-- Australians can now benefit from personalised financial advice provided by 
an automated virtual assistant, available 24/7 

Today, Morneau Shepell – a leading provider of total wellbeing, mental health 
and digital mental health services that acquired LifeWorks in 2018 – announced 
the launch of AvaFinanceTM in Australia. By using AvaFinance(TM), Australians 
are able to access personalised recommendations to navigate the financial 
challenges they face due to COVID-19.

AvaFinance(TM), which is an expansion of the company's intelligent, automated 
HR assistant, Ava(TM), was developed in direct response to the financial 
concerns that are top of mind for people today. The financial health of 
Australians continues to be significantly more strained than prior to the 
COVID-19 pandemic. Morneau Shepell's Mental Health Index(TM) ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2983078-1&h=1464607115&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morneaushepell.com%2Fpermafiles%2F93052%2Fmental-health-index-report-australia-september-2020.pdf&a=Mental+Health+Index 
)revealed that the most prevalent concern reported by Australians in September, 
and the top concern impacting mental health because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 
is related to finances (46 per cent).  

"The financial situation that many Australians are facing today is one of 
uncertainty. Already a cause of major concern before the pandemic, worry over 
finances has increased and risks also affecting Australians' physical and 
mental health," said Paula Allen, senior vice president of research, analytics 
and innovation. "Australians are resilient and will come out of this situation 
stronger, if they are provided with the right tools. We are committed to 
providing the financial guidance and support Australians need to improve their 
financial health, both during the pandemic and in the years to come."

AvaFinance(TM) responds to users' financial needs and provides guidance on how 
to manage concerns that are arising as a result of COVID-19, including the 
pandemic's impact on families and small business owners' finances, temporary or 
permanent job loss, retirement planning, debt and credit management. 

In September 2020, nearly 35 per cent of Australian respondents of the Mental 
Health Index(TM) reported being unemployed or having reduced hours or salary at 
work. A further 30 per cent reported not having any emergency funds remaining. 
There has been a consistent and significant difference in mental health between 
Australians with emergency savings when compared to those without, with the 
latter faring significantly worse.  

AvaFinance(TM) is offered to Australians through employers. The solution 
provides a customised user experience by providing immediate, personalised 
recommendations. AvaFinance(TM) provides personalised experience to address 
each users' unique concerns and to provide targeted resources that best address 
their needs including mental health resources for financial stress. 

About Morneau Shepell 
Morneau Shepell is a leading provider of technology-enabled HR services that 
deliver an integrated approach to employee wellbeing through our cloud-based 
platform. Our focus is providing world-class solutions to our clients to 
support the mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing of their people. 
By improving lives, we improve business. Our approach spans services in 
employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and 
benefits administration, retirement consulting, actuarial and investment 
services. Morneau Shepell employs approximately 6,000 employees who work with 
some 24,000 client organizations that use our services in 162 countries. For 
more information, visit morneaushepell.com.

Contact: Heather MacDonald, Morneau Shepell, media@morneaushepell.com, 
0011-1-855-622-3327

SOURCE  Morneau Shepell Inc.