Member Spotlight: First technology company accredited to EQuIP6

Sonder is the first technology company to become accredited to our EQuIP6 Standards.

Q1. Congratulations on being the first technology company to have undergone accreditation to EQuIP6.  Why was it important for Sonder to undertake this?
Sonder’s vision is to provide global access to on-demand and personalised safety, medical and mental health support. We take the tenets of quality and accessibility of the care we provide very seriously, and saw ACHS accreditation as an important way to demonstrate this. We’re proud to be the first technology company to have undergone accreditation and are continuously looking for ways to improve our service offering. 

Q2. How would you describe the accreditation experience?
The accreditation experience was a great learning for Sonder across the board, and we really enjoyed the whole process. We found the self-assessment exercise and site visits a great opportunity to bring together our functional leadership team and learn from experts in the field. It was thorough, informative and professional, every step of the way. 

Q3. Sonder uses a technology-driven platform – an app – to provide solutions for your clients covering a multitude of industries. The EQuIP6 Standards you are now accredited to are well established. Are there any planned changes to the app you’ve developed for your client’s employees since undergoing accreditation? 
We have a technology-first approach with backend human expertise and empathy, increasing access to the right care at the right time, in order to improve outcomes for individuals and provide value for their organisations. Since undergoing accreditation, we have introduced a number of improvements to our health operations, including a new electronic medical records system to ensure secure messaging between users and our support staff. While Sonder’s product is always evolving in response to user feedback, with feature improvements and updates, the core of our offering (underpinned by the Sonder wellbeing model and a clinical governance framework) remains constant.  
 
Q4. Was there anything about the accreditation assessment that surprised (or delighted!) you? What was the main thing you personally took away from it?
ACHS has guided Sonder on our journey of continuous improvement to ensure that we understand where we can be better, and we were delighted with the support. We took away an ongoing partnership which will see us committed to accreditation and continuous improvement for the years to come. 

Q5. Have you had any feedback from Sonder employees about their perceived value of accreditation that you wish to share?
We regularly have customers and members remark on the value that the accreditation brings. It is important to us as a company that we have the system and process to monitor and improve the quality of the care we provide. ACHS provides an accountability lever; it gives our staff, members and partners comfort that this is the highest priority of the business. 

Q6. The well-being of employees has been under an intense microscope for the last two years. Do you have any future predictions on how employees will negotiate their relationships with employers in the future?
The global pandemic has seen an increased demand to support safety and wellbeing needs, as employers come to terms with new working environments, which bring new legal and moral obligations in how they care for their employees. Employees are rightly expecting more from their employers, with the lines between work and personal lives more blurred than ever. The forward-leaning employers will see the social contract with employees in this new light, developing forward-leaning workplace practices and taking on new ways to retain talent and ensure a productive workforce. We see Sonder playing a key role in this transition, as we are creating a new category of employee care - primed to be the health, safety and wellbeing tool that organisations can’t live without.