Wellworking: A New Approach to Employee Wellbeing
Wellworking: A New Approach to Employee Wellbeing
Written by: Paula Antalffy 4-5 minute read.
Employee wellbeing is at a crisis point. Burnout, stress, and disengagement are rising, despite businesses pouring billions into corporate wellbeing initiatives.
MindGym’s "Wellworking" white paper challenges conventional approaches to wellbeing - arguing that most wellness programs fail because they focus on employees' lives outside of work rather than improving work itself.
MindGym’s research for this whitepaper involved an extensive review of over 100 research papers and studies, analysing data from hundreds of thousands of employees to separate fact from fad in corporate wellbeing. Their team of psychologists examined the effectiveness of workplace wellness programs, identifying what truly impacts employee wellbeing and what fails to make a difference.
In this blog, we break down the key findings of the article, as well as MindGym’s recommendation for how businesses can transform workplace wellbeing.
The Wellbeing Paradox: Why Current Strategies Fall Short
MindGym reports that companies collectively spend £40 billion per year on employee wellbeing, a number projected to grow to £70 billion by 2030.
However, these efforts evidently aren’t working, with burnout, stress, and disengagement continue to climb.
Here are a few eyeopening stats from the report:
50% of employees and 53% of managers globally report experiencing some form of burnout.
76% of US adults and 88% of UK adults say stress is affecting their mental health.
60 - 80% of employees are disengaged at work, contributing to the "quiet quitting" phenomenon - where employees stop being productive at work and become completely disengaged.
Depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity.
Despite significant global investment in corporate wellness, most employees report little to no improvement in their physical or mental health. So why aren’t existing workplace wellbeing programs making a real impact?
According to MindGym’s report, the problem lies in the approach that companies take to employee wellbeing:
They focus on employees' personal lives, where businesses have limited influence, instead of improving workplace conditions.
They treat symptoms of stress, such as burnout, without addressing root causes like excessive workloads and poor leadership.
They offer generic, one-size-fits-all initiatives rather than targeted, meaningful interventions.
They disproportionately benefit employees who are already thriving, rather than providing support to those who need it most.
These missteps are understandable.
It’s far easier to place the responsibility for wellbeing on individuals than to implement systemic workplace change. Many businesses default to broad wellness initiatives that serve the masses rather than tackling deeper structural issues. What's more, when it comes to engagement, it’s much simpler to boost the wellbeing of employees who are already doing well - since they’re more likely to opt into programs and stay motivated over time.
These types of initiatives therefore perform much better in KPIs and are more likely to get the continued support from board members - even though they are less effective.
Rethinking Wellbeing: Work as the Solution, Not the Problem
Work is often blamed for stress and burnout. However, MindGym believes there is a way to flip the script, and make workplaces a source of wellbeing. When done right, work provides identity, security, competence, and belonging. These are all factors proven to not only improve employee health but also drive wider business success.
In fact, the MindGym white paper goes as far as to suggest that companies could eliminate ALL traditional wellbeing programs without it impacting most employees' health in any way. Instead, employers should focus on improving the work experience by addressing key psychological drivers of wellbeing.
MindGym calls this new approach to workplace wellbeing, Wellworking. This is a research-backed approach that integrates wellbeing into the fabric of work itself, rather than treating it as an add-on.
According to MindGym’s report, Wellworking shifts the focus from external wellness perks to the core aspects of work that shape employee wellbeing - such as leadership, workload, autonomy, and purpose. By addressing the root causes of stress and disengagement, Wellworking helps organisations create an environment where employees don’t just cope but thrive.
The Five Drivers of Workplace Wellbeing
MindGym identifies five critical factors that determine employee wellbeing, each of which can be addressed within the Wellworking framework:
Certainty: Employees need clarity about their roles, expectations, and future prospects. This is crucial because uncertainty has been shown to increases the risk of anxiety, burnout, and physical health issues such as high blood pressure and heart disease. In fact, research shows that employees experience greater stress from uncertainty than from a guaranteed negative outcome.
Competence: Feeling capable and supported at work boosts confidence and reduces burnout. Employees who lack a sense of competence are at higher risk of impostor syndrome, anxiety, and ultimately disengagement.
Autonomy: Employees thrive when they have control over their work. Studies show that self-employed people, despite earning less and working longer hours, report higher job satisfaction than corporate employees - this is primarily because they have autonomy.
Belonging: Social connections at work matter. 69% of employees say their manager has as much impact on their wellbeing as their spouse. Loneliness at work leads to increased risk of depression, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline.
Purpose: People need to feel that their work matters. Employees who feel their work is meaningful are twice as likely to stay with their company. In a study of fundraising callers, those who met a scholarship recipient they were helping raised 171% more money than those who didn’t. This shows the power of connecting work to a bigger purpose!
