Wellness programs won’t transform your workforce—but a shift in mindset will.

Traditional wellness programs aren’t working as they should.

The truth is, while mindfulness apps and yoga sessions are well-intentioned, they just scratch the surface.

Real employee happiness requires foundational changes in the workplace.

It has been great to see the rise in mental health awareness at work: companies worldwide spent $61.2 billion on wellness interventions in 2021 alone, and that number is projected to grow to $94.6 billion by 2026 (The Guardian ). While this feels like a step forward, research shows these investments often fall short.

Wellness initiatives are well-intentioned, but they often fail to address the root causes of burnout: heavy workloads (and unreflected remuneration), inflexible expectations, and a lack of purpose and community. These are what need to be worked on.

A 2024 study by William Fleming , which analyzed 46,336 workers across 233 organizations, found little improvement in employee wellbeing following small-scale wellness interventions. Employees may benefit from moments of calm provided by Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), in-office practitioners, and meditation sessions, but the impact is fleeting without a solid foundation to build on.

Graduates feel least comfortable discussing their mental health with internal HR teams

We spoke with our long-time partner and workplace wellbeing expert, Charlotte Wiseman, who advocates ‘mutual trust’ as the ‘foundation of psychological safety’ in the workplace. She equates meditation apps to ‘putting a sticky plaster on a broken leg’. While they are nice perks, ultimately day-to-day mindsets need to change.

Management ‘need to trust that people are doing their best, as this becomes a self-fulfilling policy, where people repay the trust with higher performances.’ And to create a healthy workplace with wellbeing at the forefront, Charlotte believes that ‘managers need to be flexible to understand and relate to other people, but also to have a strong sense of self-awareness’.

This means understanding when someone feels overworked or under an unreasonable amount of pressure, and taking the time to understand what is making them feel that way. Is it the volume of work, the pace, the complexity of tasks, or something else? Then, it is crucial to take the time to work with them and address the issue appropriately, so they can engage positively with the pressure.

It is this sort of approach that can break down barriers between employees and management, and start to see people relating to each other on more human levels.

Our own research at Give a Grad a Go has proven how important this is. From a survey of over 2,000 graduates in work across the country, we discovered that they feel least comfortable discussing their mental health with internal HR teams and line managers, with 43% preferring to confide in a colleague.

Charlotte believes these barriers tend to exist because leaders often feel under pressure or stressed themselves, and can forget to make time to be supportive. Leadership teams need to open up these channels of communication themselves, by managing their stress and finding time to connect empathetically to their employees. This could involve sharing stories of their own professional challenges and vulnerabilities, which may make graduates feel more inclined to open up themselves.

In our same survey, we found that graduates ranked hybrid or flexible work as the most important wellbeing initiative, followed closely by better management of workloads and wellness days off. Wellness apps and EAPs ranked lowest, again signalling that employees are seeking meaningful change in how work is structured and managed, rather than surface-level benefits.

We owe each other empathy

What if we refocused our energy from quick-fix solutions to sustainable foundational changes? Employees would be genuinely happier and feel more valued, and as a result find the work more rewarding. Imagine what your team could achieve when supported by a culture grounded in empathy and authenticity, where flexibility is more than just a buzzword.

Beyond addressing individual needs, any healthy workplace wellbeing strategy must encourage collaboration and inclusivity across all levels of experience and age. We’re not just talking about making life easier for junior employees or easing the pressure on senior managers—this is about creating an environment where every team member, from new starters to executives, feels valued and supported.

Charlotte Wiseman advocates for ‘open conversations, where we air some of our assumptions and preconceived ideas in a healthy and productive way’. This is an easy thing to propose, but in practice it is hard to do right. Charlotte feels that these situations can often feel ‘a bit forced’. One solution is inviting an external partner to facilitate it, but also ensuring that managers remain open-minded, and are accepting of different working styles and approaches.

The modern workplace is more diverse than ever, with five generations working side by side (The HR Director ). Each generation brings unique strengths to the table, but also different challenges and preferences, especially when it comes to mental health and communication. We must make sure ‘that everyone feels valued and seen for what they bring to the workplace’, Charlotte suggests.

This creates a culture of support that spans the entire organization. When everyone is on the same page, working toward shared goals with mutual respect, businesses don’t just thrive—they excel. No more unfulfilled investments, no more untapped potential.

Respecting your employees means understanding when the material conditions aren’t adequate – low salaries, high workload, and poor culture – and realising that these need to be addressed. For many different reasons, work can be intense and overwhelming. Stress looks different for different people, but it should always be responded to sensitively. We spend a large portion of our weeks with the people we work alongside – we owe each other this empathy.

By prioritizing mental health at a structural level, businesses can address issues like burnout, imposter syndrome, and overwork—the true barriers to productivity. Start by evaluating your current programs and identifying space for growth in structural support. By investing in sustainable changes to workloads, open communication, and flexibility, you’re not just improving productivity, you’re creating a better culture. A culture where people feel happier coming into the office and where they're able to perform at their best.

Take the first step towards a healthier, more productive workforce.