When we asked a few trusted experts this question, the most common answer was “cautiously optimistic”.
Yes, there are many challenges now and on the horizon (for more on this, see our ‘challenges’ feature here).
However, there are also many reasons for optimism.
Pressing need for continued investment
“The rising number of days lost to poor health, including mental health, highlights the pressing need for continued investment in employee wellbeing,” says Chief Executive of MHFA England, Sarah McIntosh. The new Labour government has talked about prioritising Workplace Wellbeing and supporting people back into work (see Former MP Luciana Berger talking about this here).
Dr Jo Yarker, Professor in Occupational Psychology at Birkbeck University of London, says she’s “optimistic, tempered with caution” because the solutions to the challenges “are not simple”. But there is a “growing awareness and integration of Wellbeing”, as well as a bigger focus on “evidence bases and streamlined approaches”.
Societal shift is happening on employee wellbeing
Gethin Nadin, Chief Innovation Officer, Benefex, argues that this is actually a “societal shift” that is happening, not just in the UK, but across the world:
“Governments are finally understanding the role Workplace Wellbeing plays in economic recovery and output. Many countries are re-evaluating what success looks like through a lens of people; where the happiness, health and prosperity of the individual creates the conditions for countries to grow rapidly.”
It’s not just the government, employers are also changing
Similarly, employers are realising that they can’t merely rely on the government to get the workforce back to work; especially when it comes to the younger generations, employers need to do much more to create environments which are supportive, and in which people want to work. If they don’t, they won’t have a sustainable future.
McIntosh adds:
“Attracting and retaining talent remains challenging, so organisations recognise that demonstrating a genuine commitment to supporting wellbeing is essential to retaining a motivated and loyal workforce. Employees increasingly expect robust wellbeing support, and those expectations will drive progress, even amidst economic uncertainties.”
Investors showing more interest too
Investors, too, are now driving change in the market as they increasingly put pressure on companies to demonstrate, and report on, the impact of their Health and Wellbeing strategies.
“When you combine the changing views on worker wellbeing from investors, shareholders and consumers, it leaves me optimistic about our ability to further see the Health and Wellbeing of each employee as a successful tool to drive the economic outcomes many governments want to see this year,” says Nadin.
Bring on the debate
With all this interest from government, employers and investors, 2025 is shaping up, as Wellbeing Strategist and Consultant Amy McKeown says, to be a year where “everyone is jostling for position and influence” and vying to “own” the health and wellbeing agenda. She, never one to shy away from a good debate, says bring it on!
Unrest, different opinions and uncertainty in the market actually encourage debate, which could be really constructive in finding the best way forward because, as Mckeown also says, “things need to change”.
But she adds we need to get better at “listening and understanding each other more to navigate change, uncertainty and uncharted waters that lie ahead”. (We’ve also said this before, read this on how to listen better, our most read article of 2024).
The need to stay open to new perspectives
It’s human nature to gravitate towards what is familiar. And sometimes that is long-held beliefs or gripes. As we explore in this feature on ‘difficult’ Gen Z, sometimes the best and most productive thing you can do is work to change your beliefs so they serve you, and those around you, better.
Jackie Buttery, Head of Benefits and Reward, Human Resources, Travers Smith, does this when asked if she feels optimistic. She acknowledges that there are so many providers “pitching their wares” that it can make wellbeing a “complex market to navigate”. However, rather than moan about this and criticise the quality of products (which may sometimes be valid) she chooses to seek out the positive:
“I am optimistic about the state of the wellbeing industry because there are so many good ideas out there, bags of energy and lots of investment in product development.”
Relishing the interest in Workplace Wellbeing
As Buttery explains, in the post-Covid era, practitioners like her are “relishing being able to attend conferences again, meeting potential providers of products and services and accessing thought-leadership during well-designed events”. This, she believes, all bodes well for the industry’s collective wellbeing efforts and meeting the needs of employees in the future.
Dr Judith Grant echoes Buttery’s optimism, saying that one of the things she often reflects on is “how many kind and empathetic people work in the world of wellbeing”. She also chooses to see the positive in the fact there is a burgeoning product market with “many fantastic wellbeing offerings and services” available.
The people who work in Health & Wellbeing
“So often we gravitate towards these roles or set up wellbeing businesses based on a real passion for helping people and making a difference,” says Dr Grant. “We have amazing academics building on the business case for wellbeing, understanding wellbeing needs in business and testing interventions. While it is a competitive and challenging industry, it is important to remember the people behind it.”
Optimism is a skill that can be learned and practiced. It’s also been proven in numerous studies to be linked with mental as well as physical wellbeing. So, perhaps, if you make just one resolution for 2025, a good one would be to practice optimism, especially when entering any debates with those whose opinions you might normally dismiss without really listening to…. advice relevant to family get-togethers over the holiday period and beyond, as well as business meetings about Health and Wellbeing in the New Year!
