Revitalize Your Corporate Wellness Program with These 5 Wellness Trends

As a leader within your organization, overlooking the integration of corporate wellness into your team’s objectives may be a significant oversight. The link between employee well-being and critical outcomes such as engagement, productivity, and retention is increasingly supported by data.

According to Deloitte, 80% of Gen Z workers prioritize well-being support and policies when selecting an employer. Organizations offering comprehensive well-being resources experience 11% lower turnover rates than those with minimal practices. In certain instances, companies with well-being programs have seen a 10% boost in productivity. Additionally, higher well-being leads to better employee engagement.

Leadership awareness is growing, with many recognizing the value of investing in employee well-being. IMD‘s 2024 study reveals that nearly 70% of senior executives are committed to mental health in the workplace, with about 75% of companies providing mental health training. Furthermore, in 2024, half of the executives now include health and well-being metrics in their performance scorecards, marking a 30% increase from 2020.

If you’ve yet to incorporate health goals into your overall goals for your team, or if you’re looking to revamp existing ones, start by embracing some of the latest and most beneficial corporate health trends. Here are five that you should keep in mind.

1. Holistic Health Programs

More and more, corporate health and well-being programs are broadening and are being looked at team health holistically. No longer is corporate health reduced to helping employees lower their blood pressure or the numbers on the scale. Holistic health programs consider the full spectrum of employee well-being, going beyond physical to mental and emotional health. After all, just as physical health greatly impacts performance at work, so does mental and emotional health — and caring for these aspects of the employee experience can result in improved employee morale, a more supportive work environment, and reduced healthcare costs.

Additionally, holistic health programs are more likely to be individualized, meeting each employee where they’re at along their health journeys and helping them with tailored solutions suitable for a diverse workforce. This individualization can be easily accomplished through connecting employees with health coaching services, which offer wellness plans that cater to individual needs.

2. Prioritizing Mental Health and Stress Management

Along these lines, when offering mental health support, many corporate wellness programs also consider stress management and how the work environment may better reduce stress. Sometimes, this might be as simple as implementing mindfulness and meditation sessions into the workday or offering mental health days. For these resources to be effective, leaders must address the stigma around mental health in the workplace and provide avenues for employees to seek help without fear of judgment. If this can be accomplished, teams can experience enhanced focus and a more resilient workforce.

3. Integrating Technology into Wellness Initiatives

As the interest and investment in corporate wellness increases, so does the number of resources available to corporate teams. New technology can make corporate wellness initiatives more accessible and engaging, as well as easy. For example, wellness and habit tracking apps and platforms can make tracking health metrics simple, providing at-your-fingertips data-driven health insights, and inspiring continual progress. Virtual and remote coaching sessions remove the need for extra time or travel to attend sessions in person.

In short, if your primary obstacle in cultivating a wellness mindset among your team is a lack of time and/or ease, leveraging technology can overcome this obstacle, fitting wellness seamlessly into employees’ daily routines.

4. Fostering a Culture of Movement and Activity

While fitness challenges have been a wellness trend in the workplace for a while now, some firms are taking this idea of fostering a culture of movement and activity to a new level, by either making fitness and movement easier, or by offering better incentives.

For the former, walking meetings, standing desks, and similar small changes make activity easy and accessible, without requiring extra time from team members’ schedules. For the latter, some firms offer incentives for active commuting.

Whatever route you take to inspire more movement and activity among your teams, you’ll notice the benefits, such as lower healthcare costs and lessened absenteeism, as regular activity helps team members maintain health and prevents chronic disease.

5. Investing in Employee Development and Growth

Lastly in corporate wellness trends, the landscape is evolving to encompass a broader investment in employee enrichment and prosperity. Companies recognize the importance of nurturing their employees’ professional trajectories and their personal growth and overall health. By offering career coaching and leadership development training, organizations communicate a clear message of appreciation and investment in their workforce. Similarly, health coaching and other wellness resources reinforce the notion that employees are treasured for more than their professional contributions. When employees feel valued in such a holistic manner, they tend to exhibit higher levels of engagement, loyalty, and a strong alignment with the company’s objectives.

The Bottom Line

Embracing corporate wellness is no longer optional for leaders who aspire to cultivate thriving teams and organizations. If your team has not yet integrated health goals into your overall objectives, or if you’re looking to enhance your existing wellness initiatives, the five corporate health trends presented here offer a roadmap for doing so.

Looking for more help? Learn more about Arootah’s Corporate Wellness program and personalized strategies to boost workplace performance. Get started by booking your complimentary consultation call to learn more.