Case Study: Health Stack and BlueScope Steel
Client Overview
BlueScope Steel is a global leader in the manufacture of painted and coated steel. Their Melbourne distribution site at Westall employs approximately 140 people who work on a 24/5 shift pattern, covering permanent day, afternoon, and night shifts. The workforce is diverse, including warehouse operators, customer-facing staff, and office teams.
Interviewee Profile
Debra Neil, Operations Manager at BlueScope Steel’s distribution centre in Melbourne, has been with the business for 17 years and in her current role for three years. With a background as a Navy officer and a personal passion for fitness, she embraced the rollout of Health Stack, describing the engagement with them as a program that has elevated workforce well-being and improved employee health.
Unique Health Challenges
Debra identified multiple health challenges across the workforce:
- Aging employees – long-term workers, including mature-aged staff on night shifts, require additional support to ensure they maintain optimal health.
- Shift work stress – operating around the clock creates strain on sleep, diet, family balance, and physical health.
- Sedentary office work – office staff face risks from prolonged sitting and poor ergonomics.
These factors created a pressing need for a holistic, proactive well-being program, to address each of the core challenges.
Motivation for Engaging with Health Stack
BlueScope Steel recognised that employee engagement extends beyond pay and conditions—it includes supporting holistic health. Debra outlined how Health Stack and its team led by founder James Fletcher have added significant value by helping the company become “smarter” about workforce well-being.
Critically, via its digital platform and onsite engagement it is able to address each of the core health challenges facing the workforce.
Engagement and Benefits
Working closely with the Health Stack team, the site introduced a range of initiatives:
- Accessible health modules: Staff scan QR codes via mobile phones to access sleep, nutrition, and fitness resources anytime, anywhere.
- On-site physiotherapy: A physio attends weekly, achieving strong uptake from employees, particularly long-serving staff dealing with pain management. The physios’ ability to connect with “hardened steel workers” has driven repeat engagement and even seen employees describe the weekly visits as a key highlight with measurable health benefits.
- Dietitian services: Employees use both on-site and digital dietitian consultations for weight management and dietary guidance.
- Curiosity-driven health education: Programs encourage workers to take greater interest in their own well-being.
Debra emphasised the convenience of these services as a key factor in driving engagement. She said that the ease of the implementation of Health Stack’s Clinician Led Digital Pain Programs has been one of the critical components to its adoption due to the ability of staff to easily access their programs via their phones. This online component is then complemented by the physical presence of a physio once a week at the BlueScope Steel site where employees can engage with one of the Health Stack around their health and wellbeing programs.
Return on Investment
The introduction of Health Stack has produced tangible outcomes:
- Reduced absenteeism – employees experiencing soreness now attend work, knowing they can receive on-site treatment rather than taking time off.
- Improved workforce health – services such as physio and dietitian consultations provide timely intervention, preventing minor issues from escalating.
- Positive morale – employees value the organisation’s investment in their health, reinforcing loyalty and engagement.
One powerful example involved a physio identifying that an employee’s “sprained ankle” was paired with fever symptoms. The referral to a GP led to a gout diagnosis, which Debra praised as a “really good catch” that highlighted the benefits of professional practitioners on site.
Personal Usage and Leadership Perspective
Debra personally engages with Health Stack modules, using sleep resources to manage shift-related sleep challenges and Pilates sessions at home for convenience. Her own experience reinforces their belief in the platform’s practical value for staff across all levels of the organisation.
Conclusion
Through the rollout of Health Stack, the Melbourne site has significantly improved employee health outcomes, reduced absenteeism, and fostered a culture of proactive well-being. By providing convenient, accessible, and trusted health services, the program has become a cornerstone of employee support, delivering both business efficiency and genuine care for staff.
Testimonial Summary
“Health Stack has been a delightful addition to our site and workplace. With an aging workforce and the challenges of 24/5 shifts, it’s helped us become smarter about supporting our people’s health and wellbeing. The convenience of QR-code access to proactive health modules, combined with on-site physiotherapy and dietitian services, has been a game changer. Employees who might have taken time off for soreness now come to work, knowing they can get help on site.
The physios, in particular, have been outstanding; not just technically, but in their ability to connect with hardened steel workers and win their trust. We’ve seen great results, including a physio who picked up on a staff member’s underlying gout when it first presented as a sprained ankle. That’s a really good catch, and a testament to the value of having skilled health professionals at work.
Health Stack is improving wellbeing, reducing absenteeism, and helping our people take better care of themselves, both at work and at home.”
Debra Neil, BlueScope Steel, Melbourne Distribution Site
