Workplace Wellbeing: Real Human Perspectives Behind the Data
The following contribution comes from the Indeed portal, which defines itself as follows: Indeed is the world’s number 1 job platform[1] and a global leader in job search and recruitment, with a presence in more than 60 countries. More people find jobs on Indeed than anywhere else because we prioritize job seekers: we offer powerful tools to search for jobs, post resumes, research companies, and much more.
Powered by AI and an extensive proprietary database of jobs and recruitment, Indeed is transforming the way people and employers connect. Every day, we help tens of millions of job seekers discover new opportunities and empower millions of employers to find the right talent through innovative AI-powered solutions that simplify and accelerate the hiring process. Indeed is a subsidiary of Recruit Holdings, a global leader in HR technology and enterprise solutions that simplifies recruitment and transforms the world of work.
The article is by Taylor Haynes, a freelance writer passionate about supporting job seekers and employees in their career journeys. With a background in journalism and political science, she has a particular interest in current events, technology, and policies impacting the modern workforce.
What does it mean to thrive at work?
Indeed’s 2025 Workplace Wellbeing Report revealed that workers seek purpose, support, and the opportunity to thrive.
Of course, this is unique to each individual.
But the report also revealed that, regardless of the definition, only 26% of employees report thriving.
Many cited low morale, high stress, and low job satisfaction. This can have serious consequences not only for individual workers but for the entire organization. Employees with lower workplace wellbeing are almost seven times more likely to experience stress at work.
Productivity and retention decline, while stress increases the risk of injury and illness.
Sean Holloway, a software engineer, experienced firsthand the serious physical impact of stress.
“In one of my roles, I had a lot of hard deadlines that kept me up all night,” Holloway says. “I noticed a spot in my vision. It turned out to be central serous retinopathy from accumulated stress.”
This condition can lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated, and Holloway describes her diagnosis as a “breaking point.” She quit to focus on her health and now works for a tech company with a better work-life balance, thanks in large part to having a manager who supports their direct reports.
“He’s established a culture,” Holloway says, “that if someone messages you on the weekend, we’ll respond and say, ‘You shouldn’t be online right now.’ The same goes if someone’s on vacation.”
Not all companies or managers prioritize well-being, especially in this era of “hardcore work culture.”
This approach prioritizes performance above all else and is often characterized by long hours, constant availability, little flexibility, and strict metrics. Silicon Valley made headlines recently when companies adopted the «9-9-6» model, a shortened version of the 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. workweek, six days a week. Popularized in China, it reflects a «work-hard culture» that values long hours.
«The work-life balance isn’t a concern for bosses these days,» Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale management professor, told Business Insider. «It’s not the time to talk about what makes your comforts so different from everyone else’s, or that the company should somehow adapt to your needs.»
Some employees might accept such intensity. But others don’t and lack the leverage to speak up or fight back.
«When an industry shrinks, the first thing to go is formality,» says Holloway. «There’s pressure to do more with the same resources, especially among employees who don’t really have a choice.»
Well-being is no longer a «good» thing.
Despite rigid work cultures and the 996 trend, Indeed’s report shows that supporting employees’ mental and physical health is not just a perk, but a business metric linked to performance. People with high levels of well-being achieve their work goals 1.5 times more often than those with low levels. And nearly half of workers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, say their expectations for workplace well-being have increased since last year.
Having a life outside the office.
Matthew Vaughn, a project analyst at a wealth management firm, believes that thriving at work starts with being seen as someone with a life outside the office.
«I’ve had managers who were interested in me as a person, and I really felt supported,» Vaughn says. «That kind of support inspired me to go further. On the other hand, I’ve also had managers who treated me like a machine, where the only thing that mattered was the outcome.» I was frustrated and stuck in a «come in, go out» mentality while looking for another job.
Workplace well-being also influences career choice.
Indeed found that 97% of job seekers want to see data on well-being when evaluating companies and often look for clues in interviews, such as mentions of work-life balance or signs that teams provide genuine support.
For Zac Zamora, a recent PhD graduate seeking a postdoctoral position in biotechnology or research, those clues are often missing. «When I think about my field, I generally feel that well-being isn’t a priority,» he says. «It often seems like scientists are constantly being asked to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.»
