Around 80% of Ember's workforce has personal recovery story
When Gil Sewell joined Ember Korowai Takitini three years ago, the mental health NGO opened their eyes to a radically different approach to people management – one that challenges conventional HR wisdom while delivering exceptional results in one of healthcare's most demanding sectors.
Ember Korowai Takitini provides services for people who've experienced mental ill health, addiction issues and intellectual disabilities, but what sets the organisation apart is its workforce composition: approximately 75-80% of employees have their own personal lived experience of mental health, mental distress or addiction.
Redefining talent acquisition in a tight market
While many New Zealand organisations struggle with talent shortages and competition from Australian employers, Ember has carved out a unique position. The organisation recruits from a niche market that traditional employers often overlook, though Sewell acknowledges challenges remain when recruiting clinical professionals who compete directly with better-funded Health New Zealand.
The organisation's peer employment training program exemplifies this innovative approach. Anyone who wants to work in the peer employment field in South Auckland's Counties Manukau area must go through Ember's training, which runs four 12-week intensive programs annually. For some participants, this represents their first formal employment opportunity after lives marked by addiction, incarceration, or school dropout.
High standards meet high support
Sewell is clear that lived experience doesn't mean lowered expectations. As one executive with a history of severe mental illness taught them: "Mental distress is not an excuse for poor performance."
Ember maintains rigorous performance standards while creating a supportive environment – a balance Sewell describes as walking "a fine line between creating a welcoming environment and one that really encourages and supports high performance."
This approach proves particularly critical given the sector's challenges. The peer workforce likely experiences some of the highest burnout rates in the health sector, as recovering individuals constantly face triggering situations while supporting others in crisis.
Building modern people and culture on NGO budgets
When Sewell arrived, their mandate was clear: transform a traditional, transactional HR function into a contemporary people and culture strategy and team. Despite NGO funding constraints, they've implemented:
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A comprehensive leadership model with development programs
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Employee engagement survey tools accessible to all managers for localised action planning
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Talent management mapping and tracking systems
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Mandated training for high-risk roles
The constraints are real. NGO contracts typically don't include funding for training, development, engagement or leadership – only service delivery. Some contracts specify exact hours, leaving minimal time for development activities.
Sewell's advice to HR leaders is straightforward: Emphasise people first, but ensure it's not merely rhetoric.
"I've worked in all sorts of corporate places where purportedly people are at the heart of everything we do. But that doesn't always play out in terms of processes and systems and practices," Sewell noted, adding that aligning statements with organizational reality requires time and effort but proves remarkably effective.
For organisations willing to rethink traditional talent strategies, Ember's model demonstrates that looking beyond conventional candidate pools – and truly supporting those often overlooked by mainstream employers – can deliver both social impact and operational excellence.
