A quick summary:
- Heka's Employee wellbeing definition 🔎
- 54 employee wellbeing statistics 📊
- How to use these employee wellbeing stats 💡
- What the employee wellbeing statistics tell us about the future 🔮
Employee wellbeing statistics are everywhere. Many are useful, others have since lost their value. This ultimate guide to employee wellbeing stats will reveal some of the most insightful findings.
Our team of wellbeing experts have done all the digging for you. Now, armed with these 54 employee wellbeing statistics, you’ll be able to achieve the following:
- Make your next employee wellbeing strategy move
- Identify areas for improvement in your own wellbeing scheme
- Understand what really drives wellbeing at work
- Steer the ship away from toxic workplace culture
Before we dive into these stats, let’s first grasp the concept of employee wellbeing, and why leaders should take it seriously.
Employee wellbeing definition
So, what exactly is employee wellbeing? And more importantly, why does it matter? There are many ideas of what workplace wellbeing really means. This differs from business to business and industry to industry. As an employee wellbeing platform, we think it’s only right to have our own definition…
Heka’s employee wellbeing definition
Employee wellbeing is a strategy aimed to improve the health, wellbeing and overall happiness of people at work. It’s a set of measurable techniques and employee wellbeing metrics that contribute to improving one of the three areas.
A great strategy can only be achieved through a combination of tactics – workplace culture, employee benefits packages, flexible working and more. Alone, these can only go so far, but together, they can 10X employee wellbeing.
The employee wellbeing statistics below will further demonstrate our employee wellbeing definition – proving to leaders that health and wellbeing in the workplace isn’t as linear or simple as they may imagine.
Finally, employee wellbeing isn’t a goal, it’s an ongoing process. One that leaders should rethink and redeliver on a regular basis. Offering the same initiatives or hearing the same health and wellbeing concerns from employees without action will render results stale.
Employers should act on health and wellbeing and recognise it’s the influence it has on employee productivity, performance, retention and more. Without further ado, let’s dive into the 54 employee wellbeing statistics every HR leader must know!
54 Employee wellbeing statistics for every HR leader
- Of wellbeing benefits, mental health will receive the biggest proportion of investment in 2022 at 90% followed by telemedicine at 80% – Wellable Labs
- In a poll of 284 HR professionals on LinkedIn, Heka found that 93% find employee wellbeing to be an important matter in their business.
- In 2021, the UK sickness absence rate rose to 2.2%, the highest it has been since 2010 at 2.2% also – ONS
- 12.7% of all UK sickness absence days can be connected to mental health conditions – Mental Health Foundation
- 56% of employees who are actively engaged in their company’s wellness programs say they help them have fewer sick days per day – Zippia
- In a poll of 211 HR professionals on LinkedIn, Heka found that 61% regularly check in with employees regarding their health and wellbeing, with 39% saying this only happens during annual reviews.
- Only 37% of employees believe their employer “cares” about their personal wellbeing – Global Wellness Institute
- 76% of employees believe empathy inspires employees to be more motivated, but only 50% of CEOs agree empathy drives better motivation and productivity – BusinessSolver
- In 2020/21 stress, anxiety and depression accounted for 50% of all work-related ill health cases – HSE
- Businesses could save around £8bn by investing in better mental health support for employees – Mental Health Foundation
- In 2021, 149.3M days working days were lost due to sickness or injury in the UK, compared to 118.6M in 2020 – ONS
- 24% of line managers believe that wellbeing is not their responsibility in the workplace – Deloitte
- 44% of employees agree feeling “uncomfortable” is one of the major causes of unhappiness in the workplace – Onrec
- The UK’s largest study of workplace happiness uncovered that 36% of employees are unhappy in their jobs – The Mirror
- 1 in 6 employees experiences anxiety, stress and low mood in the workplace, and 300,000 employees lose their jobs due to ill mental health each year – Mind
- Employees with an unhealthy diet were 66% more likely to have higher presenteeism than their counterparts who regularly ate vegetables, fruits and grains – Wellsteps
- An employee sleeping less than 6 hours per night loses around 6 days per year due to absenteeism or presenteeism – The Sleep Charity
- Around 25% of UK workers are taking part in more wellness activities such as gardening – Fair Play Talks
- Of 400 UK employees, two in five respondents ranked ‘care’ as a major preference when choosing an employer – PeopleManagement
- The UK ranks #10 in Deloitte’s “daily sadness” table of 38 countries – Deloitte
- When employees were asked how employer can support better wellbeing, additional paid time was top at 35% followed by better mental health benefits 29% – PRnewswire
- Workplace unhappiness has negatively impacted physical and/or mental health according to 72% of employees – The Mirror
- In 600,000 job reviews left between January to September 2021, the keyword “burnout” appeared in 0.16% equally a 128% increase since April 2021 – The Metro
- 822,000 was the total number of cases in 2020/21 for work-related stress, anxiety and depression – HSE
- 16% of employees think their employer’s workplace wellness programme is designed to solely make them work harder and be more productive – Global Wellness Institute
- In 2020/21, both millennial and Gen Z women experienced heightened stress in the workplace, more than was reported by men – Deloitte
- Loneliness costs UK employers more than £2.5bn each year – Marmalade Trust
- “Workloads/volume of work” was identified as the leading cause of stress at work, 27 points higher than the second cause “management style” – CIPD
- In a survey of 18 to 29 year olds, 65% said their decision to leave their job or the plan they have to leave came down to poor mental health – Deloitte
- In a survey of employees working from home, 47% say their mental health is impacted by working in isolation – Incentive and Motivation
- Around 39% of employers expanded their mental health benefits during the pandemic – Fortune
- Around 30% to 60% of employees feel uncomfortable discussing reproductive health problems with managers – Employee benefits
- In a 2021 survey, only 30% of employees felt comfortable coming forward and speaking to their manager about their mental health – McKinsey & Company
- In one survey, a focus on wellbeing slipped from organisations from 75% to 70% in 2022 – Staff Absence Management
