments, and people with mental health concerns being turned away from care, it’s heartbreaking but not surprising that many of…

We’re pleased to share part two of our Agents of change for organisational wellbeing event in Melbourne, which recaps some of the highlights from our conversation with Sean Silvey (IAG) and Jane Bourke (Woolworths Group), as they talk about evidence-based…

Recently, we were delighted to host a gathering of wellbeing leaders at our Agents of change for organisational wellbeing event in Melbourne. Transformational change only happens when leaders ‘walk the talk’, so we were keen to hear how two accomplished…

In 2023, employee wellbeing and retention strategies need to evolve. Employees want more control and they’re looking to their employers to help them gain that control. From shopping and entertainment to transport and beyond, people now expect to be able…

The concept of empowerment is “rooted in the 1960s ideology of social action, which embraces community change, capacity building, and collectivity”. But, the term “empowerment” comes from American psychologist, Julian Rappaport, who in 1981 articulated it to describe the process…

According to the International Labour Organization, “Workers’ wellbeing is a key factor in determining an organisation’s long-term effectiveness”. This means that employers need employees to be safe and well if they are to perform at their best.  But as our…

Pre-2020, few employers meaningfully acknowledged that work and personal lives were inextricably linked. Instead, they sustained “the myth of separate worlds”, as labelled by Harvard Business School’s Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter, and did not see an employee’s wellbeing as their…

Recently, Sonder’s Dr Jamie Phillips was invited to debunk five myths of employee wellbeing for members of the Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia. Having personally made mistakes in the past, this is a topic Jamie is passionate about, as he…

In this final instalment of our four-part series discussing the ripple effect of poor employee wellbeing, we provide organisations with suggested next steps for how they can minimise the impact of the ripple effect on both workforce health and lost…

Organisations are leaking millions of dollars each year in absenteeism, presenteeism, workers’ compensation, employee turnover, and the ripple effect of lost productivity from colleagues and family members – all because many employees are not well. What is this costing organisations…

As discussed in the first article in our four-part series, poor employee wellbeing can cause a ripple effect in the workplace because it can reduce not only the productivity of one employee but many employees. This second article illustrates how…

When ISO 45003 was released in June 2021 – as the first global standard that provided specific guidance on the management of psychosocial risks and the promotion of wellbeing at work in a manner consistent with other health and safety…

When ISO 45003 was released in June 2021 – as the first global standard that provided specific guidance on the management of psychosocial risks and the promotion of wellbeing at work in a manner consistent with other health and safety…

AeroPM is a professional services consultancy providing above-the-line support to Defence and CASG to acquire complex assets. Their workforce is primarily comprised of ex-serving military and APS personnel who have extensive experience within the air, maritime, land and…

Over the years, employee wellbeing initiatives “to keep employees happy” have been many and varied. They’ve included everything from yoga studios, food trucks, NASA sleep pods, climbing walls, puppytoriums, karaoke parties, music-jam sessions, wine bars, massage, in-office scooters, volleyball courts,…

Rapid transformation has become a staple of the modern workplace. Technological advances and skills shortages combined with rising costs and productivity pressures, mean that organisations are continually exploring ways to gain a competitive edge. But, whilst leaders tend to love…

With round-the-clock access to many goods and services, it’s sometimes easy to forget about the people that power our always-on world. For example, the: Factory workers producing goods day and night; Truck drivers travelling across the country while everyone else…

Today is International Students’ Day – a day of international observance of the student community and a celebration of the multiculturalism of international students. It’s a day to appreciate what the international student community brings to their host nations, as…

The latest QILT Student Experience Survey (SES) results brought both positive and negative news for the Australian tertiary education sector. On the positive side, the university student experience in Australia has started to improve. On the not-so-positive side, more work…

We are pleased to share this final instalment from our recent Agents of change for organisational wellbeing event. Held in our Sydney office, this event for wellbeing leaders generated much formal and informal discussion as attendees and panellists shared questions…

We are excited to share the next instalment from our recent Agents of change for organisational wellbeing event held in our Sydney HQ. This session’s panel brings together two high-profile Australian managing directors who have become personal agents of social…

Recently, we were delighted to host a gathering of wellbeing leaders at our Agents of change for organisational wellbeing event in Sydney. Transformational change only happens when leaders ‘walk the talk’, so we were keen to hear how some of…

On 10 October 2022, Mental Health Australia (a peak, national, non-government organisation representing and promoting the interests of the Australian mental health sector and issues in Australia), in collaboration with global research firm Ipsos, released their first Report to the…

On 28 September 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever global guidelines on mental health at work. The WHO guidelines were released in time for World Mental Health Month in October and have received praise on social media…

