Today is R U OK? Day in Australia, a national day of action to remind us of the importance of mental health and the power of regular, meaningful conversation. We encourage everyone to visit the dedicated ‘How to ask’ web page to learn more.

Wellness at Optiver

At Optiver, we want to create a healthy workplace, where everyone feels safe, supported and comfortable to reach out. The first step in doing this is removing the stigma around conversation and empowering everyone to regularly check in with one another.

We offer a wide range of benefits to support our employees’ health and wellbeing, including:

• Earlier this year, a group of employees attended an externally facilitated Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) course. The MHFA program aims to increase mental health literacy and teach the practical skills needed to support someone experiencing a mental health problem. We’re pleased to share that 14 of our staff are now accredited MHFAs.
• Uprise, our free and confidential employee assistance program (EAP). The EAP offers independent counselling and support to all employees and immediate family/household members.
• Our rewards platform, Perkbox, has a Wellness Hub which offers a range of podcasts, videos and stories that are designed to support your mental and physical wellbeing.
• We offer free gym membership and freshly prepared food, including breakfast, lunch and premium coffee, to keep our employees fuelled and motivated throughout the day.
• We also offer weekly massages to help our employees relax their body and mind.

In addition, we hosted a range of mindful initiatives to raise awareness around R U OK? Day, as well as provide spaces for our staff to relax and take care of their wellbeing.

Our in-house chef prepared nutritious menu items that boost brain health, memory and alertness. We also had themed cupcakes and branded KitKats available across our floors.

We hosted three adorable guests from Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, a not-for-profit animal pound. Nina the pug, Lily the Pomeranian and Tiffany the Chihuahua received a lot of love at the Optiver Sydney office today.

We invited Shane Brennan, founder of Try Softer, to host three meditation sessions with our employees. He’ll be covering a range of mindfulness techniques, including natural breathing, healthy self-talk strategies and exercises to enhance focus.