Workplace wellbeing has become a key topic on the boardroom agenda. Yet, despite the explosion of interest, many organisations are still struggling to achieve real impact. Leaders want to “do the right thing” but are often unsure what that looks like in practice.
Drawing on research findings, evidence from over 1,500 organisations we’ve worked with at SuperWellness, and insights from wellbeing leads across different sectors, we have identified seven common myths that often hold companies back. Busting these myths is essential if leaders want wellbeing to deliver on its true potential: as a driver of resilience, performance and sustainable growth.
Myth 1: Wellbeing is a perk
Free fruit, yoga classes and discounted gym memberships. These have become the shorthand for “wellbeing at work.” But while perks might raise awareness or offer employees a short-term boost, they don’t touch the systemic drivers of wellbeing.
According to analysis by BITC and McKinsey, poor wellbeing costs the UK economy up to £370 billion annually – through absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover and lost productivity. No perk can fix that.
What really drives impact? How work is designed, led and experienced. Leaders who treat wellbeing as an optional extra will miss the opportunity to embed it as a competitive advantage.
Myth 2: Workplace wellbeing = employee health
Employee health matters. But it’s only part of the picture. Workplace wellbeing is broader and more complex.
Think of it in three dimensions:
- Evaluative wellbeing – how satisfied people feel about their job overall.
- Affective wellbeing – how they feel day-to-day while working (stress, enjoyment, energy).
- Eudaimonic wellbeing – whether they find meaning and purpose in their work.
Health interventions can help with individual resilience, but without tackling job design, leadership behaviours and organisational culture, they won’t deliver lasting change. Wellbeing must go beyond the mere absence of illness; it’s about enabling people to thrive.
Myth 3: A wellbeing strategy = a calendar of campaigns
For many organisations, “strategy” means a year of health awareness days – Stress Awareness Month, World Sleep Day, National Work-life Week, Dry January. These can spark conversations, but they are not a strategy and can easily come across as token gestures.
A true wellbeing strategy aligns with business priorities. It considers the organisation’s unique risks and opportunities. It addresses multiple levels – individuals, teams, leaders, and the organisation itself
The IGLOO model offers a useful reference point here. It shows that meaningful wellbeing outcomes require action across all levels: Individual, Group, Leader, Organisation – as well as the external environment. This is why we focus on a systemic approach to achieve measurable change. Campaigns are part of our “Reach” pillar (focused on health promotion and engagement), but without the “Shape” (strategy, measurement) and “Embed” (leadership and culture) pillars, they risk being little more than box-ticking.
Myth 4: Wellbeing is a support function
“Wellbeing sits in HR,” is a line we hear often. But framing wellbeing as a support function is one of the reasons so many initiatives stall.
Wellbeing should be a strategic function, integral to how the organisation creates value. Like health and safety, it requires board-level ownership and accountability.
In our interviews with wellbeing leads in a range of organisations, many described frustration at being sidelined – expected to deliver impact without senior sponsorship. The most successful organisations are those where wellbeing is championed by the CEO, COO or board. When leaders model commitment, wellbeing becomes woven into culture, not relegated to a siloed function.
Myth 5: Wellbeing = enjoying work
One persistent misconception is that wellbeing is about making work more “fun.” But the science says otherwise.
Wellbeing is about balance, purpose, and having the resources to do your job effectively. In fact, research shows that employees who believe their work benefits society are 2.2 points more satisfied on a 1–10 scale.
This is why focusing only on surface-level “enjoyment” misses the point. Leaders should be asking: do our employees feel their work has meaning? Do they have supportive teams and managers? Do they feel safe, respected and fairly treated? These are the foundations of wellbeing – and ultimately of performance.
Myth 6: Wellbeing is hard to measure
For years, leaders have argued that wellbeing is intangible – “we can’t measure it, so how can we justify investing?” That may once have been true. Today it’s not.
Today, there are robust, evidence-based tools that make it possible to measure wellbeing with the same discipline as other KPIs. Short, validated questionnaires – such as those assessing stress, engagement, job satisfaction or psychological safety – can provide leaders with clear, actionable data. Combined with existing organisational metrics like absence, turnover, and productivity, these measures can form a reliable wellbeing index. Increasingly, wellbeing providers have a duty to build measurement into their solutions – not as an optional add-on, but as a core feature. Without this, organisations risk investing in initiatives without ever knowing whether they work.
The evidence is there. The challenge for leaders is not whether it can be measured – but whether they choose to prioritise it.
