5 wellness trends that matter to employees in 2023

January 24, 2023 3:11 PM

Employee wellness is on a lot of employers' minds as they look at the year ahead. But are companies willing to put in the work, by not only adding wellness benefits, but transforming their culture? This CEO isn't so sure.

Laura Putnam is the author of "Workplace Wellness That Works" and the founder and CEO of Motion Infusion, a company that provides wellness training programs to employers. For Putnam, workplace wellness can only exist in a culture that intentionally considers its employees' well-being through both message and action.

"What I see over and over again, in the now over 200 organizations that I've worked with, is the fundamental mismatch between these well-intended well-being programs and the larger culture," says Putnam. "My work is really around how we transform the culture for every organization so that well-being becomes a way of life."

For instance, even if it's company policy to turn off work devices and notifications at the end of the work day, managers and senior leaders may still be logging on and responding to emails after work hours — these contradictory expectations make the overall policy inconsequential. Looking to 2023, Putnam predicts employees will demand more meaningful action from their employers.

From hybrid work to updated mental health benefits, here are the trends that will prove well-being is a priority at your organization in 2023.

Hybrid work isn’t going anywhere

While there are still leaders who want to make a full return to the office, Putnam strongly discourages employers from removing their hybrid work model. She notes that the flexibility and autonomy workers experienced in the last three years are not easily forgotten.

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"One of the deepest human psychological needs we have is for autonomy," says Putnam. "Nobody wants to be micromanaged. Nobody wants to be told how they should do their work, when they should do their work and where they should do their work."

Putnam points out that even if employers offer wellness programs and benefits, workers are less likely to access them if they cannot structure their day according to personal and professional needs. Autonomy can make the difference between seeking help and putting off one's needs in place of an outdated work model, explains Putnam.

The four-day workweek is staying in the wellness conversation

Speaking of outdated work models, Putnam also predicts that more employers and employees alike will be considering the benefits of a reduced workweek. It's not too surprising, given that burnout rates have only risen in the last year — insurance provider Aflac found that nearly 60% of Americans experienced at least moderate levels of burnout in 2022, compared to 52% in 2021.

"People want meaningful solutions to mitigate burnout," says Putnam. "Having a shorter week further delineated the difference between my life at work versus my life outside of work. People need that kind of separation."

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Putnam underlines the four-day or 32-hour workweek as an exceptional way employers can give time back to their employees, and truly allow them to rest.

Mental healthcare isn’t optional

Rather than being viewed as a novel perk, mental healthcare access is becoming increasingly essential to an employer's healthcare benefits package. Given that depression now impacts one in three American adults, according to Boston University, employers should assume that parts of their workforce need help, says Putnam.

"If any organization is serious about tackling this rising critical issue around mental health, they need to be taking a more meaningful, systemic approach to the problem," she says. "Are they tackling the root causes that are often driving these mental health issues in the first place?"

Putnam advises employers to consider workloads, day-to-day flexibility and the accessibility of their mental health benefits.

Unions are part of the wellness movement

Employees are demanding a safe workplace on a physical and emotional level — and that's what unions were designed to provide, Putnam explains. Consequently, unions are seeing mass approval again, with unions winning 77% of their elections in 2022, according to Bloomberg.

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"There is recognition that unions are an essential piece to protecting workers, particularly low-wage workers," says Putnam. "The rise in labor movements goes hand in hand with quiet quitting and the Great Resignation."

Putnam considers it another way employees are demanding more from their workplace and taking change into their own hands.

Wellness is a team effort

For any wellness policy, hybrid work model or reduced workweek to succeed, leaders, whether they are managers or C-suite, need to be on board, underlines Putnam. Ultimately, a company's tone is set from the top down, and workers want to see their leaders committing to their well-being too.

"When [leaders] share more openly and vulnerably about their own mental health, that gives permission for others to be able to have those conversations as well," says Putnam. "Every leader needs to redefine their role, in which well-being is part and parcel with being a leader."