Recent findings and research on employee wellness, stress & burnout, and performance may surprise you - and can help turbocharge your team
Not too long ago, companies viewed employee wellness as a nice-to-have. “Work isn’t supposed to be easy: “That’s why you get paid to do it” was how many viewed it. Fast-forward to 2025, and that mindset has shifted. The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point, exposing the connection between work, mental health, and well-being. As lockdowns forced millions into remote work, employees faced new stressors, such as blurring work-life boundaries and job insecurity. Many struggled with anxiety, burnout, and a lack of support, which pushed mental health to the forefront of work conversations (WHO 2022). This reshaped corporate culture. Wellness became a priority rather than an afterthought.
Nowadays, it’s not as hard to find companies that offer employee wellness programs. There’s a good reason for it: employee wellness benefits both employees and the company. Employee burnout, lower productivity, and increased turnover rates are just a few consequences when employee wellness isn’t prioritized, making burnout a business priority for many organizations (Gallup).
What does the latest research say about the impact of burnout?
With employee burnout being such a hot topic, we’ve investigated and analyzed the latest industry, scientific, and medical publications that revealed pressing facts:
In 2024, 65% of employees suffered from burnout (isolved 2024)
Stress has increased by 20% in the past three decades (Korn Ferry 2018)
Burned-out employees are 300% more likely to be looking for a new job (SHRM 2024)
43% of employees would take a pay cut if it meant better work-life balance (Korn Ferry 2018)
58% of employees plan to explore new job opportunities in the next 12 months (SHRM 2024)
You weren’t imagining things: burnout is real. And it’s getting worse. Like with most afflictions, prevention is key. Paying close attention to the warning signs of burnout to address it before it’s too late is an imperative that organizations must prioritize, more than ever.
Hiding in plain sight: signs of employee burnout and stress
Wondering if you or your team members are in the danger zone? You can identify signs of burnout and stress by paying attention to a range of physical, behavioral, and emotional symptoms (Mental Health UK).
Interestingly, many of these symptoms may be disguised as everyday, even normal, workplace challenges. Some develop gradually from prolonged periods of stress, making timely and accurate detection difficult. As burnout almost invariably results from stress, our instinct may push us to think that eradicating stress in all its forms is key. The reality: it’s much more complicated than that.
Why stressfree culture is not what wellness should strive for
The chasm between the root causes of stress (stressors) and how people respond to them is significant, making it tricky to achieve a stress-free workplace.
First, while it may seem surprising, experts say we neither have to nor should we aim to remove stress entirely. Yes, stress can make people feel overwhelmed and burned-out, and can drive them to look for other jobs as research strongly suggests. However, not all stress is harmful. Some stress can be beneficial, boosting productivity and enhancing mood. Professional growth comes with a level of unavoidable stress, and when managed well, can drive development.
Second, people respond differently to stressors. Take for example a tight deadline. Some employees thrive under high pressure. Others will struggle.
Third, even those who thrive on certain stressors are not immune to all forms of stressors. For example, stressors at the structural or organizational level, such as poor communications and work overload, can take a toll on any employee, regardless of individual resilience or fortitude.
Thus, companies and employees have not been sure how to best solve for the ideal workplace and how to leverage employee wellness programs best. However, both are aligned that employees need more wellness support. 95% of employees want more wellness help. Companies agree. In January 2025, for example, 500 senior leaders were surveyed on their intentions to expand their budgets on employee wellness. The result? 80% planned to increase spending.
The Six Strategies and Mindset Shifts for a Healthier, Happier Team
With such compelling numbers, you might be asking: “What now?” Good news: there are actionable strategies your team can take to implement a wellness strategy - one that benefits both the individuals and the company. It’s a symbiotic choice that can move the ship forward without leaving anyone behind. Here are six expert-recommended tenets to keep in mind:
Accept that it’s okay to be stressed, but not be stressed out.
Stress isn't inherently negative.
Eustress, also known as “good stress”, can be an effective motivator. It’s associated with drive and passion that helps us perform better. However, if left unmanaged, it can escalate into distress, or “bad stress”, which negatively affects both the employees and the company (MentalHealth 2024).
Distress leads to disengagement, “quiet quitting”, underperformance, and high attrition. This is the stress that has become the top-of-mind concern in the workplace. For instance, a 2024 study revealed that 44% of employees feel burned out, are mentally exhausted, and exhibit decreased job performance (SHRM 2024).
Distress is essentially eustress gone unchecked. Thus, it is preventable. With the right approach, diligence, and tools, your team can manage stress to reap its benefits while avoiding its negatives. The goal should be to leverage eustress for productivity and growth while avoiding the harmful effects of distress.
Employ team-wide practices to monitor eustress and prevent distress.
There are three simple and effective ways to manage eustress and distress.
Develop a culture of trust and communication.
The critical first step is to create an environment where employees are comfortable voicing their thoughts, suggestions, and concerns because not being able to discuss stressors stresses people out even more. Ashlei Rivera, a career advisor at Syracuse University with experience working alongside companies, employees, and students, emphasizes the importance of trust in fostering a sense of wellness. She explains, "Having companies that trust you, that you trust, and that are actually taking care of you as a person is really going to help you feel valued and fulfilled at your job.” When trust is present, employees can share their concerns without fear of judgment or retaliation. Managers are then able to partner with them to address the stressors.
