McDonald’s Australia has introduced a digital health, safety and wellbeing platform for its 115,000 employees across the country and their families.
The Sonder app provides a range of health and wellbeing needs, including digital 24/7 live chats with registered professionals such as nurses and psychologists for support with mental health care, medical advice and personal safety assistance.
Through the app, McDonald’s Australia staff can access daily wellbeing tools and resources such as a wellbeing assessment and notifications to keep healthy habits on track, immediate every day and clinical care, a depression, stress and anxiety assessment, and a network of on-demand, urgent and pre-planned responders. They can also receive safety notices in the form of real-time alerts about local dangers or disruptions and discreet safety check-ups, while users’ journeys can be tracked.
Emma Napoli-Hala, chief people officer at McDonald’s Australia, said: “We are one of the largest employers of young people in Australia, which means we have a big responsibility to ensure our crew are supported whenever, wherever, and however they need. With Sonder, we saw an opportunity to provide that support around the clock, and in a format that’s familiar to our young, digital-savvy workforce.
“We’re proud to extend our wellbeing support with this 24/7 digital platform. Most chats are taking place between 10pm and 1am, which has been a big learning for us. I think it shows that businesses have an opportunity to rethink the way they’re supporting the mental health and wellbeing of younger employees.”
Craig Cowdrey, co-founder and chief executive officer at Sonder, added: “We’re excited to partner with McDonald’s to set the standard for what a great employee experience looks like, by supporting crew members and their families with a wide range of health, safety, and wellbeing needs. By helping these employees live well and perform their best, we can ensure McDonald’s continues to be an employer of choice for generations to come.”