Can Work Actually Make Us Well? Highlights from Givenwell’s Sydney Mini Event

Last week, we hosted a vibrant morning in Sydney exploring a question we care deeply about at Givenwell: What if work could actually make us well?

In partnership with Gallup and Wellbeing at Work, we welcomed business leaders, wellbeing providers, and curious change-makers to a free event focused on one of the biggest shifts happening in workplaces today – the move towards personalised team wellbeing.

We were thrilled to have Claire de Carteret, Gallup’s APAC Managing Director, kick things off with key insights from the latest State of the Global Workplace report. Her session revealed some sobering stats: despite high life satisfaction overall, Australia and New Zealand are experiencing a 10-year low in workplace wellbeing. Almost half of employees report daily stress, only 23% are engaged at work, and many are on the verge of burnout.

Claire’s takeaway? Wellbeing isn’t just nice to have – it’s a strategic business priority. And the most effective approach is personal, proactive, and led by trust.

Our founder Jonny followed with a powerful talk about his own experience with burnout, and how it inspired the creation of Givenwell. His message was simple – most workplace wellbeing strategies arrive too late. That’s why Givenwell is designed to give people the autonomy and support they need before things get overwhelming, through confidential wellbeing allowances and a curated marketplace of diverse offerings.

We closed the morning with a Marketplace Experience, which turned out to be an absolute hit.

Attendees could browse, try, and chat with a range of local providers offering everything from massage, nutrition, surf schools, acupressure rings, and creatine gummies to mindfulness, yoga, Pilates, breathwork, coaching, and healing. It was an energetic and inspiring reminder that wellbeing looks different for everyone, and that’s exactly the point.

At Givenwell, we believe that when people are trusted to choose support that suits them, they feel better, perform better, and stay longer.

Thank you to everyone who came along, brought their curiosity, and contributed to the kōrero. We’re proud to be leading the movement towards human-first workplaces where wellbeing is woven into everyday culture, not tacked on as an afterthought.