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Wellbeing plans and challenges

Plans Block 1

Organisations that invest in employee wellbeing stand to reap the rewards – but what strategies are employers adopting, how are they being measured, and are these initiatives having the desired impact?

Employee wellbeing investment plans

In terms of approaches to employee wellbeing, employers say their organisations are currently investing in flexible working arrangements (61%), ergonomic workspaces – such as adjustable desk chairs, natural light and standing desks (53%), and social events and activities for staff (48%).

However, employees most want to see their employer invest in flexible working arrangements (46%), followed by access to health services such as virtual doctor appointments (40%) and being offered the opportunity to take days off for mental health (38%). Less than a quarter (24%) of employees are keen for their employer to invest in social events and activities to support their wellbeing, while only one-in-four are interested in ergonomic workspaces investments.

Employer wellbeing investment vs employee preferences

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Flexible working arrangements

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Ergonomic workspaces, such as adjustable desk chairs, natural light and standing desks

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Social events and activities for staff

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Flexible working arrangements

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Access to health services

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Opportunity to take days off for mental health

Plans Block 2

Is employee wellbeing being measured?

Measuring employee wellbeing is critical to informing more tailored and impactful wellbeing strategies, but only 40% of employers say they are currently doing so.

What’s more, just over half (51%) of employers say they ask staff for feedback on their organisation’s approach to employee wellbeing, while three-quarters (75%) don’t measure the effectiveness of their wellbeing initiatives. Uncertainty in this space may be a deterrent, with a third (33%) of employers citing difficulties measuring the effectiveness of wellbeing initiatives as a challenge.

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of employers say they don’t measure employee wellbeing

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don’t request staff feedback on their employee wellbeing approach

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don’t measure the effectiveness of their wellbeing initiatives

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have faced difficulties with measuring the effectiveness of wellbeing initiatives

Plans Block 3

What impact are wellbeing initiatives having?

Over half of employers (55%) that invest in employee wellbeing believe their organisation’s approach is effective in supporting staff. In the eyes of employees, less than half (48%) believe that their organisation’s current approach to employee wellbeing is effective in supporting them, and more than four-in-ten (42%) don’t believe their employer cares about their overall wellbeing.

Regarding specific aspects to wellbeing, 81% of employers believe that their organisation could be doing more to support mental wellbeing, which is also the top area that employees feel they could better be supported in (82%).

There’s a mutual view that promises regarding wellbeing are not being truly fulfilled. Just a third (33%) of employers believe their spoken commitment to employee wellbeing fully aligns with their actions – a sentiment closely shared by employees themselves (35%).

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of employers believe that their organisation could be doing more to support mental wellbeing

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of employees believe their organisation’s current approach to employee wellbeing is effectively supporting them

Plans Block 4

Challenges to implementation

Embedding an effective wellbeing strategy is not without its challenges. Employers consider lack of employee engagement (39%), limited resources (34%) and difficulty measuring effectiveness (33%) as the top obstacles to implementation. Employers’ engagement concerns could, in part, be down to the fact that almost one-third (32%) say their organisation fails to communicate wellbeing initiatives to employees. For employees that are aware of such initiatives, more than two-thirds (68%) make use of them to some degree.

Some aspects of wellbeing can be a sensitive topic, and encouraging open conversation can prove difficult: 37% of employees still don’t feel comfortable discussing certain aspects of wellbeing with their manager. Employees are more likely to feel comfortable discussing their mental (43%) and physical wellbeing (39%) with their manager compared to their financial (23%) and social wellbeing (21%).

Top challenges to embedding wellbeing

Lack of employee engagement

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Limited resources

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Difficulty measuring effectiveness

33

Plans Block 5

How professionals are looking after their wellbeing

When asked what action they take to deal with stress at work, most professionals choose to:

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exercise as a remedy

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socialise with friends and family

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take annual leave

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speak with a manager

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Case studies

Nearly five years have passed since we launched our first wellbeing strategy at Hays, and our approach has continued to evolve and mature ever since. We began by adopting a simple, relatable definition of wellbeing: “feeling good and functioning well.” This moved beyond surface-level initiatives and instead focused on embedding wellbeing as a core enabler of sustained high performance.

Our holistic approach considers physical, mental, financial and social wellbeing, creating an environment where all colleagues are empowered to make positive choices for their wellbeing, underpinned by an evidence-based workplace model that highlights the organisational factors most influential in shaping how people feel at work.

We also recognise that wellbeing is deeply personal and ever-changing, and what each of us needs to thrive will vary over time. That’s why, alongside addressing the root causes of poor wellbeing, we are equally focused on providing timely, responsive care and support in the moments that matter most.

Case study – focus on mental health

The Challenge

Mental health encompasses our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and is best understood as fluid; everyone experiences periods of good, neutral, or poor mental health. It’s believed that one in four of us will experience mental ill health at some point. While recovery is entirely possible, outcomes are significantly improved by early intervention, awareness, and access to professional support. Unfortunately, stigma and fear of discrimination often prevent people from speaking up or seeking help.

