Wellbeing at work

Fostering employee wellbeing is good for people and the organisation. Promoting wellbeing can help prevent stress and create positive working environments where individuals and organisations can thrive. Good health and wellbeing can be a core enabler of employee engagement and organisational performance.

This factsheet focuses on wellbeing in the workplace, explaining why it matters. We outline the domains of our wellbeing model, and look at the role of different stakeholders in cultivating a healthy workplace.

Explore our viewpoint on employee health and wellbeing in more detail, along with actions for government and recommendations for employers.

On this page

What is wellbeing at work?

Promoting and supporting employee wellbeing is at the heart of our purpose to champion better work and working lives because an effective workplace wellbeing programme can deliver mutual benefit to people, organisations, economies and communities. Healthy workplaces help people to flourish and reach their potential. This means creating an environment that actively promotes a state of contentment, benefiting both employees and the organisation.

However, wellbeing initiatives often fall short of their potential because they stand alone, isolated from the everyday business. To gain real benefit, employee wellbeing priorities must be integrated throughout an organisation, embedded in its culture, leadership and people management.

A holistic approach to wellbeing

Employers should ensure they have a holistic framework in place to support people’s physical health and safety, and mental health. They should offer sources of help such as counselling, an employee assistance programme (EAP) and occupational health (OH) services where possible. Further, line managers need ongoing guidance and training to support their teams, so they can have sensitive conversations with individuals and signpost to expert help where needed. All employees should be encouraged to have a good self-care routine.

There’s been a rise in the number of reported mental health issues over the past 10 years, and it’s well recognised that many risks to people’s health at work are psychological. This has led to a growing recognition of the need for employer wellbeing practices to address the psychosocial, as well as the physical, aspects of health and wellbeing. Our 2023 Health and wellbeing at work survey report shows that organisations’ wellbeing activity is increasingly focused on mental health.

The survey also found evidence of a range of unhealthy working practices such as ‘presenteeism’ (people working when unwell), with over three-quarters of organisations reporting presenteeism among people working from home and in a physical workplace. Nearly two-thirds (67%) have also observed some form of ‘leaveism’, such as using holiday entitlement when unwell or to work, over the past 12 months.

These findings are not signs of a healthy workplace. Employers need to look beyond absence statistics to understand the underlying factors, such as unmanageable workloads, that are driving unhealthy working practices and influencing people’s behaviour and wellbeing.

The value of employee wellbeing

To create a healthy workplace, an employer needs to ensure that its culture, leadership and people management are the bedrock on which to build a fully integrated wellbeing approach. If employers place employee wellbeing as a vital source of value creation, the dividends for organisational health can be significant.

Our 2023 Health and wellbeing at work survey identified the top three benefits of employers increasing their focus on employee wellbeing:

The UK government has launched a Voluntary Reporting framework to support employers to report on disability, mental health and disability. This will help to ensure that an employer’s approach to inclusive employment and progression is integrated across the organisation and taken seriously by managers and employees.

In addition, the NHS Health Check is a review for adults aged 40–74 in England to spot early signs of diseases and health conditions such as stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia, and lower this risk. In August 2024 the UK Government announced plans to pilot the programme to workplaces across the country.

Digital pilots will run across local authorities in Norfolk, Medway and Lambeth in 2025. Employers from a range of professions will take part in the programme including those from the building, hospitality and transport sectors, and social care. The announcement is part of the government's mission to boost economic growth by improving the health of the nation. Check our employment law timetable for further updates.”

The key domains of wellbeing

We've identified a range of inter-related 'domains' of employee wellbeing. Although there’s no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to designing a health and wellbeing strategy, its content should be based on the unique needs and characteristics of the organisation and its workforce.

The underlying elements include examples of workplace initiatives and activities to support people’s health and wellbeing.

1. Health

2. Good work

3. Values/Principles

4. Collective/Social

5. Personal growth

6. Good lifestyle choices

7. Financial wellbeing

The CIPD supported the development of the Evolve Workplace Wellbeing toolkit at the University of East Anglia. This is a free, evidence-informed workplace wellbeing resource, drawing on cutting edge research and insights that can help your business evolve and thrive.

Everyone has responsibility for fostering wellbeing

Adopting an organisational approach to employee wellbeing carries with it distinct responsibilities for particular employee groups.

People professionals

People professionals have a lead role to play in steering the health and wellbeing agenda in organisations. They need to ensure that senior managers regard it as a priority and integrate wellbeing practices into the organisation’s day-to-day operations.

They need to communicate the benefits of a healthy workplace to line managers, who are typically responsible for implementing people management and wellbeing policies. They need to work closely with all areas of the business and provide practical guidance to ensure that policies and practices are implemented consistently and with compassion.

Senior managers

Senior managers have the authority and influence to ensure that wellbeing is a strategic priority embedded in the organisation’s day-to-day operations and culture. Lack of senior management commitment to wellbeing can be a major barrier to implementation. Senior managers are crucial role models, and line managers and employees are more likely to engage with health and wellbeing interventions if they see senior leaders actively participating in them.

Line managers

Much of the day-to-day responsibility for managing employees’ health and wellbeing falls on line managers. This includes spotting early warning signs of stress, making supportive adjustments at work, and nurturing positive relationships.

Yet our surveys consistently show that ‘poor management style’ is a main cause of work-related stress. In our 2023 Health and wellbeing at work survey, 37% of respondents blamed management style for work-related stress, the second main cause. This finding shows how harmful the impact can be if managers aren’t equipped with the competence and confidence to go about their people management role in the right way.

Our guidance for managers on preventing and reducing stress at work outlines the key steps they should take.

Occupational health

OH is a specialist branch of medicine focused on health in the workplace. For this reason, OH practitioners should work closely with people professionals and those responsible for health, wellbeing and safety in a workplace.

Employees

Employees also have a responsibility for looking after their own health and wellbeing, and will only benefit from wellbeing initiatives if they participate in the initiatives on offer and take care of their health and wellbeing outside work as well. Employers can encourage employees’ involvement by communicating how staff can access the support and benefits available to them.