Creating a workplace culture that prioritizes wellness

While wellness programs have become increasingly common, the most effective approaches go beyond offering isolated benefits to creating a holistic culture of well-being that’s woven into every aspect of organizational life.

A true wellness culture transforms the fundamental values, behaviors and systems that shape how work gets done by:

• Viewing wellness as a leadership responsibility and not merely a standard HR initiative
• Weaving well-being into everyday operations instead of treating it as a detached program
• Embracing a holistic approach to well-being rather than focusing on physical health alone
• Measuring impact and success based on health outcomes and business results, not just participation rates

Here are some best practices that can help your organization to prioritize wellness and create a culture of health across the workplace.

1. Make wellness a priority for leadership to inspire a cultural shift with:

• Authentic communication: Speak genuinely about the importance of health rather than treating it as a box-checking exercise
• Visible modeling: Executives can set an example by taking lunch breaks, using vacation time, establishing healthy boundaries and openly discussing their own personal wellness practices
• Resource allocation: Dedicate meaningful budget, staff time and organizational focus to wellness initiatives
• Recognition systems: Celebrate wellness achievements alongside business accomplishments

2. Reinforce wellness culture across the organization:

• Benefits structure: Provide benefits that address diverse wellness needs, from financial wellness to personal and family support to mental health
• Meeting culture: Implement walking meetings, no-meeting days and shorter default meeting times
• Physical environments: Design workspaces that encourage movement, provide access to natural light and offer spaces for both collaboration and focus
• Scheduling flexibility: Allow employees to work when and where they can be most productive and healthy
• Technology boundaries: Establish clear expectations around after-hours communication and digital disconnection

3. Demonstrate commitment through behavior:

• Permission giving: Senior leadership and managers should explicitly encourage wellness behaviors for their staff
• Team rituals: Build team traditions around wellness, such as group stretching or outdoor meetings
• Peer support: Create environments where colleagues can check in on each other’s well-being
• Storytelling: Share narratives that highlight the organization’s commitment to employee health

4. Measure and learn:

• Well-being metrics: Track comprehensive measures of employee health that go beyond program participation, including EAP utilization and stress and burnout indicators
• Management accountability: Include team well-being in manager evaluations
• Regular assessment: Conduct surveys on wellness factors
• Transparent reporting: Share wellness data across the organization
• Continuous improvement: Use insights to evolve the wellness approach

Overcoming common management challenges and obstacles

Many leaders fear wellness initiatives can be a distraction and reduce productivity. However, McKinsey & Company research indicates that holistic employee health — physical, mental, social and emotional health — is linked to substantial economic value. In short, healthier employees contribute more effectively to their organizations. To help managers avoid the pressure of meeting performance targets while addressing wellness initiatives, measure both productivity and wellness metrics to demonstrate the positive correlation. Consider these approaches:

• Include wellness outcomes in management performance objectives
• Train managers to facilitate team well-being
• Adjust workload expectations to accommodate wellness activities

Different teams often develop varying wellness subcultures, creating inconsistency. Address this potential problem by:

• Establishing organization-wide wellness standards
• Creating cross-functional wellness committees
• Sharing best practices across departments
• Allowing for customization within a common framework

It’s important to remember that cultural shifts take time, and a mature wellness culture evolves through stages:

1. Awareness: Initial recognition of the importance of wellness
2. Integration: Embedding wellness into your company’s day-to-day operations
3. Optimization: Refining the form and function of program elements based on data and feedback
4. Transformation: Making wellness become an integral part of your organizational identity

Many of our customers have created innovative wellness strategies that have led to positive cultural shifts. Here are some great examples:

An outdoor apparel company seamlessly integrated outdoor activities into its daily work life, with leadership visibly prioritizing wellness and encouraging employees to follow suit. This commitment to employee well-being is reflected in policies supporting outdoor activities and work-life balance. The impact of these initiatives led to enhanced employee morale and productivity, and helped establish a strong employer brand that attracts top talent.

A financial services company’s fitness center initiatives led to significant reductions in healthcare costs and improve employee engagement. This company’s focus on fitness participation and engagement programs included group classes, personal consultations and training sessions, and support for their employee wellness initiatives. As a result, the company saw a 21% increase in engagement through its wellness programs and a 46% reduction in healthcare costs for their engaged employees.

An airline company addressed stress, nutrition and sleep issues by setting realistic lifestyle goals in their Town Halls. These events were led by the Chief Health and Wellness Officer and the Director of Emotional Health and Wellness, showcasing strong leadership involvement. Educational stations provided practical wellness advice and support, while community engagement encouraged employee participation and interaction. The impact has been significant, with high participation and positive feedback from employees, and increased awareness and engagement in the company’s wellness practices.

These company’s experiences demonstrate the organizational culture shift that can occur from integrating wellness into the workplace and prioritizing employee well-being.

As organizations compete for talent and market share, those with genuine wellness cultures enjoy significant advantages:

• Reduced healthcare expenses, presenteeism and absenteeism
• Enhanced employer brand reputation and talent attraction
• Higher employee retention rates and lower recruitment costs
• Increased innovation and adaptability
• Greater organizational resilience during challenging times

Creating a workplace culture that prioritizes wellness isn’t a simple task — it requires intention, resources and consistent effort. But the return on this investment is worth it, ultimately resulting in healthier employees and a more sustainable, adaptable and successful organization.

Optum Workplace Well-being partners with employers to create integrated, strategic wellness programs that engage employees, support population health and drive business outcomes. Let’s build a culture of well-being — together.

Contact us if you’d like to build a resilient, connected workforce that drives long-term success.