Pillars of wellbeing at work: What they are & why they matter
25 June 2025
The topic of employee wellbeing isn’t always straightforward. There are variables, depending on industry and generation, to name just two, and multiple pillars of wellbeing at work must be factored in when creating an employee health and wellness strategy. Healthy and happy employees are more productive and engaged. Read on to discover what the pillars of workplace wellbeing are and how to support them.
What is employee wellbeing?
Employee wellbeing is more than a ‘hot topic’. It has become a priority for most employers, and it's not going away soon. As we sat down to write this blog, we reflected on the other blogs we've written that tackle employee wellbeing, and none of them specifically answer the question: What is employee wellbeing?
We have many resources on getting your strategy right, but not on breaking down what this phrase, now commonplace in HR vocabulary, actually means.
Employee wellbeing refers to the overall health of an employee in their workplace. Sounds straightforward, but overall health is comprised of multiple wellbeing pillars, each impacting employees in different ways and requiring unique support. You can’t approach each pillar in isolation, either, because the mind and body are interconnected.
That’s why we need to view employee wellbeing holistically – different pillars connected to one main whole.
Why should employee health and wellbeing matter to HR and employers?
Moving on to a topic we have covered in-depth: Why should employee health and wellbeing matter to HR and employers?
We have three main blogs that will give you an answer to this question, listed below:
- The Evolution and Growing Importance of Employee Wellbeing
- Workplace Wellbeing Made Simple: Part One
- Workplace Wellbeing Made Simple: Part Two
Pushed for time?
That’s OK. We’ll give you a high-level response here. In fact, we can give you a one-word response to the question asked above: Numbers.
In business, it all comes down to numbers. Getting them to add up, to move in the right direction – stay out of the red.
Wellbeing is about people, and when you keep this people-centric perspective at the heart of your culture, your employee wellbeing strategy will transition from a tick-box exercise to a way to drive sustainable change.
So, yes. We champion an authentic and value-led approach to wellbeing at work, but we’re not naive about the importance of numbers. The economic climate is volatile, and wellbeing strategies require investment. Even in the most people-focused organisations, business buy-in requires proof that there will be a return on investment. Numbers.
Let us paint a picture, then, of what you can expect from a numbers perspective when you focus on improving employee wellbeing.
- Absenteeism numbers drop – saving your business money.
- Output and productivity figures increase, driving revenue growth.
- Employee turnover reduces – cutting your expensive recruitment costs.
These are just three areas where employee wellbeing delivers a return on investment.
What are the wellbeing pillars?
We originally published this blog in January 2022 under the title, ‘Five Pillars of Staff Wellbeing.’ We’ve revisited it to enhance it for World Wellbeing Week and to evolve our original positioning.
When you search online for ‘wellbeing pillars’, articles referencing the five pillars of wellbeing will come up. Still, we’ve moved away from this title because today, we’re going to present six pillars of wellbeing at work.
Pillars of wellbeing at work
The first thing to be clear on is that although we discuss pillars of wellbeing at work, employer responsibilities don’t end when an employee clocks off. Just as the mind and body are connected, an employee’s experiences in their personal life affect them when they’re at work, and vice versa.
1. Mental and emotional wellbeing
Mental and emotional wellbeing refers to an employee’s state of mind, their happiness and feelings. Stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness are all examples of what falls under mental and emotional wellbeing. While the workplace can be a significant cause of stress, employers should also support employees with personal issues that can impact their mental and emotional wellbeing, such as relationship breakdowns.
2. Social wellbeing
Social wellbeing is about connection. The need to belong, connect, and communicate with others. It's also strongly linked to mental and emotional wellbeing, because connection makes us happier.
3. Financial wellbeing
Financial anxiety is on the rise, and it’s costing the UK economy £120 billion and 17.5 million lost work hours. Financial wellbeing encompasses everything from an employee’s ability to manage the demands of everyday spending, set aside funds for the future, their financial resilience and knowledge.
4. Physical wellbeing
Physical wellbeing refers to our physical health, any illnesses we may have, our lifestyle choices, the food we consume and how active we are.
