Employees Want Work-Life Well-being

Employees aren’t willing to sacrifice health for work.

What’s happening: According to the State of Work-Life Wellness report from Gympass, people’s attitudes towards wellness and work have shifted in the wake of the pandemic.

By the numbers: The survey of 5K employees across nine global markets discovered:

• 96% seek employers who prioritise well-being.
• 93% view well-being as important as pay, up 10% from last year.
• 87% may leave a company that does not focus on employee well-being.

Seeking holistic health, nearly 100% of respondents said fitness, sleep and nutrition impact overall well-being. More telling, the vast majority of workers said sound physical and emotional wellness benefits productivity and satisfaction at work.

One and the Same

The traditional pursuit of a “work-life balance”, juggling two separate worlds, has become an outdated concept. COVID lockdowns unmasked the truth of their inextricable link.

Now workers are clear: If companies aren’t on top of well-being, it could be a dealbreaker.

The stress factors. As the workforce was forced back to the office, “mismatched” employees – those not in their preferred environment – are twice as likely to feel “unhappy” at work. They also experience more stress, less sleep and lower emotional well-being.

Meanwhile, bosses and senior staff reported better well-being than lower-level employees, with 91% taking time for well-being over 66% of non-managers.

Increasing access, Gympass CEO Cesar Carvalho said resources for well-being must be available to everyone:

“Wellness is not a seniority perk; it’s the most important thing to keep your employees healthy, productive and engaged at work.”

Takeaway: Globally, employee burnout costs $322B, so the financial incentive for companies to invest in their people is a no-brainer. Instead of waiting until it’s too late, businesses taking a holistic approach to work-life well-being create a win-win for staff and their bottom line.