- When it comes to Gen Z employees, 82% find mental health days are important to them – TalentLMS
- For every £1 spent on employee wellbeing employers see a £5 average return – Fair Play Talks
- Each year, it costs employers around £1,300 for employees whose mental health needs are unsupported – Healthy Performance
- 44% of women workers feel their employer has no plan in place to protect them from burnout – Mental Health UK
- Two in five employees believe their diet has improved since working from home – Fair Play Talks
- In one survey, 81% agreed an ‘employee assistance programme’ was the best way to identify and reduce stress in the workplace – CIPD
- 47% of women who have had to take time off due to menopause, felt uncomfortable explaining menopause as a reason for time off – Simplyhealth
- On average shift workers get just 6.5hrs of sleep in a 24-hour period, which impacts physical and mental health – The Sleep Charity
- Of 1,000 employees, 83% said burnout can negatively impact personal relationships – ApolloTechnical
- 44% of employees believe the winter season has a negative impact on their wellbeing, and 30% say it hinders their productivity – HRnews
- In 2017, a survey found that 61% of employees had made healthier lifestyle choices due to their employer’s wellness programme – Aflac
- 1 in 2 employees engage less in physical activities like stretching and exercising when working from home – Incentive and Motivation
- In a survey of 8,000 UK adults, 35% were improving their health and wellbeing by cutting down on unhealthy foods – Employee benefits
- A survey of 200 female leaders found that 67% want better work-life balance and better boundaries – LinkedIn
- In a survey from February 2021, millennials experienced the highest level of burnout at 59%, compared to Baby Boomers at just 31% – Thrivemyway
- 38% of women going through fertility problems have considered leaving their job or have quit – Simplyhealth
- 32.4% of employees do not feel their organisation has the means to support physical activities during work hours – UKactive
- Wellness programs can help minimise absenteeism by 14% to 19% in an organisation – Zippia
- 48% of employees believe their employer’s investment in personal development can help combat stress for employees – Udemy
- A 2019 survey found that 23% of the UK workforce has been bullied within the work environment, and 25% have been made to feel left out – SMEloans
There you have it! After much digging, our team has found the above employee wellbeing statistics to be of much importance. We think through these 54 employee wellbeing stats, leaders can better prepare for a future working world.
Of course, life is for learning. We hope this delivers an immensely insightful look at employee wellbeing as it happens in the present, and what it has looked like over the past few years.
Now, let’s take a look at how you can use these employee wellbeing statistics. After all, what good is it to have 54 employee wellbeing stats and no advice on how to make the most of them?
How to use these employee wellbeing statistics
As we all know, workplace wellbeing is high on the corporate agenda in 2022. Employers are looking for new and innovative ways to create a happier workplace. While these employee wellbeing statistics may appear overwhelming (there’s a lot, we know!) they should simply provide background research for any workplace wellbeing strategy.
To make the most of these findings, we recommend slowly working through the list from top to bottom and comparing them against the following in your company:
- Existing wellbeing initiatives
- Employee benefits package
- Leadership and management
- Company culture
The above employee wellbeing statistics cover a wide range of matters, including sleep quality, physical activity, burnout rates, learning and development and many more. That’s why we think the points mentioned above are key areas for analysis when looking at all 54 employee wellbeing stats.
For instance, assess your current leadership and management style against the statistics in our list. You’ll find that 30% to 60% of employees feel uncomfortable discussing reproductive health problems with managers.
Ultimately, we hope this would leave you with the following questions:
- Does my leadership style create an open and honest environment?
- Would my employees come forward with reproductive health concerns?
- Does my team feel uncomfortable discussing personal health matters?
Hopefully, by now, you can see the best way to use our 54 employee wellbeing statistics is to go make comparisons against your own company’s standards. Remember, our findings are merely findings, and without proper action, these employee wellbeing stats can only help your business so much.
What do these employee wellbeing stats tell us about the future
These employee wellbeing statistics are a good eye-opener for the next decade of health and happiness in the workplace. Although some of these findings may be a few years of age, they do still hold some value. They demonstrate that some trends last longer than other trends.
Looking towards the future of employee health and wellbeing, it’s obvious more needs to be achieved – it’s also clear that demand continues to grow for better work-life balance, healthier choices and better working conditions.
Rewind just half a decade ago, and many of the findings around flexible working would never have made this list of employee wellbeing statistics. Collectively, our research shows wellbeing will continue to emerge across industries and throughout every business.
The past couple of years have proven to be learning curves for leaders, and the future is action-driven. Without sufficient health and wellbeing in the workplace, we believe businesses will struggle to achieve the following:
- Attract and retain talent
- Build positive workplace culture
- Help employees thrive personally and professionally
- Outshine competitors
- Build a successful business
Our final thoughts on the 54 employee wellbeing statistics
On a final note, we hope you find our research of much use moving forward. We know that by landing on our employee wellbeing statistics, you’re ready to make a positive difference.
Employees deserve the best from leaders. They deserve ample support, opportunities and benefits that create a healthier, happier life. The world has been through some tough times in the past few years. Although we may not be out of the dark just yet, you can do your part as a leader.
Now that you’ve been through our employee wellbeing statistics, why not find out exactly what makes Heka the #1 employee wellbeing platform for thousands of employees? If you’d like to speak directly with one of our wellbeing experts, they would be more than happy to walk you through the benefits Heka will have on your workforce.
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