It's Time to Rethink Your Approach to Employee Wellness — or Risk Losing Them to Burnout

As employee burnout rates soar, companies are losing billions to decreased productivity, absenteeism and high turnover. Long hours, chronic stress and a lack of work-life balance are fueling a workplace health crisis. However, businesses that take a proactive, science-based approach to well-being are experiencing greater success in meeting the needs of a new generation of more mindful employees.

Professionals at every level of seniority have at some stage faced "burnout" — whether emotional, physical or a combination of both. A report published earlier this year by Moodle, a global leader in ed-tech, and Censuswide found that burnout is at 66% among North Americans, an all-time high, further suggesting that return-to-office mandates may be exacerbating stressors in an already demanding workspace.

With the same report identifying that younger generations in particular face the highest levels of burnout — with 81% of 18 to 24 year olds and 83% of 25 to 34 year olds reporting burnout, compared to just 49% of those aged 55 and older — it's clear that there is a role for leaders to play in lightening the load.

For well-being initiatives to truly thrive, they need to be woven into a company's core values right from the beginning. Leaders should connect with the six pillars of longevity — nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, steering clear of harmful substances and nurturing social connections — to foster a healthier and more resilient workforce.

Here's how businesses can foster well-being through these six pillars in a world that's constantly evolving with technology, science and social change.

Related: Why Nearly 3 in 4 Young Workers Are Ready to Quit — And What's Pushing Them to the Edge

1. Prioritizing nutrition for performance

Whether employees meal-prep or buy lunch daily, fuelling the body with the right nutrition enhances focus and stamina. Business leaders can support good nutrition by subsidising healthy meal options for their staff, negotiating discounts with local vendors or stocking the office with healthy snacking options. This not only promotes better choices but also eases financial strain for junior employees and many businesses already provide meals during working lunches — ensuring teams don't resort to rushed, unhealthy options.

In addition to this, businesses should be encouraging their teams to break away from their desks for lunch, or giving them the option to take that time for themselves — whether they want to go out with team members or take some time independently to eat away from the office. Another way businesses can enhance nutrition for employees is by providing drinking water bottles, helping to encourage their team to stay hydrated throughout busy days where focus is often on making deadlines rather than taking regular water breaks.

2. Encouraging movement and physical activity

Unlike nutrition, promoting physical activity at work is more challenging. Most companies already have budgets allocated for corporate gym memberships or fitness class discounts. However, there are more interactive and cost-efficient strategies businesses can adopt — such as standing or walking meetings — which can promote movement while improving creativity and collaboration.

Simple changes, like encouraging employees to take calls while walking or having team Zoom calls, can have a positive impact on their well-being and state of mind during a busy working week. In addition to this, when scheduling internal meetings with colleagues, if you're based in an office, try to move your team around as much as possible when you can, to keep up a regular cycle of movement.

Related: 1 in 2 Founders Reported Experiencing Burnout in 2024 — Here's How to Prevent It From Happening to You

3. Supporting better sleep hygiene

Businesses should also be monitoring late-night work trends. While tracking employee hours is often tied to billing, it can also indicate when someone needs time to pull into the pitstop and have a reset. Flexible work policies help, but companies can go even further by offering subscriptions to sleep-enhancing apps or, if based in an office, can create breakout spaces for relaxation or even a team yoga or breathwork class. Smaller interventions — like ensuring employees can switch off from work communications after hours by having a "no work emails on phone" rule — can further improve overall sleep quality and remove distractions from work bleeding into their personal lives.

4. Stress management: Leading by example

Managing stress levels effectively within a business is where leadership plays a crucial role. Providing mental health days, private medical packages that include therapy, or even celebrating wellness through company-wide activities can all foster resilience against burnout.

Leadership sets the tone for this discussion — whether through office-wide sports days, mindfulness programs or creative team-building initiatives — and decides how much priority is given towards activities to mitigate stress, while keeping on track with the day-to-day obligations of work. One essential point businesses must acknowledge is that not all employees find physical activities stress-relieving. This is why wider options, focused teamwork or mindfulness, rather than exercise, are a great supplementary option.

Related: You Can Avoid Burnout by Rethinking the 30,000 Daily Decisions You Make — Here's How

5. Creating inclusive social bonds

Well-being initiatives should also cater to diverse preferences. Some employees enjoy social events, while others prefer quieter, purpose-driven activities — so it's integral for businesses to cover all bases when planning team-focused social activities. One way to build a sense of connection amongst colleagues is through mentoring schemes, team-building retreats and volunteering days.

This well-balanced approach avoids an over-reliance on events centred around alcohol and prioritizes sober-friendly activities that strengthen team dynamics. With a lot of high-demand jobs tending to cultivate a "work hard, play hard" mentality, there is a danger that employees can slip into excessive drinking or smoking to manage their levels of stress. Employers should consider providing guidance and information on services, directly to colleagues, on how they can identify an issue and get any support they need, in a confidential and judgment-free environment.

Leaders really need to re-evaluate the way they think about wellness at work, to create a culture of well-being, which is essential for lasting success as a business. As they change and grow, those businesses that focus on holistic wellness will not only retain a talented workforce; they will also spark innovation and foster environments where employees can truly flourish.