50 Leading Companies of the Year 2021
The Silicon Review
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, employers are being increasingly worried about their employees’ well-being issues. People are now worried about the potentially lethal physical health consequences, but we must understand that mental health implications are also equally important. Proactive organizations are investing more in the wellbeing of its employees as we continue to find solutions to deal with this global challenge. Many people are remote working for the first time, and this has increased the level of professional stress for many employees. To counter this growing issue and spread awareness, companies have started to give importance to the digital wellbeing of the employees. Technology is continuing to become an integral part of everything we do, and it can sometimes lead to diversion from things that actually require attention. Globally there are various organizations that help companies maintain their employees’ digital wellbeing, but one that stands out from the rest is Synergy Health Limited.
Initially, Synergy Health’s focus was on delivering wellbeing workshops, onsite health checks, and influenza vaccinations. As larger and more geographically dispersed organizations were seeking Synergy Health’s assistance in promoting wellbeing, safety, and engagement, Synergy Health invested heavily in developing its online digital platform. Over the last 15 years, Synergy Health has consistently been working on creating a scalable and customizable digital platform that facilitates real behavior change. The platform delivers a personalized user experience for the employee to maximize engagement. It provides employees with an insight into their wellbeing status, directs them to the most relevant resources based on their needs, enhances motivation through a range of gamified challenges, and rewards them for long term participation. What is unique about the platform is that it also delivers market-leading levels of customization to allow organizations to influence the specific behaviors they most want to target and, therefore, help achieve more of their goals. Synergy Health Limited was founded in 1999, and is based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
In conversation with Brad Norris, Founder and Managing Director of Synergy Health Limited
Q. How do you manage to understand the operational culture of an organization in-and-out developing a digital healthcare/wellbeing platform?
Given our ability to highly customize our solution, we typically work with a range of stakeholders across an organization. For example, we may work with the Organizational Development Team to promote and embed an organization’s values or the Sustainability Manager in promoting behaviors that reduce employees’ carbon footprint. It could be working with Managers to help with a change management program within their teams or the Senior Leadership Team to give them more presence across an organization. Each of these initiatives can be hosted and promoted through the unique digital platform that we create for them. Working with various stakeholders means we are more likely to better understand the impact of an organization’s operational culture and how this influences the nature of programs we design and implement.
Q. Developing a dedicated digital platform needs experts in the house. How did you manage to form your dream team?
We are extremely proud of the Synergy Health team. We have grown a team of people that all have a common goal – to improve employee lives across the globe. We are driven by creating innovative solutions and fostering an environment where all programs delivered provide a further opportunity to learn and enhance our ability to continue to meet our clients’ needs over time. To create a high performing team, we have recruited employees whose personal values align with Synergy Health values. While it is important to always look for opportunities to promote Synergy Health values, we also proactively create an environment where employees are encouraged to promote their personal values inside and outside the workplace. This means they are more likely to be resilient, energized and tap into their discretionary effort to reach new levels of personal and team performance.
Q. Trust is a difficult attribute to measure and a delicate dynamic to maintain. How do you maintain this with your clients?
Trust is critical in maintaining long term partnerships. Given the level of customization Synergy Health can offer, we heavily invest time in determining what unique requirements the organization may have and work tirelessly to deliver on these requirements. This consultative approach is an ongoing process and is particularly valuable within a changeable environment like that caused by COVID-19. To further reinforce trust, Synergy Health also provides full transparency in the outcomes achieved. This includes ongoing access to a live reporting dashboard that captures key metrics related to the success of the program. We are proud to highlight that the average retention rate for our customized clients is fast approaching 10 years. This is a reflection of the degree of trust we have established and our ability to be able to assist our clients year after year as their needs change over time.
Q. What does the future hold for Synergy Health Limited and its customers? Are exciting things on the way?
Synergy Health continues to grow globally and work with more complex organizations that have unique requirements. When working with an organization that has a team that is as passionate about promoting wellbeing, safety and engagement as what we are, coupled with our unique technology…
…together we can create a unique program for a unique workplace and their unique people.
Working in partnership with our clients, we continue to enhance our understanding of the nature of the initiatives that work best across a range of environments. From these insights, we consistently invest in new technology and exciting features that enhance our overall value proposition. These enhancements are then delivered across our client base.
Meet the leader behind the success of Synergy Health Limited
Brad Norris is the Founder and Managing Director of Synergy Health Limited, a business that over the last 20 years developed a strong reputation for delivering effective workplace wellbeing, safety and engagement programs to some of the largest and most successful workplaces across the globe. He has a Masters in Organizational Psychology, thrives on delivering keynote presentations, and is a coffee lover and bike fanatic.