Employee wellbeing has become a core component of human capital strategy. In recent years, employers have boosted employee perceptions of the support they provide and experienced positive effects on wellbeing outcomes.
However, there’s still more to do. Our 2024 Wellbeing Diagnostic Survey provides insights on this topic. Here are a few of the key findings:
Wellbeing is here to stay
Today, 21% of employers view wellbeing as a foundational element of their human capital strategy. Looking forward to three years, this number ambitiously jumps to 46% (Figure 1).
Companies use their wellbeing to compete for talent
Employee wellbeing has become a differentiator in talent strategy and supplements key business issues such as competition for talent, approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and the growing mental health crisis (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Key business issues influencing wellbeing strategy
|
Global |
Asia Pacific |
Central Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa |
Latin America |
North America |
Western Europe |
| 1 |
Competition for talent |
Competition for talent |
Competition for talent |
Competition for talent |
Mental health |
Competition for talent |
| 2 |
Emphasis on DEI |
Emphasis on DEI |
Flexible work arrangement |
Emphasis on DEI |
Competition for talent |
Emphasis on DEI |
| 3 |
Mental health |
Rising costs |
Emphasis on DEI |
Flexible work arrangement |
Emphasis on DEI |
Mental health |
Enlarge this table
Aligning priorities
Although employee perceptions of wellbeing initiatives offered at work have improved, employers should continue to evolve their approach and seek employee feedback to ensure alignment with needs and expectations. There is a gap between where employers are focused and where employees need more help (Figure 3). Employers are prioritizing emotional and physical wellbeing while employees are looking for more support in financial wellbeing. Employees globally highlighted financial wellbeing as an area they struggle with the most.
Figure 3. Employer priorities are misaligned with employee needs
Employers recognize the challenges and are addressing them in a variety of ways. In the coming years, many have outlined improving communication about their wellbeing programs and creating a healthy work culture are their top priorities. At the forefront, we see a range of tactics that high-effectiveness companies are doing now – and what they plan to do in the future.
To gain further insights from our 2024 Wellbeing Diagnostic, please download a full copy of our findings using the form on the right.