"Having companies that trust you, that you trust, and that are actually taking care of you as a person is really going to help you feel valued and fulfilled at your job.”
Boost your team’s mental toolkit.
Certain mental practices, such as affirmation, positive thinking, meditation, and Reiki have been demonstrated to be effective in managing stressful situations. Educate your team on these techniques. Better yet, provide them with a hands-on experience so they can get started on making these rituals their own. You will empower them to reframe and embrace stressors as opportunities for growth. Yes, certain stressors are simply outside our control. That said, how we handle stressors plays a critical role in determining whether stress becomes motivating or debilitating.
Make “wellness checks” part of regular catchups.
Intentionally carve out time to discuss stressors during regular team and 1-on-1 meetings. This normalizes what has been taboo for a long time - conversations about mental wellness for starters, and additionally, leveraging the team’s participation to resolve the root causes of the stressors. For example, discussing how everyone is doing with their workload helps tackle distress-related issues such as work overload. As we’ve seen, stress and burnout symptoms can be disguised as normal workplace challenges. Thus, it not only doesn’t hurt to ask your team how they’re doing, it’s also sensible practice to do so.
Change what you can; accept what you can’t.
We’ve all been there: a tight deadline is approaching, the project is behind schedule, and just as you’re wrapping things up, new obstacles arise. In moments like these, one way to relieve stress is to simply recognize and accept what is causing it. It may sound counterintuitive, but stress often stems from trying to control the uncontrollable. When expected and unexpected challenges arise, recognizing what’s beyond your control can help ease the pressure of feeling like you need to fix everything. Rather than dwelling on unforeseen setbacks, focus on what you can address: your mindset, your reaction, and your next steps. By doing so, you can direct your energy on actions that drive progress, while not letting stressors overwhelm you.
Understand the role wellness efforts play in the workplace - and the critical role team leaders have to make them impactful.
In a culture of TLDRs (too long; didn’t read) and snapshots, it may be tempting to envision wellness programs as a quick fix for deeper, organizational issues. However, wellness efforts alone can neither prevent nor address the root causes of stress and burnout. For example, if the company has longstanding structural issues like poor communication or excessive workloads, those will inevitably lead to distress. A meditation workshop can help employees better manage the situation, but it won’t fix the root cause. For a wellness program to be truly effective, it has to be part of a broader effort to improve an organization from the ground up. This includes addressing internal issues while seeking external resources to better support the team.
That said, even if your organization is facing significant internal challenges that cannot be resolved quickly, wellness programs can still offer valuable support. Rather than seeing them as a solution, view them as a tool that helps employees partner with leadership to tackle internal challenges together better, helping employees better deal with and support such transformative efforts.
Be patient: there are no quick solutions to having a healthy company culture or robust employee wellness.
Building a healthy company culture takes active involvement, commitment, and patience. Many times, such efforts need to be sustained over a long time. Don’t let that deter you. The benefits of such dedication to wellness validate the investment needed:
80% of business leaders who increased investments in wellness saw improvements in their workplace, such as better psychological safety and more conversations about mental health (EIN 2025)
70% of employees in companies with wellness programs reported greater job satisfaction than employees in companies without such resources
The principle may sound intuitive, but these studies show quantifiable and demonstrable results of sustained investments in wellness.
Because wellness needs vary among individuals and communities, wellness solutions need to be customized.
Everyone experiences stress differently. What motivates one person can overwhelm someone else. Why wellness solutions thus need to be tailored to and isn’t something to simply check off the list of employee benefits. By prioritizing wellness programs that listen to and address each person’s needs, you can create an environment that supports both individual well-being and the collective success of your team. Thus, consider collaborating with wellness professionals who specialize in different areas of well-being and can work with your team on their specific needs.
Transform Signs of Burnout to Signals of Team Growth and Progress
Employee wellness has become essential for supporting and retaining employees and improving corporate performance. By embedding wellness into a company’s culture, businesses are not only improving the lives of their employees but also paving the way for a more productive and engaged workforce.
Whether you’re looking to launch a wellness initiative, or further developing a current one, the journey to a healthier, more engaged workforce starts with the right tools and resources. After all, wellness isn’t a one-size-fits-all mandate, and it shouldn’t be one. Treating it with care and thought demonstrates that you see your team members as individuals - human beings rather than machines, with needs that deserve nurturing and understanding, and not off-the-shelf programming. It’s a fitting response to a workforce who are in the trenches daily trying to make organizational goals happen. The time has come to think of wellness as fuel, rather than reward, and for leaders like you to put it on top of your list.
ABOUT US
Puremaven is on a mission to empower teams at work with well-being habits created by licensed professionals and certified wellness experts, one immersive experience at a time. Discover the right program for your team’s unique needs by setting up a complimentary consult with our expert curator team at teamwellness@puremaven.com. Experience how a wellness workshop can equip your team with skills and rituals they - and you - can rely on again and again.
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