Wellbeing: What does it embrace and how can it be promoted?

The concept of wellbeing is widely talked about but it is not always clear what it covers. To promote wellbeing at the individual and organisational levels, it is important to understand its various components. Dr Sue Shortland explains.

Sue Shortland

9 December 2025

Wellbeing comprises a complex combination of an individual’s physical, mental, emotional and social health. It is linked to feeling healthy and happy and is important because it relates to life satisfaction. Wellbeing is a broad concept that encompasses the quality of our lives and is linked to having a sense of purpose.The NHS defines wellbeing as a positive state of mind and body, underpinned by social and psychological wellbeing. It enables and supports good relationships, improved resilience, improved health, meaning, purpose and control.Wellbeing is often described in terms of comprising a number of pillars or dimensions. These include emotional, mental, physical, social, workplace, vocational, societal, intellectual, environmental, and spiritual wellbeing. Wellbeing at work and in one’s personal life can be improved and doing so increases organisational performance and an individual’s feelings of contentment.

Signs of poor wellbeing

Poor wellbeing can be identified via a number of symptoms and signs. Individuals may experience mood swings and increased sensitivity to events; they may experience changes in appetite or sleep patterns and exhibit unusual behaviour.They may also be unwilling to participate with others, exhibit problems in concentrating and thinking, as well as a reduction in functioning and performance. These symptoms have clear implications for workforce productivity and organisational performance as well as our daily personal lives.

Individual actions to improve wellbeing

Having a daily wellness routine incorporating healthy habits is important. This should comprise a daily schedule that involves exercise, regular meals and sleep, self-care activities and a good balance between work/study and one’s social life.To feel more positive individuals should try to ensure that they connect with other people because positive relationships are good for mental wellbeing. For example, helping others aids our spiritual wellbeing. Being physically active and learning new skills help our physical and vocational wellbeing. Individuals should try to relax and reduce stress; it can be helpful to spend time in nature. It is also valuable to pay attention to the present moment as using this mindfulness technique aids our emotional wellbeing.

Organisational actions to improve wellbeing

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has produced a helpful factsheet* that provides guidance to employers on improving employees’ wellbeing. The CIPD states: “Promoting and supporting employee wellbeing is at the heart of championing better work and working lives because an effective workplace wellbeing framework can deliver mutual benefit to people, organisations, economies and communities. Healthy workplaces help people to flourish and reach their potential”.The CIPD notes that for wellbeing programmes to be effective, relevant priorities must be integrated throughout the organisation. This means embedding wellbeing within organisational culture; wellbeing practices must be championed by organisational leadership.Wellbeing must be underpinned by strategy that places this issue at the centre of business leaders’ agendas. A holistic approach is needed that brings together physical and mental health, with ongoing training and guidance available to line managers so that they can support employees and teams and encourage good self-care routines.

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Wellbeing policy components

The CIPD suggests a number of “inter-related domains” of employee wellbeing with organisations tailoring their wellbeing strategy to meet their organisation’s and employees’ characteristics.With respect to physical health, it suggests the promotion of good health, health checks, health insurance and disability management. Occupational Health (OH) support and employee assistance programmes (EAPs) are also suggested. Linked in are the safety aspects of working practices. Personal safety training, the provision of safety equipment and ensuring safe working practices underpin a strong safety culture.On mental health, the CIPD suggests risk assessments are carried out and that training encompasses conflict resolution and in having difficult conversations. Stress management interventions are recommended alongside OH support and EAPs.A further area of wellbeing concerns the work environment. This should be inclusive, open and transparent. Job roles should be carefully formulated and workloads must be manageable. Working hours, flexibility and work-life balance should also be considered. Job satisfaction is important to wellbeing and all of these factors play a part in creating this. Autonomy is also an issue to consider as is change management. Communication and involvement practices are important.The CIPD comments that values, ethical standards and principles must be backed up by effective corporate governance. Leadership must be values-driven, with management able to build trust. A strong culture of corporate social responsibility (CSR) can underpin high ethical standards. Practical CSR initiatives might include support for volunteering and community work.Valuing diversity can help to foster inclusion. An inclusive culture recognises and listens to employee voice, respects individuals and forges positive social relationships. Once again management style comes to the fore here as individuals must be treated with dignity and respect. Consultation must be genuine such as individuals are involved in decision-making.Learning and development also underpin wellbeing policy. Career growth is important for wellbeing and this can be supported through mentoring, coaching, succession planning and effective performance management processes. Lifelong learning can be integral to career development, with access to training and learning interventions made available. A creative environment that encourages collaboration both aids social wellbeing and leads to workplace innovation.Financial wellbeing is also a key component of wellbeing at work. Fair and transparent pay and benefit policies, non-financial recognition, retirement provision and planning, and employee financial support (such as that available through EAPs) are valuable wellbeing policy and practice components.

Responsibility for wellbeing

The CIPD suggests that a strong focus on wellbeing will enhance employee engagement and organisational performance. It is therefore in the organisation’s interest to make sure that everyone in the organisation holds responsibility for fostering wellbeing. Notwithstanding this, different employee groups will have distinct responsibilities.Human Resources (HR) professionals, for example, should play a key role in taking forward wellbeing initiatives, policies and interventions. They must manage upwards in this respect by ensuring that senior managers see wellbeing as a priority and integrate it into daily business activities. HR also needs to make sure that line managers understand their responsibilities for the implementation of wellbeing policies, providing practical guidance to ensure consistent implementation.Senior managers and the leadership team are crucial role models and should walk the talk with respect to wellbeing initiatives. Leadership has the authority to make wellbeing a strategic priority and embed it in organisational culture. But, on a day-to-day basis, it is the line managers who have responsibility for managing wellbeing and they can spot early warning signs where poor wellbeing may have taken hold. Management style is an important contributor to wellbeing; thus it is crucial that line managers are able to prevent or reduce stress at work.OH practitioners should work closely with HR, line managers and leadership teams to ensure that wellbeing is understood and that there is shared responsibility for its implementation in the workplace. As the CIPD points out, it is not just the senior management, HR and OH personnel in an organisation who are responsible for wellbeing. Employees must also take responsibility for looking after their wellbeing. They can only benefit from organisational interventions if they participate in them and engage in self-care activities both inside and outside of work. Organisations can help to promote self-care through a strong communications programme to explain how employees can access available support and benefits.

Employer practice

Aon’s latest Global Benefits Trends Survey** indicates that organisations are placing a focus on health and wellbeing in their provision of benefits. Health, pension, risk benefits, preventative programmes and wellbeing are the top five benefits provided. Interestingly, the survey finds that employees value, in descending order, health, annual leave, work life balance, pension, and career development as key benefits.While it is good to see that employees do value benefits that contribute to overall wellbeing, this does potentially raise the question as to whether the content of wellbeing programmes offered by employers is recognised by employees. Given that employers want to offer benefits that are valued by their workers, it might be that clearer communications are needed to ensure that employees understand the value and relevance of wellbeing in their working lives.

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