A human-centric solution for BINGO Industries

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 many with young families. Additionally, a good number of EASL (English as a second language) makes for a varied and diverse set of cultural considerations.

The existing mental health counselling service was not working - for many reasons - least of all the stigma of asking for help, the need to self diagnose the underlying problem, and then hoping that a counselling session could help. Not to mention, the phone based appointment service, only available 9-5pm. As a result of this symptom centric approach, issues were left untreated and

unrecognised, workers suffering in silence - often until breaking point - when increased absenteeism and claims became a common outcome. Jo and her team knew these challenges existed, but were blind to who, when, where and how they presented.

Accessible, relevant and trusted support was required to reach the team members who weren’t getting the help they needed across a range of medical and mental health needs. A tech driven solution that could be accessed wherever and whenever the team required, as a large proportion of the workforce is constantly on the move around Australia. Additionally, 24x7 multilingual support for spouses, partners and children was also important to ensure a more holistic care model.

Solution

A new approach was needed. One which required a combination of cultural change, leader training and a simple, easily accessible support model. An approach which put their people first and lowered barriers to get confidential help. As a result, Sonder was introduced, alongside an internal program called Speakup, which encouraged openness and sharing within the business. The combination of these initiatives would help drive cultural change and get more help, more easily to people in need. The existing and traditional EAP solution would be retired in place of a more modern approach to employee care.

BINGO launched Sonder in Sep 2021. Within just 4 weeks, around 300 GOgetters had signed up (over 20% of the workforce) with an upwards trajectory on registrations. Leaders from different business units at BINGO have been engaged and are proactively encouraging the cultural change and adoption of Sonder. On average, adoption rates sit around 50%, but often reach 90-100% depending on business needs and usage of the safety features.

Most importantly for BINGO, stigma and cultural barriers have been broken down for many GOgetters. More and more are reaching out for help - often via clinically backed articles, or via small requests using the in-app chat. As team members are often on the road after hours, almost 50% of the app usage is at night, when it’s more convenient to reach out. Requests to Sonder’s support team have ranged from minor medical advice, concern for colleagues, family challenges, as well as some more complex or long standing mental health issues.

Sonder’s human centric model, provided by our clinical staff, often uncovers ‘hidden’ issues when getting to the heart of the problem. The model recognises humans are complex and many factors are often at play. Support and treatment options are sometimes quick, but can also be multi-faceted and longer term. The goal is to get earlier support to people, before things become impactful - for them, their family, their colleagues and the BINGO business. In fact, there are very similar trends Sonder observes across all members - around 70% of them would not have reached out for help without it being at their fingertips and by their side - 24/7.

After spending some time browsing articles on the Sonder app, a BINGO member reached out via chat to request help with anxiety caused by an unhappy marriage. A nurse triaged the situation using the Sonder wellbeing framework. Like over 50% of all support requests, with gentle probing, it became apparent there was much more to the story.

The member was going through a marriage breakdown and had been assaulted by their partner. Despite the violent crime, they hadn’t reported the issue.

There were a number of options to discuss, ranging from support with the police and appropriate legal services, to coping with divorce, and associated mental health support. The member was trying to cope with all this whilst managing a full time job, and being a full time parent! The Sonder team provided advice (mainly after hours) around each issue - and followed up to ensure the member was getting the help they needed.

Every situation is unique, and taking the time to understand the “hidden” stories ensures Sonder’s team provides the right support at the right time.

People turn to Sonder for trusted advice - big and small. In this instance, a BINGO member requested medical advice. Within 10 min, late at night and over chat, meaningful advice was provided for this unique situation. The inquiry concerned vaccine effects on their partner during pregnancy. It was their first child, and very early stages, so the couple had not disclosed this exciting news to family or friends yet. Imagine… finding out you are about to be a parent for the first time, worried about a medical issue, and sourcing information to ensure the safety of your partner and bub… Peace of mind in less than 10 min!

When asked “who would have sought help from if you didn’t have access to Sonder?”, the answer was, “No one”. In this instance, and so many others like it, Sonder supported someone to care for their loved ones.