Work stress doesn’t clock out when employees do. Nearly half of employees (47%) and two-thirds of CEOs (66%) say most of their stress comes from their work, not from their personal lives. According to Headspace’s Workforce State of Mind Report, workplace pressure isn’t confined to the office—it impacts every area of employees’ lives, leading to:

  • 77% negative physical health effects
  • 71% interpersonal relationship breakdowns
  • 37% mental health challenges

It’s a harsh reality to acknowledge, and there’s an opportunity for HR and people teams to rewrite the script and support the health of their employees. Work doesn’t have to be a source of stress—it can be a platform for well-being, connection, and pride. Reimagining employee well-being doesn’t mean a complete overhaul of company culture, but it must be a priority to begin driving real growth within your organization. In this article, we explore how companies can prioritize employee well-being, ultimately fostering a healthier, more resilient organization.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

A strong well-being strategy doesn’t just reduce stress—it transforms workplace culture, fostering connection, pride, and resilience.

What is employee well-being?

Employee well-being goes beyond traditional health benefits—it’s about fostering a workplace where employees feel valued, connected, and supported in all dimensions of their health: physical wellness, mental health, financial well-being, and social connections. When employers prioritize well-being, the impact is clear: employees are 1.6x more likely to feel valued, 1.5x more likely to feel a sense of belonging, and 1.3x more likely to feel successful.

With 66% of employers viewing health and well-being as essential to their strategy and 50% of employees considering well-being programs a workplace draw, expanding support is more critical than ever. Tools like Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSA), wellness challenges, and community-driven initiatives provide personalized resources that help employees thrive while driving engagement and productivity.

A strong well-being strategy doesn’t just reduce stress—it transforms workplace culture, fostering connection, pride, and resilience.

Discover Espresa’s 2024 Lifestyle Benefits Benchmark and Trends Report

Move beyond work-life balance

In the modern workplace, work-life balance has become more of a buzzword than a commitment to excellence. What employees truly need is a minimal work-life impact, where they can confidently leave work in the confines of their offices. When work stress infiltrates personal lives, it creates a ripple effect: reduced mental and physical well-being, lower productivity, and disengagement.

Gallup findings highlight the true cost of poor overall well-being on employee and company success:

  • 75% of medical costs are accrued mostly due to preventable conditions 
  • $20 million in additional lost opportunity for every 10,000 workers due to struggling or suffering employees
  • $322 billion in turnover and lost productivity globally due to employee burnout
  • 15-20% of total payroll is lost to voluntary turnover costs, on average, caused by burnout

To break the cycle, HR teams must shift their focus from simply balancing work and life to actively minimizing the negative impact of work on employees’ personal lives. When employees can disconnect from work, rest their minds, and enjoy their hobbies without extraneous stress, the return on productivity is powerful. 

Build a culture of boundaries

Boundaries are a necessity in the modern workplace, and without them, burnout is pervasive. Encouraging employees to work after hours with no incentives or around holidays, for example, can foster a growing disconnect between management and their direct reports. 

For people leaders, creating and modeling a boundary-friendly culture is the first step:

Encourage true time offline

While after-hours communication may be occasionally appreciated, make it clear that it isn’t the expectation. Tools like delayed-send features can help cultivate work-life balance. When a worker is constantly expecting to be pulled into work-related tasks when they are off, it makes it much harder to rest and enjoy their out-of-work hobbies. 

Lead by example

Executives and managers must model healthy boundaries by ending meetings on time, taking breaks, and respecting the PTO of team members. That way, employees understand that it is important for them to do the same. 

Implement focus days

Set the lead with no-meeting Fridays or company-wide mental health days, giving employees uninterrupted time to focus or decompress. Boundaries don’t just prevent burnout—they show employees you respect their time and value their well-being. 

3 ways to combat work stress with employee wellness programs

1. Embrace flexibility
Flexibility is no longer just a perk—it’s essential to attract and retain top talent. To reduce work stress, provide employees with options like remote work opportunities, flexible hours, and freedom to engage in virtual meetings on their terms. But don’t stop there. Pair flexibility with mental health support:

  • Offer wellness reimbursement accounts that empower employees to invest in their well-being. These can cover benefits like gym memberships, meditation apps, or talk therapy services, with trusted partners partners like Headspace, Lifespeak, and Talkspace.
  • Implement “mindful days” for self-care, just like Headspace does with MINDays. An occasional day off outside of the holidays is a great way for your team to recuperate and avoid burnout. 
  • Make mental health tools accessible, including therapy, coaching, and digital wellness solutions, or ask your employees what would work best for their individual needs. 

When employees have the freedom to work in ways that support their well-being, they’re more engaged and productive.

2. Strengthen connections
Workplace connection can be a powerful antidote to high stress. HR teams can amplify the positives by focusing on:

  • Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Community groups foster belonging, helping employees share experiences and connect on a deeper level while turning their coworkers into valued friends.
  • Team bonding: Encourage virtual or in-person bonding through activities like coffee chats, hobby-based Slack channels, or offsite.
  • Mentorship programs: Whether peer-to-peer or across generations, mentorship strengthens relationships and improves employee engagement. When employees feel like they belong and are connected to their team members, they’re more resilient to stress and more likely to thrive at work.

3. Equip managers to support wellness
Managers are the first line of defense against stress, but they occasionally lack the training to support their teams optimally. Here’s how HR teams can help:

  • Mental health training: Provide managers with the skills to handle difficult conversations and recognize signs of burnout. Emotional intelligence is a highly valuable skill that can make employees feel much more comfortable. 
  • Support tools: Create playbooks for managers to handle crises or events that impact employee well-being. Conflict resolution is vital to make certain that all employees feel heard and supported when they speak up. 
  • Care for managers: Ensure managers have access to the same mental health resources they offer to their teams. Managing various personalities across differing teams can be difficult, so be sure that your managers are best equipped to do so.

When managers are supported and equipped, they become wellness allies, creating healthier teams, more frequent communication, and more productive workplaces.

By embracing flexibility, fostering connections, and equipping managers with the right tools, HR teams can help employees overcome work stress and thrive. 

Wellness isn’t a perk—it’s a priority

Employee wellness isn’t just about checking a box. It’s about creating a workplace where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to succeed. When HR teams invest in reducing work-life impact and building resilient, engaged teams, the benefits are undeniable: lower stress, higher retention, and a happier, healthier workforce.

Ready to level up your employee wellness program? Discover how Espresa’s Well-Being and Challenges can help you deliver personalized well-being solutions that make an impact.

Let’s reimagine what work can be—together.

 

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