Wellbeing in 2025 | Inizio Engage XD

The unlikely anchor for your business in a year of relentless change

It’s that time of year again when organizations are planning ahead and making the decisions to inform the strategic direction for the months and years ahead. And, although there’s global economic growth expected, we know that 2025 will bring even more change for employees, leaders, and businesses.

A significant number of organizations are undergoing major restructures to adapt to the evolving economic landscape. This includes resizing budgets and focusing on cost-efficiency to navigate uncertainties¹.

With these shifts in strategic priorities, wellbeing at work is often deprioritized, leading to reduced funding, fewer resources and a decline of initiatives and support for employees. But all this runs counter to a good deal of evidence that wellbeing is more necessary to your people – and more critical to your business – in turbulent times.

We know it remains a non-negotiable for employees

According to Wellhub’s 2025 State of Work-Life Wellness Report, 88% of employees say wellbeing support is as important to them as their salary. And, 83% of employees would consider leaving their current employer due to a lack of focus on wellbeing².

If we think about how much it costs a business to replace great talent – and the impact that higher attrition places on organizations – it really does demonstrate the need to keep wellbeing as a key focus area.

People need more support with their wellbeing during times of change

Employees’ wellbeing often declines during periods of change. This includes mental wellbeing – related to stress, burnout, anxiety about what the future holds, or worry for others experiencing a life impacting change or redundancy. And, physical wellbeing – not making the time to prioritize exercise, healthy eating, movement.

The evidence that mental health can be extremely affected by work factors is indisputable. In the Wellhub Wellness report, work stress was identified as the primary cause of declining mental health, with nearly half (47%) of employees citing it as the main contributing factor, surpassing other issues like inflation and anxiety due to AI².

The benefits to businesses are significant

Wellbeing interventions have been shown to improve productivity. For example, companies that prioritize mental health support see a significant reduction in burnout rates, leading to higher productivity and better overall performance³.

So, what can you do?

Here’s six practical ways to keep a focus on wellbeing (whilst navigating change):

Less can be more – Often it’s not that people need more initiatives, support or resources. In fact, too many can feel overwhelming and hard to navigate. When resources or budgets are restricted, focus on fewer, high-impact initiatives, based on team insights. Listening to what employees truly care about ensures resources are directed where they’ll make the biggest difference.

Establish a unified approach – Develop a clear, concise and compelling wellbeing strategy that’s right for your business, your brand and your people. It should provide clarity about what you stand for, how you’ll embed wellbeing into your ways of working and who is responsible for embedding the right culture. Create a common approach and narrative, but with opportunities for different business areas or regions to tailor it for their people will ensure clarity about the offer and that individuals can get what’s right for them.

Lead with empathy and openness – Wellbeing is deeply personal and can fluctuate frequently for each individual. Therefore, encouraging your people to act with empathy and understanding is crucial. Equip leaders to have real, authentic conversations about wellbeing and tackle challenges head on. This requires courage and a culture that values learning about others, their experiences and needs.

Connect the dots with DEI – Wellbeing and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are closely linked. For people to truly feel they belong, wellbeing initiatives must match their diverse and individual needs. By collaborating with DEI champions and leaders, you’ll be able to better provide the environment that people need the most and ensure better accessibility and relevance for all.

Get creative – Ensure your initiatives and communications are compelling and stand out. This will signal to your people that wellbeing is a priority for the business. Apply this principle to the types of formats you use for your activities and communications (different media, content and speakers) as well as the types of initiatives you create. Encouraging a dialogue is key, and you don’t want wellbeing to feel like a series of push communications, rather a two-way dialogue that reflects what’s happening at that time.

Harness the power of people – This is the perfect time to focus inwards – and think about the talent and passion of the people you have within your reach. You will have voices in your business who can speak passionately about wellbeing and possibly even curate content and experiences that deliver more positive wellbeing. This could provide authentic, tangible advice and support for people who want to integrate wellbeing into their working week but don’t know where to start, or guide them to available resources, both inside and outside of your business.

One final thought – wellbeing doesn’t have to be daunting. It doesn’t have to be about starting from scratch. There are so many useful external resources easily available that you can signpost to your people. Here’s just a few to help you and your organization stay well in 2025:

UK resources:

Free resources to support staff mental health | Mind – Mind

Workplace Health and Wellbeing | Bupa UK

Mental health – NHS

Physical Health – GH@W

Workplace Wellbeing Toolkit | Resources and Tools | Vitality

The Ultimate Men’s Health Support Toolkit for Employers

US resources:

Free resources from Mental Health America | Mental Health America

Your Wellbeing | Center for Wellness and Health Promotion

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