Workplace wellbeing is becoming embedded within the HR and business objectives of an increasing number of organisations, with more and more employers planning to analyse their workplace wellbeing data more proactively. Businesses want to demonstrate how employee wellbeing support and early intervention can improve performance while reducing cost risks.

The ongoing pressures facing the NHS, coupled with an ageing workforce and shifting employee expectations, mean that the government is becoming more reliant on businesses to offer workplace health support. Changes to health and workplace wellbeing services are one way the government wants employers to better support the health and wellbeing of their people.

To manage this shift in responsibility, employers are already planning to spread the load throughout their teams and beyond. From line managers to external HR partners, organisations are exploring how best to assign wellbeing ownership, as well as finding ways to empower employees to manage their health themselves.

Employee expectations are having an increasing influence on wellbeing and health offerings. Generational differences and needs – particularly those related to an ageing society – are now shaping more than half of workplace wellbeing strategies. Personalisation and a wider range of offerings is replacing the one-size-fits-all core benefits package.

For many employers, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has moved to the top of the wellbeing agenda in recent years. Despite current spending challenges, businesses remain focused on addressing inequalities within health and wellbeing provision, so support and spend in these areas continue to increase.