Sabre prioritises employee wellbeing with series of new initiatives

The transformed employee wellbeing experience is aimed at fostering a supportive environment where people can thrive, learn, succeed and give back.

The Company, which previously announced its vision to become the premier global technology platform in travel, is investing in its team members to be their best, both personally and professionally, as they focus on immediate post-pandemic recovery.

Shawn Williams, Chief People Officer, said that they need the best people to make this happen. It is our aim to cultivate a culture that is rewarding, supporting and transparent, and that is why we invest in our people.

Work from Anywhere

The Work from Anywhere program has been running successfully for over 18 months. The WFA program supports work/life balance, improving productivity, motivation and job satisfaction.

We know that there is no one-size-fits-all way of working and that our team members will feel valued and stay focused if they have a setup that works best for them.

Employee wellbeing

As part of its journey to become a better place for team members to do their best work, the company reviews its total rewards package to align with what team members need and want. Three years ago, the company began offering a global minimum of 12 weeks paid leave for new parents, after learning from research that parental leave is important to team members.

A host of new resources have been invested in to enhance the team member experience. The Company has created a council of team members from around the world who guide conversation around wellbeing, capture best practices and enhance tools and programs to support employee wellbeing.

One of the first initiatives introduced by the council was a partnership with Headspace to provide free, premium access to their award-winningMindfulness app.

Williams said that they hope to encourage team members to take time out for themselves every day and enjoy the benefits of increased productivity and improved stress resilience.

Additional mental wellbeing resources for team members and their families are provided by Sabre. This includes access to Sanvello, an app offering clinical techniques to reduce the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; Talkspace, licensed therapists available 24 hours a day through talk, text and video; and BurnAlong, a platform providing on-demand physical, mental, and emotional

Volunteerism

Sabre has a long history of giving back to the communities in which team members live and work. In the last 20 years, Sabre has donated more than $20 million and has over 300,000 volunteer hours as part of Give Together, its global corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. This includes a $1 million donation by the company and $35K raised by team members specifically for Ukrainian refugee relief efforts.

Give Together helps drive positive social and environmental change by partnering with team members, communities and customers. All team members are allowed to take four days of paid time off per year to volunteer for any purpose they choose.

In order to help team members find the volunteer opportunities that mean the most to them, the global leader in workplace giving, Benevity, joined forces with Sabre. Through Benevity, the company helps to create critical thinker and enable the next generation of innovators.

Career development

It has always been a priority for Sabre to be a great place to work and an employer of choice. The company focused on team member experience over the last few years. This resulted in a number of initiatives, from technology events to people policies that put team members at the heart of everything it does.

The tools and resources that Sabre wants to give its team members is to drive their own careers. The Company has introduced a global mentoring program to help team members develop technical and leadership skills in areas they need support. This is one of several programs that Sabre has introduced to help team members grow and develop, and to align their personal goals with business goals. A leader speaker series, skill building series and peer coaching series are some of the initiatives.

The Great Place to Work Institute certified the Sabre Bengaluru Global Capability Center in India as an organization that builds a High-Trust, High-Performance after the company introduced initiatives to support team members, be a great place to work and an employer of choice. Team members are passionate and committed to the workplace.

Inclusion and diversity

With their wide and rich variety of differences, team members can bring their full selves to work, contribute their best and feel like they belong. As a global employer with offices in 70 countries, Sabre has made a deliberate and intentional commitment to Inclusion and Diversity. The I&D Council, made up of representatives across regions from all areas of the business, is defining a globally consistent approach to Inclusion and Diversity as a business imperative.

There are teams that inspire awareness, understanding and appreciation for a wide spectrum of causes that are at the heart of this effort. The current groups include Pride, which was formed to support members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community, BGOLD, or Black Generations of Leadership and Development, Women in Technology, and Ascenders.

As part of their efforts to raise awareness, these groups also run events and speaker sessions, with recent examples including a special International Women's Day discussion with Wendi Sturgis, CEO of Cleverbridge.

The first point of contact for team members beyond their immediate work group is the inclusion group. Two new groups are being formed that are focused on veterans and people with disabilities. The culture and the company as a whole are affected by inclusion.

Strengthening our team members' purpose and pride in contributions they make for our community helps create a sense of belonging. "We enrich each other through the diversity of thought, perspective, and experience", said Jaya Kumar K, VP and Managing Director, Sabre Global Capability Center, Bengaluru, India.