It’s that time of year when we compile our annual list of workplace wellness trends to watch for in the coming year that could have an influence over your corporate well-being strategy. In 2025, we’ll see employers focus on employee burnout, expand their support for women’s health across all stages of life, strategically leverage AI to enhance well-being connection points, and look to leadership to set the well-being example for the entire organization. Read on for details…
2024 was another challenging year for the workplace, resulting in the lowest levels of employee engagement we’ve seen in over a decade. Employers recognize that this unsettled environment is taking a toll on employees and now see well-being as an integral part of their workforce strategy.1 In 2025, we’ll see employers remain committed to their investments in workplace wellness. Let’s explore a few areas where we predict employers will focus their efforts.
Trend #1: Burnout is real.
WebMD’s Center for Research conducted a study and found a third of all employees are experiencing persistent burnout. Employee perceptions of burnout also increased by over 25% from 2022 to 2024. Our research found increased levels of burnout among members of Gen X, senior managers and director level employees, and those working onsite versus more flexible work arrangements (e.g., hybrid).2
We defined burnout based on four primary dimensions: feeling emotionally drained, feeling negative about work, feeling unable to have an impact and feeling overwhelmed with workload. It’s not the day-to-day, short-term stress or pressures we might occasionally feel, but rather is something that is chronic, intense and unrelenting.
We know that individuals who experience burnout have higher absenteeism, decreased productivity, an impaired quality of work, and are more likely to be looking for a new job. Unfortunately, most employees say they don’t think their company is doing enough to prevent and improve burnout. To really move the needle on burnout, attention needs to be paid to both the employee-centered factors and to organizational-level factors.
So how will employers respond? We expect them to:
- Work to understand how burnout shows up within their organization and the driving forces around why it’s happening.
- Examine the work environment, workload, and managers’ expectations; create clarity around what is expected for the individual and their work.
- Dig into leadership strategy to understand the important role leaders play in setting the tone for how work gets done (see also Trend #4).
- Pay attention to employee voice, focusing on culture and fostering community through a holistic listening strategy so employees feel heard, seen and valued.
Trend #2: Benefits to support women’s well-being across their lifespan.
With five generations of women now in the workforce, there is a wider range of women’s health care needs employers must consider when developing their workplace well-being and benefits strategy—from the childbearing years to menopause and beyond.
Most organizations support the childbearing years well, but until recently we’ve not seen the same level of support for menopause and caregiving benefits. Over two million women enter menopause each year in the U.S.3 By 2030, the world population of menopausal and postmenopausal women is projected to increase to 1.2 billion, with 47 million new entrants each year.4 Women going through menopause are the fastest growing demographic in the workforce, and it’s estimated that 85% of women experience menopause symptoms at work5, impacting their overall productivity. Health care spending for women is also 21% higher than for men. So, with this as a backdrop, we’ll see employers:
- Continue to support women with preventive care, pre-conception planning, fertility benefits, and post-pregnancy support.
- Add new benefits to support the menopausal years, which might include access to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), flexible work arrangements, and workplace accommodations.
- Raise awareness of menopause as a business issue, begin to normalize conversations about menopause and aging, and train managers to be supportive.
- Offer holistic caregiving support that includes resources for childcare and elder care, parental leave for new mothers and fathers, and family caregiver leave.
- Listen to what employees are asking for when it comes to the full spectrum of women’s health care needs.
Want to learn more about how to support menopause in the workplace? Check out our E-book: The Importance of Being a Menopause Friendly Workplace.
Trend #3: AI may be a potential catalyst for change in employee well-being.
We included AI in our trends list for 2024 and it’s obvious that this will be an ongoing topic of interest. As we look to 2025, we recognize the potential for AI to enable transformative innovations in the field of workplace well-being. Like last year, there’s still caution and reservation around applications of AI, especially when it comes to privacy, inappropriate use of data, and bias—and employers will need to overcome employees’ potential mistrust of AI. While we don’t expect organizations to use AI to replace the more clinical aspects of well-being, we do expect it to support the operational and the administrative aspects of their strategies, including:
- Optimizing the well-being experience using data analytics and aggregation to support personalized solutions and enable targeted communications;
- Helping with benefits administration and increasing benefits awareness; and
- Working closely with vendors to understand how and where AI is being used in their solutions.6
Trend #4: The role of leadership in fostering a culture of well-being.
Leaders have a profound impact on the success of employee well-being in any organization. When leaders prioritize well-being, it signals to employees that their health and happiness matters. This is critical because employees who feel their employer cares about their overall well-being are three times more likely to be engaged at work, less likely to report experiencing burnout, and more likely to be thriving in their overall lives.7 They’re also less likely to actively search for a new job, and five times more likely to strongly advocate for their company as a great place to work.8 What are the actions we’ll see to equip leaders with the skills to support employee well-being in 2025?
- Encourage open dialogue and communicate the importance of well-being to the entire organization.
- Create safe feedback loops for employees to share their opinions with leaders (employee listening).
- Include well-being in leadership training.
- Model the healthy behaviors they want their employees to practice and recognize leaders who prioritize well-being.
- Introduce accountability for well-being outcomes in performance plans.
Moving Forward
2025 holds a wealth of opportunities for organizations to elevate their corporate well-being strategies and create workplaces that prioritize and nurture the health and happiness of their employees. By embracing these workplace wellness trends, organizations can chart a path forward where well-being isn’t just a buzzword, but a fundamental pillar of organizational success.