That expectation of putting job responsibilities or the greater good before work-life balance isn’t unique to research.
Mackenzie Nichols, a psychologist at a public high school, describes similar pressures in education,
where excessive workloads and understaffed teams strain well-being across the field.
«I’m often told, ‘What’s your why? Reconnect with your why,'» Nichols says. «Sometimes, having a strong purpose is seen as a substitute for genuine job satisfaction. People need to be motivated by something bigger than themselves to accept the extreme demands of the workload.»
Some of that pressure, she admits, comes from herself. «Putting myself through a lot and having a heavy workload has caused me a lot of stress,» she says. «I think about work outside of work. I’m obsessed with my job. Sometimes, it affects my ability to socialize or keep up with household chores.»
However, camaraderie has been a lifeline. «There’s definitely a ‘We’re all in this together’ mentality. If I’m overworked, at least I know others are in the same boat.»
Rethinking What Drives Performance
The irony of rigid work cultures is that they often undermine the very outcomes they are designed to maximize.
“It might boost productivity in the short term, but it almost always leads to burnout, frustration, and lower satisfaction,” says Vaughn, the project analyst. “In the long run, that hurts both employees and the company.” In fact, the data shows something different: In an Oxford analysis, a simulated portfolio of the top 100 publicly traded companies with high workplace well-being scores outperformed stock market benchmarks. Furthermore, the World Economic Forum’s Thriving Workplaces report notes that investing in employee well-being could boost the global economy by $11.7 trillion.
In other words, workplaces that prioritize well-being benefit employees, organizations, and entire economies.
Real people share this sentiment in their daily lives. For Holloway, the software engineer, a sticky note on his monitor reads, “It can wait until tomorrow.” She has learned to question the urgency of deadlines, asking her team, “What if we miss this deadline?” Often, she says, the answer isn’t as dire as people assume.
For Nichols, the school psychologist, the lesson has been about control. “Worry about what you can control,” she says. “Just focus on the direct impact, like, ‘Supporting students today will motivate and inspire me.’”
These reflections underscore a common truth across all sectors: the path to sustainable success isn’t about constant effort, but about balance, trust, and purpose.
Employees thrive when their work motivates them, they feel part of something meaningful, and they know their well-being is as important as their performance. The data shows this. And the human stories behind it remind us that the future of work must be built on more than just performance metrics.
Report: What Workers Want to Thrive
The following contribution comes from the Talent Solutions portal, which defines itself as follows: About Talent Solutions
Your talent lifecycle is at the heart of your business, and Talent Solutions offers you the expertise you need to keep up with constantly evolving markets: flexibility and agility in hiring, transitions, and talent retention.
Authorship by the team.
People don’t just want to survive, they want to thrive, and as we’ve seen with the Great Quit, they’re willing to vote with their feet. Workers demand more: more choices, more flexibility, more autonomy, more well-being.
What does it mean to thrive at work?
According to today’s workforce, it means empowering themselves to grow, cultivating mental and physical health, finding meaning and purpose in their work, and defining their own success.
Here are 5 key findings for surviving and thriving at work:
- Expanding the Flexibility Frontier
Employees across all sectors and levels demand more choices and autonomy over when they work; Being able to choose the start and end times of their workday and selecting shifts that best suit their needs.
FLEXIBILITY DRIVES BUSINESS SUCCESS: Organizations that offer flexibility regarding when, where, and how much their employees work define 55% of their workforce as high performers, compared to only 36% in organizations with a standard 40-hour workweek.
FLEXIBILITY IS SOUGHT BY MANY, NOT JUST A FEW: 60% of the workforce has worked in person for the past two years, while many knowledge workers have experimented with remote and hybrid models. Fairness, equity, and inclusion are increasingly important to business leaders. To avoid further polarization of an already polarized workforce, we need to explore flexible opportunities for everyone, such as the ability to choose shifts, preferred equipment, and work schedules.
