More than 9 in 10 employers plan to maintain or even expand wellbeing offerings this year despite soaring health care costs and an uncertain global economy. “Employers continue to regard wellbeing as central to their workforce strategy and seek to further optimize their wellbeing investments,” said Ellen Kelsay, president and CEO of Business Group on Health.

At the same time, nearly all employers also expect benefits providers to step up their game to deliver improved outcomes, according to the organization’s 2025 Employer Well-being Strategy Survey. Among the other survey findings: 

• One hundred percent of respondents include mental health in their wellbeing strategy. Although employee assistance programs are the most commonly offered initiative worldwide, employers also promote stress management, mindfulness and resiliency. Globally, 95% of multinational employers provide teletherapy. 
• Physical health, especially weight management, is a top wellbeing priority for employers. Almost two-thirds of employers reported that the growing use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss had an impact on their approach by making changes to their wellbeing offerings or increasing vendor accountability.
• Financial health programs are nearly ubiquitous among employer strategies. Ninety-two percent of employers include financial health as a dimension of wellbeing strategy in 2025, with 100% of employers projected to include it for 2026. Some employers already support financial wellbeing through subsidies or financial contributions to help with life events such as student loan repayment, tuition reimbursement and emergency savings. 
• Multinational employers continue to pursue consistency in benefits across countries of operations. Eighty-five percent of employers have a global consistency strategy or are actively developing a strategy for their wellbeing offerings.

• Multinational employers also consistently offer access to nutritious food, physical activity challenges and wellbeing champion networks to global workforces. These tactics complement other wellbeing goals. For example, physical activity challenges often have a social component.
• Some three-quarters of employers’ wellbeing strategies include promoting social connectedness and community through such initiatives as employee resource groups and peer coaching or mentoring. Relative to other wellbeing areas, employers are less likely to view these as the top wellbeing dimensions, but data findings reveal growing consideration of these areas for 2026.
• In coming years, 6 in 10 employers will expand their efforts in addressing social determinants of health --- the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age -- more so than any other area of wellbeing. 

“By viewing these initiatives as having a direct impact on overall employee health,” Kelsay said, “employers also boost workplace engagement, participant outcomes and business performance, among other benefits.”