28 October 2026

How employers are evolving health and wellbeing strategies for all

Investing in workplace wellbeing has quietly become one of the most consequential decisions a business can make. Not only because it is the right thing to do, but because the cost of getting it wrong is now measurable: in absence, attrition, disengagement and lost productivity.

On average, UK employees each took 9.4 days off sick in the year 2025 – nearly two working weeks and up from 7.8 days in 2023. Employers who still treat wellbeing as a bolt-on are falling behind those who have embedded it within their people, rewards and business strategy.

From wellbeing programmes to wellbeing strategy

Increasingly, organisations are moving employee wellbeing out of the ‘perks’ column and into business strategy. They recognise its influence on attraction, retention, productivity and workforce resilience.

Traditional offerings such as health screenings, gym memberships and employee assistance programmes still matter, but they don’t always reflect modern working lives. One employee may need mental health support; another may value financial guidance, help with a long-term condition, or greater flexibility.

The organisations pulling ahead are not simply offering more benefits, they’re asking a harder question: is our wellbeing provision actually working for the people who need it most?

Taking a holistic view

Physical, mental, financial and social wellbeing are closely linked. Financial pressures can affect mental health, poor health can reduce productivity, and isolation can contribute to disengagement.

Addressing each issue separately is rarely enough. In 2023/24, work-related stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 16.4 million lost working days in Great Britain, averaging 21.1 days per case.

More joined-up strategies bring together benefits, policies and workplace culture, linking flexible working, preventative healthcare, financial education and mental health support.

Wellbeing has moved from an operational responsibility to a board-level imperative, and organisations that measure outcomes and align their wellbeing priorities with wider business goals are beginning to see the difference.

Letting insight lead the conversation

Too many wellbeing strategies are built on assumptions rather than evidence. Employee feedback, absence trends, benefits usage and health data should challenge those assumptions, surfacing where certain groups are struggling, where support goes unused and where investment will have the greatest return.

Insight must be balanced with regular employee listening, so that strategies remain relevant as needs evolve.

Making support accessible to everyone

Policy also has a critical role to play, from flexible working and carers support to inclusive benefits and leave policies that reflect the realities of a diverse workforce.

A whole-of-workforce approach must reach office-based, remote and frontline employees, as well as people with different backgrounds, family structures and circumstances. Clear communication, digital and non-digital access, manager training and inclusive benefit design can reduce barriers.

Government research found that 32% of workers in Great Britain reported a long-term health condition, while 58% had worked despite not feeling well enough to do so. The goal is to support everyone who needs help, not only those who are easiest to engage.

Looking ahead

The organisations building the most resilient workforces are not waiting for a crisis to act. They are using insight, inclusive design and clear communication to stay ahead of workforce need and treating investment in wellbeing not as a line item, but as a long-term business asset.