Wellbeing in 2025: What Changes Should Your HR Leadership Make?
The landscape of the modern workplace never seems to stop changing. Heading into 2025, wellbeing at work has become a cornerstone of organisational strategy and a key focus for HR leadership. The concept of staff health has far bypassed traditional health and safety protocols, with management teams and HR leadership embracing a more holistic approach, one which fosters mental, physical, and emotional health. 70% of people surveyed in our annual HR Salary Survey now work for a business that has an up-to-date and wellbeing strategy.
The development of new, technology driven approaches within modern organisations is resulting in more digital wellbeing solutions being implemented by HR leadership than ever before. Wearable technologies, mental health apps and virtual wellness platforms help provide real-time insights into employee health, and foster proactive management approaches. They allow managers to offer personalised wellness plans that suit each individual employee, and allow those in HR leadership roles to employ strategic tactics that are driven by data, not guesswork.
The mental health crisis continues to cast a long shadow over our workplaces, and for those in HR leadership teams, there is wide recognition that acknowledging mental health as critical to workplace wellbeing has a positive effect on employee engagement and productivity. With burnout remaining a huge issue, particularly within industries like finance, robust mental health initiatives need to be at the forefront in wellbeing strategies this year.
If you’re in HR leadership, you need to be aware of the mental state of your staff, and should encourage team managers to normalise mental health check-ins and discussions within their own teams. Mental health first aid training can help hugely with this, from both sides - managers that have MHFA training find it easier to start these conversations. Giving staff access to counselling services, ensuring they feel able to be open about needing that kind of help and offering flexible working arrangements which allow employees greater control over their schedules are all things can help to reduce stress and improve work-life balance.
