10 components of an effective employee well-being strategy

Employee well-being has moved from a supplemental benefit to a core organizational priority. Today's strategies extend beyond traditional wellness programs to address emotional, mental, financial and social health as part of how work is designed and supported.

Even before work models began shifting at scale, many organizations recognized the importance of employee well-being. What has become clearer over time is the gap between intention and execution. While well-being is widely valued, far fewer organizations believe their current strategies are meeting employee needs.

As work models, expectations and workforce pressures continue to evolve, employee well-being strategies must be treated as ongoing programs rather than one-time initiatives. From leadership alignment to measurement and communication, the following components outline what effective, sustainable well-being strategies require.

1. A holistic approach

Well-being is an expanded view of health and wellness. It moves beyond physical markers to include emotional, mental, financial and other aspects of a healthy and happy employee experience. This also means business and HR leaders need to realize these facets extend beyond the nine-to-five, as work and personal responsibilities increasingly intersect.

Leaders often think of employee well-being strategies as just serving the employee, said Jes Osrow, co-founder of HR consultancy The Rise Journey, based in New York. For efforts to work, companies need to remember they're serving the entire person.

"You can't just think about the person who shows up at work and puts in the hours; you have to think about that person outside of work [as well]," Osrow said.

2. Leadership buy-in

Budgets are a concern for most companies, but leaders need to know that employee well-being strategies aren't just an item to check off on the financial statements.

"The challenge is that you need someone on the inside who is a believer," said Lauren Baptiste, founder of wellness coaching firm Acheloa Wellness, located in New York.

The Rise Journey's Osrow suggested talking to leaders about their own needs.

"Once they can recognize their own limitations … they might be able to see what this means for other individuals," she said.

Sustained leadership buy-in helps ensure well-being efforts remain funded and visible beyond initial rollouts.

3. An understanding of current offerings

Before refining the employee well-being strategy, HR leaders and other stakeholders need to understand what programs are currently offered and how well they're working. Few organizations are starting from scratch.

That review and assessment includes taking a look at the employee assistance program (EAP), Baptiste said.

Many organizations struggle to understand how existing EAPs are used or perceived by employees.

An EAP, which employees can use to get confidential help with work-related and personal problems, can't do any good if employees aren't aware of it or if they don't understand how it works. In addition, companies might already have fitness incentive programs, wellness challenges, or other efforts related to wellness and health -- all of which require assessment before adding new offerings.

4. An awareness of employee sentiment

A well-being program can only succeed if companies offer what employees want.

The easiest way to find that out is through employee sentiment analysis. Ask them in engagement surveys or polls, Osrow said. Organizations need to ask what wellness means to them and what will help them, whether it's time off, compensation, counseling or reimbursement for wellness-related services.

"There's a lot you can do that some people might buy into and some people don't," Osrow said. "If you can offer up a variety, ask your employees and allow them to buy into what they want," she said.

Or, as Baptiste put it, ask what will bring people joy.

Employee well-being strategies must be treated as ongoing programs rather than one-time initiatives.

5. A focus on incremental behavioral changes

Getting employees to buy into change, whether it's healthier eating, moving more or reducing stress, requires encouraging small changes, said Pam Reece, a consultant specializing in wellness and leadership presence.

For example, if companies encourage meditation or applied breathing, they can start with a goal of two minutes per day.

"This sets people up for success and helps them to believe that these changes are doable," she said.

6. An insight into well-being motivation

Well-being is highly complex and closely tied to long-term behavior change. Understanding what motivates individuals -- and how to personalize support -- is critical to success.

For example, a key component of an employee well-being strategy is to tie it into the employee's individual "why," such as why becoming calmer not only helps them focus more on the job, but also become a better parent to their kids, Reece said.

7. Metrics and measurement

While it might seem difficult to know whether employee well-being strategies are making a difference, the easiest metrics to measure are physical.

For example, looking at how many more or fewer sick days employees are taking can help identify whether they are benefiting from the program, Baptiste said.

Organizations might also look at engagement, retention and utilization trends to understand how well-being efforts are resonating over time.

8. Goals to define success

Companies will also need to have goals for their programs as part of their measurement strategies. They can set goals for participation and desired outcomes, said Matt Erhard, managing partner of Summit Search Group, a Canadian national recruiting agency. While these are related, tracking them separately can provide the most accurate assessment of how the employee well-being strategy is working.

"Just like with any big project, start with smaller goals that are easy to meet," Erhard said.

These should also be specific, measurable and timely, such as increasing employee enrollment in a program by 15% in the next quarter, he said.

9. Transparent communication with employees

Continuous, transparent communication is a core requirement.

From the beginning, companies need to explain what they're doing and why, and to provide clear timelines for programs, Osrow said.

For example, company and HR leaders can come right out and say they're holding focus groups or doing a survey to find out what employees need, Osrow said. As well-being initiatives evolve, the HR team can conduct check-ins to learn which offerings employees used and what's working. HR should also market available offerings annually.

10. An inclusion of organizational values

For a corporate wellness initiative to work, it needs to be part of the company's values, Baptiste said.

"I'm a big believer that it needs to be integrated into the professional and personal strategy, and, for organizations, tied to their values," she said.

For example, in financial services, an "end justifies the means" culture is common, Baptiste said. However, with so many companies facing health challenges and burnout-related turnover, wellness strategies -- and employee wellness, in general -- need to become part of the organization's overarching strategy.

While there is no one-size-fits-all for employee well-being strategies, these common components can help organizations begin tailoring a program that supports their employees, whether it's improving mental health or overall health. Knowing what employees want and how to measure success will be key moving forward, as will integrating employee wellness into the organization's culture.

Treating employee well-being as a sustained organizational commitment, rather than a short-term response, helps ensure programs remain relevant as workforce needs change.

Editor's note: This article was updated in 2026 to reflect how employee well-being strategies have evolved into ongoing organizational priorities.

Christine Campbell is a freelance writer specializing in business and B2B technology.