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Workplace Wellbeing
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Created on
September 26, 2025
• Updated on
September 26, 2025
8
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Workplace Well-Being Initiatives: 10 Practical Ideas to Adopt

Workplace Well-Being

According to our Employee Mental Health Barometer 2024 (France), 37% of employees reported not having an acceptable level of stress at work, and only 55% said they were satisfied with their daily work experience—a drop of 10 points compared to 2023.

These results are a clear warning: organizations must take concrete, effective, and accessible action to support mental health at work.

Have you considered implementing well-being initiatives that benefit both employees and the organization? This article explains how to select relevant initiatives, provides 10 practical examples, and shows how to measure their impact to adjust your strategy.

Why Introduce Well-Being Initiatives in the Workplace?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines well-being at work as “a state of mind characterized by a satisfactory harmony between the worker’s abilities, needs, and aspirations on one side, and the constraints and opportunities of the workplace on the other.”

By definition, implementing well-being initiatives addresses employee expectations. But it also directly supports the economic interests of the organization by improving performance.

Meeting Employee Expectations

In 2025, employees expect far more from their jobs than material comfort alone. Once basic needs such as safety are met, well-being at work has become a core expectation. Salary and benefits contribute, but they are far from enough.

Today, employees also look for:

  • Meaning and purpose in their work,
  • Work-life balance,
  • Autonomy,
  • and Recognition.

The Great Insights 2025 survey (France) highlights these expectations:

  • 73% of employees support a 4-day work week,
  • More than a third say autonomy, balance, and social connection are among their top expectations at work,
  • Over half regret that remote work is not more widely available.

These findings confirm that well-being initiatives are no longer “nice-to-have”—they directly shape employee satisfaction and retention.

A Driver of Collective Performance

Well-being initiatives are not just about comfort; they are also a performance lever. Employee well-being and organizational performance are closely linked.

When relevant and well-adapted, such initiatives:

  • Stimulate engagement and reinforce the sense of belonging,
  • Strengthen team cohesion and collaboration,
  • Reduce stress, build trust, and boost motivation,
  • Improve productivity, talent retention, and reduce absenteeism.

How To Choose the Right Well-Being Initiatives?

For initiatives to succeed, they must be carefully selected. Needs vary widely between companies, teams, and even individuals.

Involve Employees in the Process

The best way to know what employees need is simple: ask them. Through surveys, workshops, or informal discussions, organizations can identify their workforce’s expectations.

Co-building well-being programs with employees ensures stronger buy-in, better adoption, and a greater impact on motivation.

Assess Needs and Prioritize

While it’s impossible to meet every individual need, organizations can identify priority themes.

HR and managers can use employee surveys, one-on-one interviews, or workplace well-being questionnaires to collect and analyze key data. These insights will guide which initiatives to prioritize—whether it’s tackling work-life balance issues, a tense social climate, or high stress levels.

10 Concrete Well-Being Initiatives for Employees

Here are 10 practical ideas you can implement. Keep in mind: well-being cannot be imposed.

1. Promote Flexibility and Remote Work

Giving employees more autonomy allows them to organize work around personal rhythms and constraints.

Hybrid or flexible work models help balance professional and personal life, improve focus at home, and maintain social ties at the office.

Flexibility is now an imperative, not just a perk. A 2022 OpinionWay survey (France) found that 46% of employees considered leaving their job due to a lack of flexibility, and 76% wanted more flexible working conditions.

2. Ensure Work-Life Balance

Maintaining work-life balance is essential for preventing stress, preserving mental and physical health, and avoiding burnout.

This involves:

  • Managing workload,
  • Enforcing the right to disconnect,
  • Planning leave adapted to personal needs.

For example, a clear disconnection policy (understood and applied by everyone) shows employees that their boundaries are respected.

Managers must be trained to monitor workload, prevent hyperconnection, and detect early signs of stress.

3. Encourage Physical Activity at Work

Physical activity directly improves health, stress reduction, and team cohesion.

