Author: Cheryl Clements, Head of Business Development of Tusker

The evidence is clear- employee wellbeing is no longer an option, but a primary pillar required for business success. As seen from the data in part one of this article, companies that invest in holistic wellbeing strategies see sizable returns- from £5.30 ROI for every £1 spent on mental health, to 37% higher retention rates. But with workplace needs constantly evolving, where should you begin when expanding your wellbeing strategy?

What should your wellbeing offering include?

The core pillars of employee wellbeing remain as relevant as ever. While legally mandated health and safety requirements have not evolved significantly in terms of offering, other traditional elements, from physical health support to work-life balance initiatives, have changed significantly.

Traditional wellbeing responsibilities are expanding to cover a broader range of roles: preserving proven foundations while evolving to meet modern workplace challenges and providing inclusive support for previously overlooked needs.

The core focus areas still driving employee wellbeing in 2025 (including wellbeing research on UK organisations from REBA):

   1. Physical health continues to include traditional benefits such as access to gym memberships and vaccinations, but now goes further to include elements such as

  •  Preventative care like health screenings (59%)
  • Growing support for specific needs such as menopause (25%) and gender transition services (14%)
  • Lifestyle help, for example sleep support (61%)

2. Work-life balance. While most organisations continue to offer standard benefits such as holiday entitlement, many also focus on:

  • Including hybrid working options for employees with distributed team support (81%)
  • Temporary leave for life events such as marital breakdown or bereavement (63%)

   3.Nutrition and healthy eating continues to dominate employer offerings, but has expanded beyond cafeteria salads to benefits such as:

  • Nutrition support (61%)
  • Genetic testing options (59%)

Critical new priorities: 
In addition to the expansion of traditional wellbeing offerings, there several new but vital wellbeing strategies that have been brought to the table to address workers’ needs:

  1. Mental wellbeing has become a critical workplace priority, with 92% of employers now offering EAPs and 83% providing counselling, recognising its direct impact on engagement and productivity
  2. Financial health support, including pension contributions (82%), product discount schemes (82%), access to financial advice (47%), and car salary sacrifice schemes
  3. Social wellbeing support, such as inclusive social events (80%), employee networks for minority groups (71%), and recognition initiatives (68%)
  4. Environmental wellbeing such as volunteering programmes (76%) and sustainable benefits like electric vehicle schemes
  5. More recently, support with the integration of AI in the workplace

 Where to begin

The sheer scope of employee wellbeing can make it difficult to know where to begin. And it also sounds like it could be very expensive. However, it doesn’t need to be if you follow these steps.

Step 1- Strengthen your foundation

Before adding new initiatives, make sure your basics are strong:

  • Holiday utilisation. Track whether employees (especially remote workers) are taking their full entitlement and implement mandatory disconnect policies
  • Hybrid work frameworks. Establish clear guidelines for availability and response times, whilst also designating meeting free days that help prevent burnout
  • Psychological safety. Conduct anonymous surveys to assess employee concerns
  • Manager capability. Equip leaders to recognise distress signals in virtual/ hybrid settings, and train them on how to create an inclusive dialogue that support workers needs

Step 2- Make the most of what you’ve got

Most companies already have valuable benefits that employees are unaware of, making them underutilised and impacting ROI negatively. You can:

  • Review current programmes (for example EAPs, flexible hours, and health cash plans)
  • Identify gaps through pulse surveys and AI sentiment analysis
  • Repackage and communicate what you already offer to your workforce – employees are more likely to consider benefits which are regularly communicated to them

 Step 3- Enhance your offering with futureproof strategies

With the core foundations of your holistic wellbeing approach in place, focus on targeted enhancements that address:

Unmet needs

  •  Use your survey data to identify 2-3 priority gaps (e.g., only 25% offer menopause support despite high demand)
  • Pilot small scale solutions before full rollout

Emerging trends

  • Augment existing mental health programmes with AI tools that predict burnout risks
  • Upgrade financial support with inflation linked stipends
  • Recognise what other companies are doing in their organisations and how successful it has been on the wellbeing of their workforce (such as the data provided above)

Strategic integration

  • Align wellbeing with other initiatives (e.g., link sustainability benefits to your ESG goals)
  • Train managers to connect employees with relevant support during 1:1s

From initiatives to strategy: Making it stick

  • The most successful 2025 wellbeing programmes share three traits
  • Personalisation. Using data to tailor support
  • Integration. Weaving wellbeing into daily workflows
  • Leadership buy-in. When executives model wellbeing behaviours, participation increases 72%

 Remember: In 2025’s competitive talent market, wellbeing isn’t just a perk, it’s your main gadget for attracting, retaining and getting the best from your people. Start where you are, use what you have, and build progressively.

 

 

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