The Six States of Employee Wellbeing
Rather than viewing wellbeing as a simple scale from bad to good, MindGym categorises employees into six distinct states.
Flourishing (27%): These employees have high wellbeing and low stress. They feel engaged, fulfilled, and productive.
Coping (26%): Employees in this group are getting by but not thriving. They are steady and reliable but could benefit from more support to reach higher wellbeing.
Boring Out (16%): These employees are disengaged and unchallenged, often at risk of quiet quitting or feeling stuck in their roles.
Fragile Thriving (15%): While they appear successful, they are on the edge of burnout, feeling overwhelmed and lacking the resources to sustain their performance.
Struggling (12%): This group experiences high stress and low motivation, making them at risk for burnout and disengagement. They need urgent intervention to prevent further decline.
In Crisis (4%): These employees are in severe distress, with their mental and physical health at risk. They require immediate, structured support, often beyond what workplace programs alone can provide.
(The percentages represent the proportion of employees who fall into each category based on MindGym’s research.)
MindGym’s report argues specifically that employees in the "fragile thriving" category are often overlooked, even though they’re at high risk of burnout and leaving the company.
Three Ready-Made Remedies for Workplace Wellbeing
MindGym suggests that organisations need to stop relying on generic wellness perks and instead take a targeted approach based on employee wellbeing states.
1️⃣ Recover: Managers should reduce wellbeing issues by addressing excessive workloads, reducing uncertainty, and offering immediate support. For struggling employees, workload reduction alone can cut burnout risk by 30%.
2️⃣ Reinforce: Businesses should strengthen wellbeing through consistent, positive workplace habits such as psychological safety, routine check-ins, and predictable leadership behaviors.
3️⃣ Reignite: Team leaders need to increase wellbeing by boosting purpose, belonging, and engagement. Small changes, like sharing stories of how employees' work impacts customers, can increase motivation and productivity.
The Business Case for Wellworking
Wellbeing isn’t just about helping employees, it’s a business imperative. Research shows that wellbeing accounts for:
42% of the variance in workplace commitment.
41% of the variance in job satisfaction.
34% of the variance in creative performance.
12% of the variance in task performance.
Simply put: healthy, engaged employees drive business success.
How myday Brings Wellworking to Life
The Wellworking approach makes it clear: employee wellbeing is about creating a workplace where people feel connected, empowered, and purposeful. That’s exactly where myday comes in.
By focusing on Community, Activity, and Impact, myday helps businesses integrate wellbeing into the flow of work, tackling key issues raised in MindGym’s research.
Community: Building a Sense of Belonging 🏢🤝
A major flaw in traditional wellness programs is that they overlook belonging - one of the biggest drivers of wellbeing at work. MindGym’s research states that 69% of employees say their manager impacts their wellbeing as much as their spouse, yet there are often no support systems in place to help foster a sense of belonging.
myday helps bridge that gap by creating safe, moderated spaces for employees to connect around shared experiences, from mental health and parenting to women’s health and LGBTQIA+ issues. By fostering peer support, myday helps businesses move beyond generic wellness initiatives to build a workplace where people feel seen, supported, and valued. What’s more these peer support groups are able to create space for nuanced conversation, acknowledging the impact of intersectionality while also allowing people to empathise and support each other in their shared experiences.
Activity: Energizing the Workforce 🏃♀️🏆
MindGym’s research found that most workplace wellbeing initiatives fail because they don’t address the work itself - but that doesn’t mean physical activity should be ignored.
myday transforms movement into engagement, offering solo, team, and company-wide challenges that bring employees together through healthy competition. With leaderboards, weekly trophies, and social interactions, employees are encouraged to stay active in a way that also links them to their wider workplace community and boosts team moral.
Impact: Creating Purpose-Driven Workplaces 🌍💙
One of the strongest predictors of long-term wellbeing is a sense of purpose at work. Employees who feel that their work matters are more engaged, productive, and less likely to burn out. myday’s Planet Points system makes a sense of purpose tangible, by allowing employees to earn points through challenges and engagement, then convert them into real donations to causes they care about. Through the integration of social impact into daily work-life balance, myday helps companies turn their wellness initiatives into a force for good that goes beyond their team members.
Wellworking Starts with Action
MindGym’s research makes it clear: workplace wellbeing isn’t about quick fixes - it’s about embedding wellbeing into the way work happens. myday helps businesses do just that by fostering community, energising employees, and driving purpose.
If you’re ready to move beyond surface-level wellness programs and create a workplace where employees flourish, myday is the tool to make it happen.
Want to learn more about myday and how we can help elevate your wellness strategy to the next level? Book a call with our team today!
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