We were at the ADIA -Australian Data and Insights Association Leaders Forum last week, and a few things really hit home.
James Callender from Gallagher, shared that 61% of the workforce is financially stressed. 1 in 3 employees has a side hustle just to cover the cost of living. Workplace wellbeing hasn't improved in three years.
The leaders winning right now are building moats through trust, not technology. Mark Pesce said it well: AI gives you velocity, but humans still own direction, discipline, and vision.
So what do employees actually need? According to Callender it comes down to financial education, health, and clarity in their role. Benefits that genuinely move the needle.
And Kath Koschel from Kind Group, 2025 NSW Australian of the Year, brought it home. A former cricketer and Ironman athlete who broke her back twice and was told she'd never walk again, twice. Both times she proved them wrong, carried through by the kindness and connection of the people around her. That experience became the Kindness Factory, now a global movement with over 7million acts of kindness recorded.
Her point was simple: kindness is a skill. And it's what builds resilience.
At Giftbee, that's exactly what we think about every day. How do you make people feel genuinely valued, not just managed? T
he answer isn't another generic perk. It's intentionality.