Practical measures include:

  • Allowing longer lunch breaks for sport,
  • Installing showers and lockers to encourage cycling or running,
  • Providing an in-house gym or subsidized fitness memberships.

4. Organize Stress Management Workshops

Workshops on stress management—such as mindfulness, breathing techniques, or guided relaxation—help employees cope with professional and personal pressures.

These can be delivered on-site or online, and employees can also be given tools to manage stress independently.

5. Support Parents and Caregivers

Supporting working parents and caregivers is a powerful driver of well-being and retention. Initiatives may include:

  • On-site childcare,
  • Specific types of leave,
  • Flexible hours to balance family and work responsibilities.

Acknowledging and supporting these realities fosters recognition, loyalty, and reduced stress.

6. Build a Caring Management Culture

Managers play a central role in workplace well-being. A caring manager fosters trust, gives constructive feedback, and detects early signs of distress.

But this doesn’t happen naturally. Companies should offer training in active listening, employee recognition, psychosocial risk prevention, and team cohesion.

7. Celebrate Collective Achievements

Recognition is a major factor in workplace well-being. Instead of focusing only on individual performance, companies should celebrate team efforts and results.

This avoids unhealthy competition while strengthening collaboration and trust. Recognition can take many forms: public thanks, symbolic rewards, or team celebrations.

8. Involve Employees in Well-Being Decisions

Involving employees in workplace well-being policies ensures initiatives meet real needs.

This can be done through working groups, internal surveys, idea boxes, or co-creation workshops. Importantly, this involvement must go beyond one-off “Well-Being Days” and be embedded into organizational culture.

9. Provide Psychological Support

Not all companies have in-house resources to support employees facing stress or psychological difficulties. Providing accessible mental health support is key.

Options include:

  • Confidential helplines,
  • Partnerships with occupational health professionals,
  • Company-funded sessions with psychologists.

The teale platform also offers this type of support: employees can connect with mental health coaches and experts for personalized follow-up.

10. Organize Regular Social Events

Informal moments are essential to building social bonds and creating a positive work environment.

Afterwork events, breakfasts, team lunches, or internal challenges foster stronger relationships, better communication, and even help defuse tensions.

In a more relaxed, collaborative atmosphere, employees naturally feel happier and more engaged.

Measuring the Impact of Well-Being Initiatives

As with all workplace mental health programs, initiatives must be monitored, analyzed, and adjusted to ensure effectiveness.

HR Indicators to Track

Useful metrics include:

  • Absenteeism before and after initiatives,
  • Turnover rates,
  • Engagement surveys on satisfaction and motivation.

Numbers alone are not enough—changes in absenteeism or turnover may also result from other factors (e.g. workspace redesign, financial perks). That’s why quantitative data must be combined with qualitative feedback.

Listen to Employee Feedback

Employee feedback is critical. Setting up regular feedback loops allows continuous adjustment of initiatives. This ensures programs remain relevant, effective, and impactful on well-being.

FAQ

Any action taken by a company to improve employees’ quality of life—from flexible work arrangements to mental health support programs, physical activities, or concierge services.

Because an employee who feels good is more engaged, loyal, and productive. Initiatives help reduce absenteeism, prevent psychosocial risks, and strengthen employer branding.

The most effective are those tailored to employee needs. Popular ones include: - Hybrid work and flexible hours, - Mental health support (psychologists, platforms like Teale), - Physical or relaxation activities (yoga, meditation, sport), - Services to support personal life (concierge, parental aid), - Recognition programs.

Managers are key actors. They embody company culture daily. To engage them: - Provide training in active listening and psychosocial risk prevention, - Give them tools to adapt their management style, - Encourage them to personally promote and participate in initiatives.

It depends. Some initiatives (flexible hours, right to disconnect) cost little or nothing. Others (professional support services, regular events) require investment. The key is to view well-being as an ROI driver: a thriving employee costs far less than a struggling one.