Employee wellbeing has become a strategic imperative in today’s dynamic corporate landscape. The relationship between wellbeing, engagement, and organizational performance is clear: Thriving employees drive performance and help build successful organizations. Yet, achieving and sustaining employee wellbeing requires a structured, data-driven approach that integrates purpose, employee experience, and the right technology.
In this article, we review the key principles and foundations of employee wellness and examine technology-driven solutions for organizations that want to create a thriving workforce (for more, see our previous article on new wellness solutions).
The foundations of wellbeing
Employee wellbeing encompasses multiple dimensions of life that influence individual and organizational success. For instance, the Gallup survey of employee wellness, which is the longest running measure of its kind, identifies five core elements that underpin wellbeing:
- Career wellbeing. Finding meaning and satisfaction in one’s daily work.
- Social wellbeing. Building and maintaining meaningful relationships.
- Financial wellbeing. Effectively managing finances to reduce stress.
- Physical wellbeing. Maintaining physical health for daily demands.
- Community wellbeing – Feeling connected to and satisfied with one’s immediate and extended environment.
Of these, career wellbeing is foundational, and both influences and is influenced by the other dimensions.
Research findings on employee wellness
One approach followed by researchers of employee wellbeing has been to measure the overall state of employees’ evaluations of their quality of life, especially as it pertains to their work situation.
For instance, Gallup’s Net Thriving metric classifies individuals into three categories:
- Thriving: Positive present and future outlooks.
- Struggling: Challenges in the present and uncertainty about the future.
- Suffering: Negative perceptions of both current and future states.
Employees categorized as thriving exhibit positive perceptions of both their current lives and their outlook for the future. They report high satisfaction in all the key dimensions of wellbeing and are more likely to:
- Exhibit higher levels of engagement and productivity.
- Serve as organizational ambassadors, enhancing employer branding.
- Show resilience in navigating workplace challenges.
Organizations with a high proportion of thriving employees tend to experience reduced turnover, lower absenteeism, and better overall performance.
Thriving employees are not only more effective but also act as cultural drivers, fostering positive environments that benefit their colleagues.
Struggling employees face difficulties in their present lives and possess an uncertain or negative outlook for the future. This group often reports challenges such as financial stress, lack of career satisfaction, or poor social connections, which affect their ability to perform optimally. Key findings highlight the following:
- Struggling employees are more vulnerable to burnout, with significantly higher levels of daily stress, worry, sadness, and anger compared to their thriving peers.
- While they may still be engaged, the fragility of their wellbeing adds risk to the organization, as these employees are more prone to disengagement or turnover if their struggles are not addressed.
Suffering employees represent the most at-risk segment of the workforce.
They report that their lives are miserable, with deeply negative views of both their present circumstances and future prospects. They often experience compounding challenges across multiple dimensions of wellbeing, including:
- Poor physical or mental health, often exacerbated by workplace stressors.
- Lack of financial security, leading to heightened daily worry and stress.
- Limited social or community support, leaving them isolated or disengaged.
Such findings underscore the urgency of addressing suffering within the workforce. Employees in this category are:
- At the highest risk of burnout and absenteeism.
- More likely to disengage entirely, which can impact team dynamics and overall morale.
- Costly to organizations due to lower productivity and higher healthcare expenses.
Organizations that ignore this group risk long-term damage to their culture, performance, and employer brand.
Wellbeing as a strategic imperative
Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, aptly stated,
“Any CEO who thinks they will win the talent wars by offering a bit more money, some extra home-working, and a gym membership is going to be disappointed.”
Today’s employees demand workplaces that align with their values, support their purpose, and offer meaningful experiences.
Research findings on wellness underscore this point: workers seek trust, collaboration, and opportunities to align their personal sense of purpose with their organization’s mission. When companies meet these expectations, they not only attract and retain top talent but also foster innovation, resilience, and sustained success.
Indeed, when employees experience their organizations as taking their wellness seriously, it has measurable benefits. When compared with their peers, such employees are:
- 69% less likely to actively search for a new job
- 71% less likely to report experiencing burnout
- 36% more likely to be thriving in their overall lives
- Three times more likely to be engaged in their work
- Five times more likely to advocate for their organization as a preferred place to work
The importance of understanding workforce wellness
Research on wellness such as the Gallup survey provides compelling evidence of the relationship between individual wellness and overall organizational health. Thriving employees are highly engaged, whereas struggling employees are more likely to experience frequent burnout and emotional distress.
An important insight to note is that engagement alone is not sufficient. Employees must also feel supported across all five dimensions of wellbeing to sustain high performance and long-term satisfaction. Therefore, addressing the root causes of suffering and enabling more employees to thrive can significantly improve workforce resiliency, morale, and retention.
To address deficits in wellness, as well as understanding the distribution of thriving, struggling and suffering employees within a given organization, accurate metrics are essential. By fully understanding the wellness landscape, leaders can identify systemic issues before they affect wellness.
Using such an evidence-based approach can provide actionable insights for designing interventions that target the most pressing dynamics and issues that affect employee wellness.
In this regard, there are substantial benefits in using more objective measures of employee experience and wellness. For instance, by leveraging behavioral science and cutting-edge technology, providers like TTS’s product partner, Welliba, can provide unique insights into the interplay between employees’ characteristics and their work environment.
Final thoughts
Investing in employee wellbeing and purpose is no longer optional: it’s a business imperative.
By integrating wellbeing into organizational culture and leveraging tools like Welliba’s solutions, organizations can unlock the full potential of their workforce.
As businesses navigate an era of uncertainty, those that prioritize holistic wellbeing and purpose will benefit from a more productive and sustainable workforce. In this way thriving employees are the foundation of thriving organizations.
If you would like to know more about TTS’s new solutions that measure and promote employee wellbeing, connect with us at info@tts-talent.com.
Sources
Brassey, J., Herbig, B., Jeffery, B. & Ungerman, D. (2023). Reframing employee health: Moving beyond burnout to holistic health. McKinsey Health Institute.
Gallup (2024). What is Employee Wellbeing? And why does it matter?