5. Digital wellbeing
We’re spending more and more time on our screens for business and pleasure. While technology brings many benefits and helps create connections, as we explore in our blog, ‘Tips to Prevent Procrastination: Motivation Theories’, tech like Smartphones can be addictive. Social media, delivered via these phones, can also lead to negative experiences, impacting our mental wellbeing. The focus on digital wellbeing is to counteract these negative aspects and boost the positive.
6. Career Wellbeing
What is career wellbeing? Also known as job security, career wellbeing is the sixth pillar of wellbeing at work, and the new addition to this blog. Career wellbeing encompasses job satisfaction, whether their role provides a sense of purpose, their feelings about the people they work with, and whether employees feel confident about their prospects.
Tips to improve the six pillars of wellbeing at work
Culture is at the heart of a successful employee wellbeing strategy, and so too is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Creating an inclusive environment where employees feel safe and supported boosts employee engagement while reducing the risk of workplace stress and burnout.
Mental and emotional wellbeing
Every £1 spent on protecting your employees’ mental health yields a £5 return because mentally resilient employees are more engaged and productive. At the end of June 2023, 1.75 million people were in contact with mental health services (NHS England). That’s 1.75 million people seeking help, but what of those who keep their stress, worries, and health issues to themselves?
- Train Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs): Often the first people your employees may turn to for help, MHFAs are a fantastic source of peer-to-peer support.
- Encourage balance: Maintaining a work-life balance is crucial for reducing stress and enhancing our mental and emotional wellbeing. Help employees set boundaries, especially when they work remotely or from home. Our blog, ‘A Spotlight on... Employee Mental Health: Remote Workers’, offers further insight on this subject.
- Embed an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): Give your employees access to BACP-accredited counsellors whenever needed, 24/7, 365 days a year. More than a confidential place to turn in times of crisis, our EAP offering has a manager’s hub, providing the information and tools they need to support their teams effectively.
- Nurture a culture of trust and openness: Alleviate loneliness and create an environment where employees feel confident in discussing matters of emotional and mental wellbeing.
Social wellbeing
People like to connect with others, inside and outside of the workplace. How can we create connections in the workplace? It once again comes down to culture. Collaboration, knowledge-sharing and breaking down siloes all contribute to creating a feeling of togetherness in the workplace.
How can we create social connections in a hybrid and remote environment?
- Designated office days: If your team does come into the office one or two days per week, ensure teammates pick the same day to take advantage of face-to-face workshops and a chance to catch up.
- Utilise technology: When your teams are fully remote, make the most of tech to create social connections. Allow for virtual activities, coffee breaks, and Friday afternoon quizzes.
- Workplace communities: In our blog, ‘Workplace Mental Health: Employee Communities’, we explore how to create employee networks made up of like-minded people interested in engaging in particular activities or topics.
- Team events: Set aside a budget for teams to use on social activities, challenges and off-site events. Whether part of a development session or just for fun, gathering colleagues outside their typical working environment gives them a boost.
Financial wellbeing
In our blog, 'Cost-Effective Employee Benefits: How to Get More for Less', we share that in the UK, 11.5 million people have less than £100 in savings (FCS) -- less than the cost of a weekly shop for a family of four and one in ten adults feel hopeless about their financial situation.
There are many ways to support employee financial wellbeing, and it starts with removing the stigma surrounding honest conversations about our financial health.
- Make everyday living more affordable: Help employees’ salaries stretch further by embedding money-saving employee benefits into your Employee Value Proposition (EVP), such as employee discounts that offer up to 20% savings on everything from their weekly grocery shop to a family holiday. Then there’s our Pluxee Card – a prepaid digital card powered by Visa that allows employees to earn up to 25% cashback with over 80 retailers.
- Reduce commuting costs: Salary sacrifice solutions, such as our Cycle to Work and Green Car schemes, help employees adopt a more affordable and environmentally friendly way of commuting to work. By spreading the cost of an electric car or a brand-new bike, employees save money by reducing their tax and National Insurance contributions.
- Money management and education: Our Financial Wellbeing App provides your employees with the tools they need to enhance their financial health, including a comprehensive money management app.