The Solution

We developed a proactive, inclusive, evidence based mental health strategy designed to be embedded across all areas of our organisation. It was important that our approach was universal, encompassing all geographical and business areas:

Leadership Commitment
Setting the tone from the top was essential. We wanted our colleagues to know we are serious about destigmatising mental health and supporting wellbeing in every aspect of how we operate.
Awareness and Education
Regular opportunities for all colleagues to improve their mental health literacy and participate in initiatives aimed at reducing stigma. Specific line manager training in our people leadership programme helps managers understand the significant influence they have on team wellbeing, the importance of self-care ("putting on their own oxygen mask first"), and how to recognise early signs of poor mental health.
Intervention
We’re proud of our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) network. These trained colleagues can identify early signs of mental ill health and guide others to appropriate support and resources. But we also recognise the need for professional intervention and since February 2024, we’ve partnered with Sonder to provide high-quality mental health support.
Communication, Engagement and Environment
We maintain open channels for dialogue around mental health. This includes peer-to-peer forums focused on men’s health, menopause, and carers, as well as our REACH network, providing support for Hays employees living with long term ill health, disability or injury. We use company-wide communications to regularly raise awareness and keep mental health on the agenda. We also promote positive work-life balance through our hybrid working policy, just one of the ways we are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment.

Monitoring and Evaluation

We welcome feedback in many forms, whether that be quick post-training questionnaires to more detailed annual engagement surveys. We also invite open feedback on specific topics to ensure colleagues can help shape future initiatives. For example, this year we conducted confidential one-to-one interviews with colleagues who have experienced mental ill health to better understand how we can evolve our approach.

We track key data points to measure progress, including:

Attendance at manager mental health training: 50 new managers completed training this year
Representation of MHFAs across regions and departments: 107 MHFAs successfully trained, representing all regions, departments and colleague networks
Engagement in mental health initiatives: this year, 54% of colleagues engaged in at least one wellbeing initiative – up from 40% the previous year

A successful mental health strategy is a continuously evolving journey. While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, our overarching goal remains unchanged: to foster an open, supportive culture where colleagues feel empowered to make positive choices for their mental wellbeing.

Overview

Hays, a global leader in recruitment and workforce solutions, employs over 2,700 staff across 79 sites in the UK and Ireland. Like many large organisations, they saw the need for a more streamlined and effective way to support the health, safety and wellbeing of their people. That’s when they turned to Sonder - to provide comprehensive, 24/7 support to its workforce.

The Challenge

Before partnering with Sonder, Hays offered three separate tools to support employee health and wellbeing:

A digital doctor service for medical concerns
An employee assistance programme (EAP)
A wellbeing app for general health and lifestyle advice

According to Shaileena Palana, Reward Manager at Hays UK & Ireland, “the lack of integration across tools made it harder for employees to know where to turn for support”. This is something Hays were keen to solve with a single platform.

Restrictions on operational availability, usage caps, and confusion among employees over which offering to use meant that previous uptake of the services was low. With a small number of employees using the tools, Hays recognised the importance of addressing the shortcomings of the previous system.

The Solution

In response, Hays introduced Sonder – consolidating all three services into a single, easy-to-use app. Sonder provides immediate, 24/7 support from a team of safety, medical, and mental health professionals who are accessible via instant chat or phone call. At the touch of a button, employees and their immediate family members can quickly access the right care at the right time.

The centralisation of support through a single app was a key deciding factor.

“What really struck a chord with us was having the wellbeing app, the EAP service, and the digital doctor service all in one place,” said Shaileena. “And the ability to provide early intervention – mitigating people’s risk before they reach a crisis point – was something we hadn’t had before.”

Sonder drives high utilisation rates through its multiple entry points. Members can jump on the app to take a wellbeing assessment, read an article on managing stress or listen to a sleep meditation. Targeted safety notices also help to keep the app top of mind, so when a member’s moment of need strikes, Sonder is ready to support.

Hannah Pearsall, Head of Wellbeing at Hays, said: “The lines between work and home continue to be blurred. Worries at home can soon escalate and permeate the workplace if they aren’t addressed promptly and properly. In making health and wellbeing support as accessible as possible, not just for employees but immediate family too, irrespective of time or circumstance, Sonder is just one part of our wellbeing strategy that ensures our people can perform at their best at work, while feeling supported at home.”

The Results

Since introducing Sonder, Hays has achieved over 54% activation – well above engagement levels with their previous tools – and continues to see uptake grow. Moreover, member stories and real employee anecdotes have played a powerful role in promoting Sonder internally.

“Seeing the positive impact first-hand and using those stories to drive awareness has been incredibly rewarding,” Shaileena says.

Employee feedback highlighted the positive impact:

78% of employees avoided the need to take time off
75% said it helped them be more productive at work
80% felt empowered to seek support when they wouldn’t otherwise

Hannah said: “Sonder is playing a big part in supporting our health and wellbeing strategy. From providing reassurance to the parent of a sick child in the middle of the night, securing a GP appointment, or helping a colleague achieve a healthier work-life balance – the 24/7 support available is a real game-changer for our staff.”

Conclusion

By partnering with Sonder, Hays has successfully transformed its approach to employee health, safety and wellbeing – securing its people a single, integrated solution. The result is greater engagement, improved support, and a healthier, more resilient workforce.

"Organisations that invest in employee health, safety and wellbeing as a driver of growth are making the shift from reactive to preventative support,”commented Craig Cowdrey, CEO and Co-Founder at Sonder.

“I'm thrilled that Hays is embracing this approach through Sonder's early intervention platform and I'm excited about the impact already achieved."

Plans Block 7

Employee wellbeing initiatives are receiving a mixed reception across the board – find out some of the key strategies needed to deliver more decisive wellbeing support.

Importance of wellbeing Recommendations