As we look to 2026, we asked a diverse panel of Health and Wellbeing Leaders: what will your focus be in the coming year?
Across SMEs and large employers alike, a clear picture emerged of ambition and urgency driven, in part, by new government impetus, pressure on productivity and evolving employee expectations.
Below we pull together nine key themes they raise — and why they matter.
For concrete, honest examples of Leaders working through some of these challenges, why not tune into the MAD Leaders Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts, like Spotify, Apple and Amazon.
1. Aligning with the Keep Britain Working Review
As Clare Fernandes, Medical Director EMEA, Haleon, puts it:
“Sir Charlie Mayfield’s review is the biggest development to happen in the UK industry this year. Every government review moves something forward, so aligning with this vision is my first priority.”
As Haleon is a government-appointed vanguard tasked with piloting the review’s recommendations and reporting back, Fernandes predicts that she’ll be “putting a lot of energy into this in 2026″.
Similarly, Jamie Broadley, Group Head of Health and Wellbeing, Serco, says that “working through the report and doing a review against it” is a priority.
2. Collaboration — internally and externally
Keep Britain Working frames employer engagement as a partnership between business, government and individuals. Again, Fernandes echoes this ethos:
“Working collaboratively is a priority. Most businesses do not have alot of spare cash and to be impactful you have to amalgamate. And if everyone has a good idea of what good looks like, we can work towards it.”
In practice, that means connecting across functions internally, as well as reaching beyond company walls — learning from peers, public-health partners and perhaps even regional or national initiatives. For many, 2026 will be the year of asking, as Fernandes says: “who do I need to communicate with to get things done?”
MAD Media is committed to encouraging collaboration and sharing best practice across the industry. Look out for our regular ‘How to Keep Britain Working’ column next year
3. Making the case: investing is not a perk, it’s business critical
A recurring theme is steps to embed Workplace Culture and Employee Health and Wellbeing into the core business narrative.
Stella Gavinho, Global Head of Wellbeing, Entain, says:
“We’re doubling down on building wellbeing as culture, where wellbeing is truly lived, not just talked about. Externally, there’s a clear shift: wellbeing is increasingly seen as a culture and performance driver, not a ‘benefit’. We’re aligning with that direction.”
Another Leader at a global engineering company is prioritising “embedding wellbeing drivers in business as usual with clear shared responsibility, impact and definable KPIs”.
Similarly Matt Wilson, UK Wellbeing Lead, Computacenter, says his focus is presenting Health & Wellbeing as “a mainstream business investment, not a discretionary perk,” using internal and external data to show cost avoidance, productivity gains, and retention benefits.
4. Continued shift to preventative action
Broadley says “prevention is still the biggest focus” and Wilson echoes Mayfield’s findings when he says:
“Prevention is the area where we as employers have the strongest influence – job design, workload, flexibility, and manager behaviour all shape wellbeing long before crisis point.”
Consequently, he is prioritising “moving from corrective to preventative action; early intervention through structural change drastically increases the likelihood of an employee staying in or returning to work”.
He reels off many actions he’ll be continuing in 2026 on this front:
- clearer early-intervention model for managers
- A focus on rapid and consistent contact and supportive conversations
- quick access to adjustments, support and occupational health
- Embedding preventative measures into everyday working life – workload clarity, flexible working, clear expectations, and ways of working that reduce workplace stress and strain
- A pilot within one business unit to model and measure the impact of early action on absence and retention
5. Leadership Training
One of the most notable shifts is Leaders’ focus to leadership training, rather than general awareness, showing the growing recognition of Health and Wellbeing as a driver of culture and transformation.
Wilson, again, sums up why:
“Leadership behaviour is shown to be one of the strongest predictors of employee wellbeing, trust and performance. The most powerful wellbeing interventions are those that shift culture – belonging, autonomy, clarity, and supportive management.”
And, again, his action plan for 2026 on this front is clear:
- Visible senior sponsorship of wellbeing
- Wellbeing outcomes incorporated into leadership objectives
- Practical manager training focusing on supportive conversations, early action and reasonable adjustments.
- A culture where openness about health is safe, expected and supported – reducing fear for both employees and managers (“a culture of fear” being identified by Mayfield as one of the biggest obstacles to keeping Britain working)
6. Data as a foundation
Some Leaders believe 2026 will be a turning point for data, like Rebecca Eaton, Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing at Cadent Gas:
“Data will become more accessible and easier to interpret which will help to ensure that we can provide support based on health risks and will more easily be able to articulate the impacts.”
For Broadley, predictive analysis in particular will be a focus, “so interventions can be put into play much earlier”. He believes in the transformative power of deploying seemingly small actions at the right time, in the right place rather than grand, headline-grabbing gestures:
“This will look like a focus on lower level, more human interventions than what’s typically talked about, such as EAP or OH help. But, really, by the time people get here, it’s too late. Yes they can be effective, but we need to go upstream. We can use data to identify these points to ensure someone gets support earlier, without a person having to spot the risk, because we put too much on managers already.”
Yorkshire Water, too, is placing much emphasis on data collection to “inform proactive preventative health initiatives”, says Group Occupational Health and Wellbeing Manager Susan Gee. She says they also plan to keep exploring regional health data so they consider “the wider detriments of health so that benefits can be aligned with employee needs”.
The utilities company has set up wellbeing groups across the company so that each unique area can explore its own data and set strategic organisational campaigns that align with its population. Entain is prioritising a similar approach, says Gavinho: “We’ll use data to spot risk areas early and strengthen support proactively”.
With Mayfield’s proposed Workplace Health Intelligence Unit (WHIU), 2026 may be the year we see a shared data infrastructure that helps businesses benchmark, compare and improve.
7. Exploring AI
2026 will be the year many explore the potential of AI as a tool to personalise and streamline Health & Wellbeing programmes. Eaton, for example, says she’ll be looking at it regarding better signposting and personalisation “but also how AI will impact employee job design as I think it will bring some positives, but also huge change and uncertainty”.
8. Mental Health remains a central concern
Eaton also speaks for many Leaders when she says: “we need to find better ways to proactively promote positive mental wellbeing, as the traditional and tried methods aren’t solving the issue.” The stats on rising work-related ill health despite upped investment appear to support her view. Mayfield’s proposal of a more evidence based industry-wide approach to interventions to support businesses find the right solutions is a reason for optimism.
9. Reframing ‘Wellbeing’
Notably, many Leaders say they are rethinking the very language and framing of wellbeing.
Gavinho says next year she’s introducing an “updated and enhanced resilience-style programme” but “with a fresh angle”. Language being used about “energy” and “sharpening focus” and “supporting sustainable performance through habits and behavioural change”.
Broadley is focusing on talking to colleagues about “psychological health and safety” and defining this as applying Health and Safety principles to wellbeing.
There was a lively discussion around language at the final Leaders Club meeting of 2025, read the summary here
A focused, pragmatic but hopeful 2026
Yes, there are many challenges facing the industry. But there are many, many opportunities too and momentum, not only from business, but government too about the importance of the discipline.
As Broadley rightly says, it’s crucial at this time that we focus on taking action as “there’s a danger of disappearing into naval gazing”, with all the talk, but “we need to figure out what works, and crack on!’
He, for one, feels “focused and fired up” in 2026, which Leaders predict may prove a pivotal year for Workplace Culture and Employee Health and Wellbeing.
