Aon’s Australian Work, Travel and Convene Coalition launched to move businesses and society forward in wake of COVID-19 pandemic

Leading businesses in the Coalition will align with the government's efforts for societal and economic recovery in line with public health guidelines. 

Sydney, 3 November 2020 – Aon (NYSE:AON), a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, today announced the formation of a coalition of leading businesses that will develop key recommendations and guidelines on how companies can work, travel and convene in the future in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Australian Work, Travel and Convene Coalition, which held its inaugural virtual meeting this past week, consists of large employers and other key organisations including Wesfarmers, Accenture, Lendlease, Allianz Insurance, Black Dog Institute, Ramsay Health Care, Ashurst, Ventia and others.

Convened and led by Aon, the focus of the coalition will be for members to share their key learnings related to planning and operations, assess the impact of different approaches, and evaluate the latest technologies and how these can be utilised to support employees and businesses returning to the workplace.

This collective knowledge will be used to create a first-of-its-kind benchmark to help develop key recommendations and guidelines on the path forward for business and the economy, with initial insights expected later this year.

James Baum, CEO of Aon in Australia, said: “All parts of Australia face challenges in acclimatising to the ‘new better’ and our major cities face specific challenges in getting people back to the workplace, such as high-rise buildings, the density of buildings and people, and dependence on public transport. These parts also form an interconnected eco-system, and decisions made by the large employers that inhabit them will be a determinant in our cities’ ability to move toward societal and economic recovery. We also believe there is an important opportunity to learn from the pandemic and its impact, to build stronger operational resilience and explore improvements in how we most effectively use the workplace – effectively looking at the future of work.”

Globally, and reflective of business leaders’ expertise, the coalition will also look to closely align efforts with government guidelines on health and other official recommendations and be a catalyst in helping organisations return safely to the workplace and rebuilding economies around the world.

“While the pandemic has brought about higher levels of remote working for many companies, some employees will need, or choose, to return to the office while some will continue working remotely. As businesses and organisations take steps to reopen offices, it’s important to do so with a people-first approach. As part of our discussions in this coalition, employee mental health will be a key consideration as part of the people-first approach. Also key will be evaluating how we can embrace new technologies that support businesses and employees and help in the drive to create more inclusive and diverse workplaces. It is also vital that we commit to strengthening the communities in which we work, many of which have been dramatically impacted by the reduction in office workers as a consequence of the pandemic,” concluded Baum.
 
The initiative is part of a global effort of to strengthen communities and move toward societal and economic recovery; Aon has also launched coalitions in New York, Chicago, Dublin, Singapore, London and Rotterdam. Individual members of the coalition will also complete practical readiness assessments, which will further support collaboration and provide additional insights.