Why Workplace Well-Being Programs Don’t Achieve Better Outcomes
By 2026, global corporate spending on wellness programs is set to top $94.6 billion, yet anticipated improvements in well-being are not being realized, and, in fact, mental health needs are continuing to rise around the world. Drawing on a large body of recent research, the authors argue that well-being programs are failing, in part, because they focus on individual solutions rather than the broader systems that affect workers. The authors offer research-backed solutions to companies looking to better predict mental health improvements and increase the return-on-investment in their well-being programs.
Nearly 85% of large U.S. employers offer workplace wellness programs, yet the burnout and mental health needs that they are meant to address have continued to escalate. By 2026 global corporate spending on wellness is set to top $94.6 billion. Despite this substantial investment, anticipated improvements in well-being are not being realized. This mismatch between increased money spent and declining mental health outcomes prompts a crucial question: why aren’t workplace well-being programs achieving better outcomes?