IT’S TIME TO SHIFT TO A HUMAN-CENTERED WORKFORCE: Abandoning past workplace-centric models will increasingly determine business success. Incorporating flexibility, empathy, and collaboration will improve the employee experience and boost productivity.
EMPLOYERS MUST MEASURE PERFORMANCE BY OUTPUT, NOT HOURS. Presenteeism is not synonymous with business success. Setting clear performance goals, offering professional development opportunities, and establishing a supportive work culture will yield greater benefits.
- Rewriting the Rules of Leadership
Employees’ expectations of what they want from their jobs and lives have changed dramatically. This is transforming the relationship between employees and business leaders. People demand meaningful and purposeful work while questioning conventional workplace norms. Companies with a defined purpose and open to supporting employee needs, fostering individuality at work, will lead the way.
What do employees expect from their leaders?
To ensure that work is positive for their employees, leaders must offer more: flexibility; autonomy; support for physical and mental well-being; trust; coaching and development.
Trust and Support: Leadership Begins at the Center for a Thriving Workforce
Success in addressing the needs of workers will be closely linked to managers. Formerly known as the «frozen middle,» managers are the glue that holds an organization together.
The role of the middle manager has been tested to the limit over the past two years, requiring empathy, well-being support, and coaching, often remotely and during times of stress and uncertainty.
Forced to adopt new working models at a breakneck pace,
managers were expected to maintain productivity while overseeing (virtual) attendance and delivering business results.
- Thrive: How to Do It
Both men and women experienced challenges during the pandemic, but they were markedly different, and their specific demands on employers continue to evolve.
A thriving workforce is a diverse workforce.
Women represent 39% of the global workforce and now make up the majority of graduates. However, they are still unable to reach their full potential, as less than a third of managerial and leadership positions are held by women.
Since February 2020, in the US alone, nearly 1.1 million women have left the workforce, demonstrating the pandemic’s impact on women’s working lives, as women also report higher levels of burnout than men. Gender diversity has a strong business rationale. Gender-diverse teams generate higher revenues, offer better opportunities to a broader talent pool, and outperform their less diverse counterparts by 25%. Companies with more women in leadership positions also achieve better results.
For organizations to succeed in a time of labor shortages, employers must commit to closing the gender representation gap at all levels. By offering both men and women the flexibility they need to thrive, employers will have access to the greatest number of options for finding and retaining top talent.
- Building a Family Future
After juggling work, studies, and family life over the past two years, many have reassessed their lives and priorities and are demanding a change. In recent months, parents have left their jobs in greater numbers than non-parents.
Caring Parents
Flexibility is the top demand from parents, and choosing when to start and finish work is a key factor, but parents want more. In the wake of the pandemic, many are more aware of the importance of work-life balance, well-being, acceptance, and belonging, as well as the need for employer support for mental and physical health.
Parents are requesting employer support to better balance work and family life so they can thrive. It’s no longer just about hiring the right person; employers must address what workers want for themselves and their families. A thriving workforce means providing parents with the support they need to navigate uncertain times with less stress. Creating solutions that foster sustainable employment and empower parents requires strong leadership, innovative thinking, and close collaboration with them.
- Combat burnout and build mental health
The crisis has placed mental health high on public and corporate agendas, and workers now expect employers to support their mental well-being and provide opportunities to build mental health. The focus is on prevention, not cure.
Helping workers thrive
People don’t just want to survive; they want to thrive, and as we saw with the Great Quit, they are willing to vote with their feet. Workers are demanding more: more choice, more flexibility, more autonomy, more well-being.
The legacy of workers’ needs and the changing dynamics of the workplace will endure beyond the pandemic recovery. Employers who are willing to pause, listen, and act to attract, nurture, and retain top talent will succeed in the most competitive job market in living memory.
Indeed: Employees can thrive, but 23% don’t reach their full potential due to poor well-being.
The following contribution comes from the Unleash portal, which describes itself as follows: UNLEASH is a global digital media and events company that delivers the latest news, analysis, and market trends for leaders in HR, technology, training, and recruitment.
Since 2011, UNLEASH has served as a driver of strategic transformation for HR, designed to inspire, connect, and empower HR leaders worldwide to thrive in the changing world of work.
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