For years, support programs have prescribed the urgent deployment of a psychologist or trauma counsellor to the scene of a critical incident or traumatic event. As a result, well-intentioned universities keen to exercise their duty of care have traditionally agreed…

Wellbeing advocates often struggle to secure appropriate funding for their university wellbeing initiatives. Many times this is because their business cases focus on qualitative rather than quantitative data. This presents a mismatch with budget holders who prefer quantifiable metrics –…

As the lines blur between our personal, academic, and professional lives, staff are increasingly turning to their employers to better support their mental health and wellbeing. Looking for easy wins and low-effort solutions, many organisations (including universities) are banking on…

EAPs have long been a mainstay offering at Australian universities, as well as at 80 per cent of Australia’s top 500 companies. But, given that workplaces have changed significantly over the past two and a half years, are traditional EAP…

Each year, universities invest significant time and dollars into the wellbeing of their students and staff. Motivated by legal and moral responsibilities (plus a desire to protect their institution’s brand and future), health-savvy universities prioritise, fund, and promote wellbeing support…

Too many leaders are investing money in wellbeing initiatives that are not evidence-based and/or are increasing their organisational risk. These are just two of the truths shared at Sonder’s recent event (held in partnership with Marley Spoon) for wellbeing leaders…

With interest rates continuing to rise, Australia’s cost-of-living pressures show no signs of abating. Workers are making impossible financial compromises to the detriment of their overall health and wellbeing, which is further lifting the lid on a workforce in physical…

Since launching Sonder in 2017 with two close friends, Christopher Marr and Peter Burnheim, our wellbeing and safety company has come a long way – thanks to the support of our dedicated team members and supporters, together with valued customers…

A year after the release of ISO 45003 shone a spotlight on psychological safety, it’s time to review what’s changed in the legislation and guidance material in Australia since we published our original ISO 45003 guide. But first, let’s recap…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

A single gateway to support for Woolworths Group Who is 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…

Marley Spoon is a global direct-to-consumer brand solving everyday recurring problems in delightful and sustainable ways. Their vision is to ‘build a better everyday, just for you, just right’, which is not only applied…

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…

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…

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 pandemic has exacerbated customer aggression and workplace distress, as well as highlighted gaps in employee support. What more can be done? How does Sonder’s medical team help our customers and their team members? At our recent event for retail…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Before BINGO’s Chief People Officer, Jo Cairns, needed a new approach for the wellbeing and safety of her highly diverse workforce. Fondly referred to as GOgetters, the BINGO team has a high proportion of on-road team members, mostly male and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

We were pleased to recently welcome around 30 executives into Sonder HQ to discuss the topic of rethinking workplace wellbeing – an important topic on the minds of all people leaders, given the high percentages of mental health concerns but…

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…

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…

Workplaces have changed beyond recognition over the past two years. Expedited by COVID-19, we have become more digitally enabled, embraced newfound flexibility through hybrid working, introduced new on-site safety measures to enable lockdown restrictions to be lifted, and there has…

Now that the world has been disrupted, what does the new horizon of student support look like? Do we know what constitutes meaningful, relevant, holistic and compassionate care during a period of deep uncertainty? Sonder’s Dr Jamie Phillips and Robert…

The Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) is a key highlight in the annual calendar for the international education sector. Practitioners, teaching staff, researchers, policy makers, vendors and other stakeholders come together to learn about major industry trends and to network…

Dr Jamie Phillips, our medical director and head of member support, recently delivered a presentation for line managers at the Workplace Mental Health Symposium (WMHS). His key insights for managers were: 1. You are not a mental health expert –…

Since ISO 45003 was published on 8 June 2021, online WHS and forums have been abuzz with questions around what the world’s first international standard for mental health in the workplace means for CEOs, board members, People and Culture Directors,…

In a perfect world, every workplace is safe, every employee is well, every person is engaged and productive, every organisation fulfills its moral and financial objectives, and everyone involved ‘does the right thing’. There are no risks to brand reputation,…

One of the key questions asked by CEOs, board members, People and Culture Directors and WHS managers about ISO 45003 since its launch on 8 June 2021 is: “How does the new standard fit in with existing WHS rules and…

Recently, we participated in the annual Workplace Mental Health Symposium, hosted by the Australia and New Zealand Mental Health Association. It was a great virtual event which attracted speakers and participants from across the Tasman and across the globe. Here’s…

We’re often asked to explain the meaning of Sonder and the model of care that we practice, as we work 24/7 to serve around 400,000 eligible members across organisations such as Woolworths, Commonwealth Bank, Allianz, NSW Government, Australian Army, and…

At Sonder, we’ve been trusted with providing safety and wellbeing tools for our members since 2017. This has taken us on a journey of continuous improvement – as we reimagine health, safety and wellbeing for our members and customers –…