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| Title | File Type | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 U.S. Wellbeing Diagnostic Survey ResultsPDF | .1MB |
2026 Wellbeing Diagnostic Survey
Wellbeing at work: Key results from U.S. employers
How 461 organizations are transforming employee wellbeing into a strategic driver of business performance
Who we heard from
- 461 employer respondents
- 6M employees represented
- 45% for-profit, publicly traded
- 48% domestic operations
Top industries represented:
- Manufacturing 30%
- Healthcare 14%
- Financial services 13%
- Professional and business services 9%
- Technology 9%
Employee wellbeing is now foundational to total rewards strategy
A decade of transformation, from niche perk to enterprise priority
2015: 1 in 9 companies had a fully integrated wellbeing strategy linked to total rewards
2026: 3 in 5 companies now have wellbeing fully integrated or core to their total rewards strategy
Where employers stand today on wellbeing integration
- 17% fully integrated into enterprise strategy and driving business performance
- 43% core to total rewards strategy
- 24% important part of benefits, not yet integrated
- 14% basic set of wellbeing programs only
- 2% not a current organizational priority
Investment in employee wellbeing is paying off
Employees at organizations with strong wellbeing programs report dramatically better outcomes
- 3.4x more likely to be on the right track across all areas of wellbeing
- 2.9x more likely to be highly engaged at work
- 2.4x less likely to have looked for a new job in the last 3 months
- 5.9 days fewer days lost to absence and presenteeism each year
Wellbeing program Promoters vs. Detractors
- 51% of employees say their employer encourages a healthy lifestyle (up from 33% in 2015)
- 79% want their employer to take an active or supporting role in their wellbeing (vs. 21% who want no role)
- 95% of employers are now taking an active role in supporting wellbeing (92% offer solutions across the full risk continuum)
Top workforce issues employers are addressing with wellbeing
Healthcare costs, mental health and chronic conditions lead the agenda by a wide margin
- Healthcare costs 76%
- Stress, burnout and mental health 74%
- Chronic conditions 63%
- Financial stress and affordability 27%
- Workforce resilience / safety risks (tied) 13%
Q: Which workforce issues are your organization addressing through its wellbeing program? Top-3 ranked.
Cost pressures are reshaping the road ahead
Employers are refining, not retreating from, their employee wellbeing programs
- 78% of employers say healthcare costs are impacting their wellbeing investment decisions
- 82% plan to make changes to their wellbeing approach, only 11% see a need for total redesign
Top actions employers are taking to get more value from employee wellbeing investments
- 64% Streamline vendor partnerships
- 59% Increase cost oversight
- 54% Increase funding for high-cost claimants
The takeaway
Employee wellbeing has proven to be a strategic lever.
After a decade of investment in wellbeing programs and practices, U.S. employers are seeing measurable returns, higher engagement, lower turnover and fewer days lost. The next chapter is about precision: refining programs and prioritizing prevention to deliver more value as cost pressures intensify.
Talk to your WTW team. Whether you're refining an existing strategy or building from scratch, we bring the data, tools and expertise to help your employee wellbeing investments go further.
Source: WTW 2026 Wellbeing Diagnostic Survey, United States (n = 461 employer respondents); WTW 2026 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, United States; WTW 2015/2016 Global Staying@Work Survey, United States.
