Workplace Well-Being Isn’t Working—Here’s What To Do Instead

We’re living through a paradox. More and more employers are investing in well-being, and yet stress, burnout and disengagement are higher than ever. What went wrong?

Flexible hours. Mindfulness apps. Gym memberships. Mental health webinars. These are all well-intentioned initiatives, and yet the results often don’t match the investment. Gallup reports that only 21% of employees in 2024 felt engaged at work. Mental health-related absenteeism is rising. Productivity growth remains sluggish.

I propose that it’s not the idea of well-being that’s failed; perhaps it’s how we’re defining and measuring success.

The Paradox Of Progress

Deloitte found that 81% of employers have increased their focus on mental health since the pandemic. But my company's 2025 well-being trends report found that while investment is up, outcomes are still flat. Just 17% of employees would be "very likely" to recommend their employer based on well-being.

Most organizations are doing something about well-being. The question is: Are they doing the right things?

Burnout is rising as job insecurity, economic pressures and an always-on work culture are taking their toll. People want flexible working, paid wellness days and healthcare. But in my experience, these only work when backed by a strong culture, consistent engagement and meaningful measurement.

The Measurement Problem

Too often, we confuse outputs with outcomes. It’s natural to measure what’s easy to track, but many of those metrics offer little insight into actual well-being.

• Absenteeism is a lagging indicator—by the time it rises, it’s already too late.

• Employee assistance program (EAP) usage and gym subsidies mostly reflect those already proactive.

• Annual engagement surveys can be skewed by recency bias or fatigue.

These signals can lull leadership into thinking well-being is “covered,” even while employees quietly struggle. Worse, they often miss the people who need support most, like carers, neurodiverse individuals or those managing chronic stress. I believe that if we stick to outdated metrics, we’ll keep designing interventions that miss the mark.

A New Well-Being Framework

To succeed, we must stop treating well-being as a perk. It’s not a policy—it’s a culture. It needs to be woven into the everyday rhythms of work.

To do this, I recommend adopting a model we use at my company called "everyday well-being." This model is based on small, consistent behaviors and supported by gamification, community and meaningful measurement.

Gamification is central to this model—not as a gimmick, but as a behavioral science tool. It can help drive engagement through play, competition, purpose and habit formation rather than through pressure. When people enjoy a process, they are more likely to repeat it. Whether through step challenges, meditation streaks or team quests, you can help employees build healthy habits in ways that feel natural—and, yes, joyful.

What To Measure

Well-being should also be inclusive. It should reach all employees—remote or in-office, introvert or extrovert—and meet them where they are. That means tracking real-time behavioral signals, not just policy uptake. Here are a few of the metrics I've found to be the most useful for ensuring that well-being is embedded rather than just bolted onto your company culture:

• Behavioral Micro-Metrics: Step counts, sleep streaks or hydration tracking can offer real insights into routine and resilience.

• Challenge Participation: Engagement in team-based challenges can signal motivation, belonging and psychological safety, and I've found there to be a strong link between participation and employees' mood scores.

• Mood Check-Ins: Real-time check-ins, via short prompts or surveys, can help flag patterns before they become problems. A slump in energy midweek? That may be a signal to act.

• Recovery Rates: It’s not just about stress—it’s about bounce-back. In my experience, agency, community and supportive leadership can lead to quicker recoveries.

• Cultural Signals: Does your leadership model well-being? Is it okay to log off at 5 p.m.? Culture can often determine whether team members' well-being is lived or just listed.

Why Gamification Works

Gamification is often misunderstood as fluff, but done right, it’s a science-backed strategy for behavior change. Gamified environments drive higher habit formation and sustained engagement. In one trial done by my company, we found that users exposed to gamified features in our app were more than twice as likely to maintain new healthy behaviors.

I believe this is because gamification isn’t just about rewards—it taps into purpose, curiosity and community. Some users are motivated by leaderboards, others by quiet streaks or personal quests. That diversity is key, so ensure your gamification methods appeal to all types of "players."

A Call To Business Leaders

This is how we can go from reactive to proactive: not by waiting for people to reach burnout, but rather by helping them build resilience every day.

If the first wave of your workplace well-being hasn’t worked, it doesn’t mean the idea has failed. It may just mean you've been using the wrong map. Don’t abandon well-being because the first iteration didn’t deliver what you hoped. Instead, take a step back and consider: Are you measuring the right things? Are you designing programs for real people with real constraints, not just the most engaged few? Are you embedding well-being into the flow of your team’s work or bolting it on as an afterthought?

It’s time to refocus on long-term impact, better measurement and human-centered design. That means creating environments where small, daily actions lead to lasting change. Where technology supports rather than replaces human connection. And where culture reinforces rather than contradicts the message that well-being matters.