Myth 7: Workplace wellbeing = mental health
Finally, one of the most common myths: that workplace wellbeing is synonymous with mental health.
Mental health support is essential – particularly in helping employees through crises. But if that’s all wellbeing means in your organisation, you’re missing its proactive potential.
Wellbeing is not just remedial. It’s about designing work in a way that prevents harm and promotes growth. It’s about creating a culture where employees can perform sustainably – where resilience, purpose and engagement are nurtured.
Mental health is part of the story, but workplace wellbeing is far bigger. Leaders must resist reducing it to a reactive service and instead embrace it as a proactive business strategy.
What this means for leaders
These myths aren’t just misunderstandings. They represent missed opportunities. Leaders who cling to them risk higher costs, lower engagement, and in some cases reputational damage.
But leaders who embrace the reality can unlock real value. They:
- Treat wellbeing as a board-level responsibility, not a perk.
- Build integrated strategies that go beyond short-term health campaigns.
- Empower wellbeing leads to act strategically, not just tactically.
- Use evidence and data to measure impact.
- Align wellbeing with purpose, culture, and business objectives.
The business case is no longer in doubt. High wellbeing organisations consistently outperform their peers – attracting and retaining top talent, strengthening their market reputation, and achieving higher profitability.
From our research with wellbeing leads, however, we uncovered a bonus myth worth addressing: the belief that many organisations are guilty of “wellbeing washing.” The reality is more nuanced. In most cases, this isn’t a deliberate attempt to mislead; rather, it stems from a lack of clarity about what wellbeing really requires to be effective. Leaders often have good intentions but underestimate the depth of change needed – mistaking isolated initiatives for a comprehensive strategy.
The challenge now is less about intent and more about understanding. Can we, as a community of leaders, wellbeing professionals, and researchers, agree on a shared definition of workplace wellbeing and what it demands in practice? Because without that clarity, even the best-intentioned efforts risk falling short.
Ultimately, the only question is whether leaders are ready to act – not just with campaigns or slogans, but with the strategic commitment and structural change that make wellbeing genuinely transformative.
Join our research project
Next spring, we will launch our brand-new research white paper on the perspective of senior leaders on workplace wellbeing at an exclusive event. Join the waiting list today to be the first to receive your invitation: https://whitepaperlaunch.scoreapp.com/ In the meantime, if you are a senior wellbeing decision maker (MD, CEO, COO, People Director, or H&S leader), we invite you to apply to take part in our research project starting next month. Please contact angela@superwellness.co.uk for details or register your interest at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/leaderresearch
About the authors:
After a 15-year corporate career, Angela Steel retrained in nutrition in 2009 and gained an MSc in Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck in 2023. She founded SuperWellness in 2011 and is a strong advocate for the role of business as a force for positive change, with a firm belief that wellbeing is central to this mission. SuperWellness runs regular free events on a range of topics aimed at business leaders and wellbeing teams.
Professor Gail Kinman is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of both the British Psychological Society and the Academy of Social Sciences. She is an occupational health psychologist with extensive experience in research and practice. Gail’s interests primarily focus on improving the working conditions and wellbeing of people in emotionally demanding roles, particularly in the health and social care, education and security sectors.
References:
- BITC & McKinsey (2023) – Prioritise People: Unlocking Business Value Through Employee Wellbeing. Business in the Community, in collaboration with McKinsey Health Institute.
- De Neve, Jan-Emmanuel & Ward, George (2025). Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters: The Science Behind Employee Happiness and Organizational Performance. Harvard Business Review Press.
- Steel, A. (2023). How those responsible for advancing the workplace wellbeing agenda in organisations experience their role as agents of change. MSc Dissertation (under the supervision of Prof. Gail Kinman), Birkbeck, University of London.
- McQuaid, R., Lindsay, C., & Greig, M. (2018). The Impact of Wellbeing on Productivity. CIPD.
- Donaldson-Feilder, E., Lewis, R., & Yarker, J. (2008). Line management behaviour and stress at work: Identifying and developing behaviour for success. Affinity Health at Work / HSE Research Report 660.
- Oswald, A. J., Proto, E., & Sgroi, D. (2015). Happiness and Productivity. Journal of Labor Economics, 33(4), 789–822.
- Gallup (2022). State of the Global Workplace Report.
- UK Government (2017). Thriving at Work: The Stevenson/Farmer Review of Mental Health and Employers.
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (2020). The Future of Work: Implications for Occupational Safety and Health.
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