Well-being at work is a major concern for the C-suite, according to research from Gallup. Previous research from Gallup indicates that well-being ranked among the top organizational priorities for 2024 for one in four CHROs (23%), following overall mental health and emotional well-being dropping from 2020 to 2023.
In response to that, organizations have developed employee value propositions (EVPs) to communicate to employees how they plan to support well-being, while others have expanded existing programs like EAPs and other well-being initiatives. These changes, however, have yet to make a meaningful difference in the workforce, the research finds. Just 21% of employees believe their organization cares about their well-being, a figure that has only slightly increased since early 2024.
Without results, employees may perceive that employer promises on employee well-being support are empty words, even when leaders provide additional mental health services.
Gallup provides several ways HR and business leaders can help bridge the gap between their well-being initiatives and employee experiences.
- Assess current systems. Gallup finds that communication and participation rates in programs like EAPs show significant room for improvement, with 31% unsure whether they have an EAP, and 81% of employees saying they have never used an existing EAP.
- Expand well-being strategy to include the pillars of well-being. Employers looking to foster a culture of well-being should lean into the different elements of well-being and address the whole person. This includes career well-being, social well-being, physical well-being, financial well-being, and community well-being. When asked if their employer is acting on each of these pillars, between 6% and 15% agree at any one of the elements is supported by their employer.
- Integrate well-being into the manager-employee relationship. Only 36% of employees say they have talked to their manager or supervisor about their personal well-being, and conversations between coworkers are less frequent (29%).
When employees believe their company cares about their well-being, they are more than four times as likely to be engaged at work, seven times as likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work, 73% less likely to experience burnout, 53% less likely to be actively seeking a job, and 50% more likely to thrive in life, according to Gallup.