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Debt consolidation and savings plans: Debt becomes a cycle, and it’s hard to break. High-street lenders may charge considerable interest, but an employer-managed debt consolidation scheme, available through our Financial Wellbeing App, removes that risk. Once an employee has repaid their loan, they can continue to set aside the amount they were repaying into a savings plan.
Physical wellbeing
42% of Brits have cut their gym membership to afford the rising cost of living. The Mental Health Foundation suggests that, as a Nation, we’re exercising 12% less often than we used to before the cost-of-living crisis.
- Offer flexible working: Providing employees with the flexibility to work in a way that suits them allows them to use time previously spent commuting for exercise and self-care. Encourage good working habits, such as utilising their whole lunch break to eat well, walk or rest.
- Make exercise more affordable and accessible: We’ve partnered with some of the UK’s largest fitness franchises to offer our Gym & Fitness Discounts, providing employees with up to 25% off membership fees at their preferred location. With discounts on digital fitness and online workout programmes included, your employees can exercise from the comfort of their home, choosing a convenient time and a programme that suits their bodies and abilities.
- Embed digital health platforms: Online GP helps employees connect with health professionals much faster than if they need to wait for a GP appointment. They can request prescriptions be delivered directly to their door and access health tools on the go.
- Annual Leave Purchase Scheme: Our Annual Leave Purchase Scheme allows employees to take more holidays than their contracted allowance. They can use this time to enjoy more of what matters most, whether that’s going on an adventure or relaxing; it’s proven to boost physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Digital wellbeing
In a remote and hybrid working world, we spend more time in front of our screens. Meetings occur virtually instead of in a shared room. Email and internal messaging platforms have replaced the telephone.
- Fair use policies: In our blog, ‘Tips to Prevent Procrastination: Motivation Theories’, we share how addictive smartphones can be, and just how many hours are wasted during the working day due to smartphone use. Consider ways of helping employees resist the urge to swipe by encouraging them to use a focus mode setting during working hours.
- Encourage self-awareness: Linking back to the rise of smartphone addiction, encourage employees to consider how much time they spend on their phone, and whether that urge to check their updates during the day is becoming an issue.
- Advocate for non-screentime: When the working day revolves around a screen, it’s essential to empower employees to take regular breaks away from their desks. Encourage brainstorming sessions to revolve around a paper and pen or a flipchart, outside, over food – anything that doesn’t involve a screen.
- Set boundaries: It’s essential to consider how employees use digital technology, especially if they’ve added work emails and chat platforms to their personal phones. Boundaries are important, so ensure employees don’t feel the need to check for work updates in their own time.
Career wellbeing
Career wellbeing is a new addition to this blog, and in the current climate, it could be the most significant pillar of workplace wellbeing to consider. Economic and political factors, both locally and globally, have made the cost of doing business climb, and redundancies are at the highest they’ve been since the pandemic.
AI and technological advances continue to make headlines, so it’s no surprise that job security is on employees’ minds.
- Communication and transparency: Keep employees in the loop when you’re implementing new ways of working and transitions. Change is inevitable, and it’s not always going to lead to a negative outcome for your people. Lead with authenticity and communicate openly to ensure employees have trust and faith in the outcome.
- Learning and development: AI developments are happening, whether your business is all in or embracing with caution. Upskill employees to adapt to and thrive in a high-tech environment. Investing in their learning is a commitment to their future, enhancing career wellbeing.
- Psychological safety: Employees may also have fears over job security if they don’t feel like they’re accepted for who they are. Embrace Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), ensuring employees feel comfortable being their authentic selves at work. Psychological safety also comes down to communication and transparency, quelling unnecessary fears about their future with the business.
- Reward and recognition: When you recognise and reward employees for their efforts, they feel valued. Boosting an employee’s sense of self-worth enhances career wellbeing, making them feel like the workplace is somewhere they truly belong.
Support the pillars of wellbeing at work with Pluxee UK
You’ve had a deep dive into the six pillars of wellbeing at work: mental and emotional, financial, physical, social, digital, and career wellbeing. Now you know the role each can play in the workplace and how, as an employer or HR professional, you can support each pillar, it’s time to make a positive change.
Sources: NHS & Tech Report
