AbbVie’s ‘Working Well’ Report: Shaping Inclusive Workplaces for Australians with Chronic Conditions

Campaign and Content Design, Public Relations, Social

The challenge

In Australia, many employees living with chronic conditions face significant challenges in the workplace, including stigma, discrimination, and a lack of adequate support. Without clear guidance or standards for employers, workers with chronic conditions often struggle with disclosing their health status, accessing reasonable workplace adjustments, and planning their careers.

We were challenged to position AbbVie as a leader in advocating for workplace inclusivity by raising awareness of the lived experiences of Australians with chronic conditions and driving meaningful change.

The solution

HAVAS Red’s strategic approach set out to position AbbVie as a leader in advocating for what it takes to be an Employer of Choice for people living with chronic conditions by:

Leveraging the lived experiences of Australians with chronic conditions in the workplace to define a benchmark or criteria to guide employers to provide/expand their support
Informing a series of recommendations to present to government and Australian businesses/employers to support employees with chronic conditions in the workplace

Havas Red led a research project on behalf of AbbVie, to explore the challenges and advocate for the needs of people living with a chronic condition within the workplace.

Research was conducted in the following stages:

Extensive desktop research, to identify currently available materials on chronic conditions within the workplace from patient advocacy groups (PAGs) and employer organisations, uncovering commonalities and initial themes
Qualitative interviews with representatives from various PAGs representing the 10 chronic condition groups as defined by the ABS to gather insights on their lived experience, as well as best practice when it comes to being an Employer of Choice for people living with chronic conditions
A Patient Council focus group to hear personal experiences and gain further insights from those living with a chronic condition/s in the workforce
External quantitative consumer survey of first-hand experiences of Australians within the workplace exploring their knowledge, understanding and experiences with chronic condition/s in the workplace

From this research, the Working Well Insights Report was written by HAVAS Red. This 32-page report explored Australian workplace attitudes and beliefs towards Australian workers living with chronic health conditions, while also highlighting some personal stories of Australians living with chronic health conditions in the workplace.

The report presented the key findings into seven key themes: Disclosing your chronic health condition to an employer; Stigma and discrimination; Career planning and progression; Making reasonable adjustments; Creating inclusive workplaces; Workplace education and Workplace support; which highlighted considerable needs and opportunities to better support people living with chronic conditions in the workplace.

On the 4th of December 2024 the Working Well Insights Report was launched by HAVAS Red on behalf of AbbVie through national media campaign. This launch was further amplified through social media on AbbVie’s LinkedIn & Instagram channels to:

Encourage Australian politicians and employers to better support employees with chronic conditions in the workplace
Highlight the stories of Australians living with chronic conditions and their experience in the workforce
Position AbbVie as an Employer of Choice and demonstrate the role that AbbVie plays in helping to support Australians living with chronic conditions

The results

1

Our national media campaign generated 351 pieces of coverage, resulting in an estimated audience reach of 35,117,285 and starting a nationwide conversation on the considerable needs and opportunities to better support people living with chronic conditions in the workplace.

2

The social media posts increasing awareness of launch generated an additional 1,400 click throughs to the report housed on the AbbVie website.

3

The launch of the Working Well Insights Report achieved our campaign objectives reinforcing AbbVie’s position as leaders in advocating for workplace inclusivity, raising awareness of the lived experiences of Australians with chronic conditions and driving meaningful change in Australian workplaces.

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