Has your business invested in any employee wellbeing programmes yet? If you want to hire top talent and retain your current staff, these extra perks are a great way of showing that you care about those who work for you. And the data says that they work.
New research by Aviva revealed that 9 in 10 employees said workplace benefits (other than salary) improve their overall happiness. With stats like that, you might want to think about instituting your own wellbeing initiatives. But where to start?
Here at Order Office Furniture, we don’t just sell fantastic quality affordable office furniture. We also live and breathe all things office related, including staying up to date with the latest wellbeing trends for 2025. We’ll take you through the top ones to consider. So, let’s get started!
10 employee wellbeing initiatives to consider
We know that these kinds of investments in staff wellbeing aren’t always cheap - especially when applied to every member of your organisation. That’s why we’ve rounded up the ones we think will make the biggest impact for you to consider.
Financial wellbeing tools
With the cost-of-living crisis still hitting hard, financial stress could be keeping your team up at night, even if their salary is in line with the UK average for their role. This stress can affect work performance in a big way.
Many employers are now offering financial coaching, educational workshops about personal finance and even subsidising subscriptions to premium financial planning apps like Emma (for budgeting) and Plum (for savings). The goal is to help employees understand how to make their money go further and relieve financial stress.
Employer-sponsored low-interest loan providers that help staff avoid payday lenders are also gaining popularity.
Physical & mental wellbeing
Thanks to advances in technology, employee wellbeing initiatives can now be tailored to individual needs. This might look like personalised stress reduction plans, sleep improvement tips or nutrition advice. Apps like Calm, Headspace and Thrive are common choices.
If you want to support physical wellbeing, there are plenty of great options to subsidise activities like Classpass which gives staff access to thousands of gyms and fitness classes across the UK.
When people receive support that feels relevant to their actual lives, they're much more likely to engage with it. And that leads to healthier, happier employees who stick around longer.
Thoughtful office design
As more of us return to the office (at least some of the time), workplace design can have a huge impact on staff wellbeing.
Think about it - we spend roughly a third of our adult lives at work. Shouldn't that space be designed with our wellbeing in mind? Simple changes like better air quality, more natural light, plants (that someone actually remembers to water), and dedicated quiet zones for focused work can make a world of difference.
Plus, adjustable office chairs and spacious desks are great examples of ergonomic additions that can make focusing on work so much more comfortable.
Mental health days
Progressive employers are now including dedicated mental health days as part of their standard leave policies as part of their employee wellbeing policies.
These aren't simply additional holiday days by another name. They represent a meaningful acknowledgement that mental wellbeing requires deliberate care and attention.
Companies like Nationwide, Unilever and Lloyds Banking Group have introduced specific mental health leave policies that allow employees to take time off for mental wellbeing without having to use sick leave or annual leave.
This aims to take the stigma out of staff needing to take the time to prioritise their mental wellbeing.
Technology boundaries
In 2025 we're seeing an emerging pushback against the “always-on” culture, with companies establishing healthier relationships with technology. This includes things like screen-free breaks throughout the day, no-email periods and explicit policies about the right to disconnect after work hours.
The thought process behind these boundaries is that being able to truly disconnect from work means less chance of burnout striking.
Menopause support
About 20% of the female workforce is experiencing some stage of menopause at any given time. That's a huge number of employees potentially suffering in silence because workplace cultures haven't caught up with biological reality.
Forward-thinking companies are now offering access to menopause-specific health resources, flexible working options to help manage symptoms and creating open conversations to reduce stigma.
Menopause support is a perfect example of how employee wellbeing programmes are evolving to address real-life issues rather than just ticking corporate boxes.
Family-focused flexibility
Have you ever thought about the huge amount of employees that balance work with some form of caregiving? Whether it’s for children, elderly parents or other family members - it’s a large proportion of the working population.
Employers who get it are responding with comprehensive family care support - flexible working that actually works around family commitments, extended parental leave, childcare support and elderly care resources.
When employees don't have to choose between caring for a loved one and keeping their job, everyone wins. The stress reduction alone significantly improves workplace performance and loyalty.
CSR initiatives
We all want to feel our work matters beyond just making money for a company. Staff wellbeing increasingly includes a sense of purpose and community connection.
Why not consider offering paid volunteer days, team charity events or even creating skills-based volunteering programmes where employees can use their professional expertise to help local causes?
These cooperative social responsibility initiatives can really boost morale. Plus, they help position your company as a positive force in the community - not a bad bit of PR as a side effect of your employee wellbeing strategy.
Access to therapy & counselling
In 2025, comprehensive mental health support is becoming a cornerstone of employee wellbeing programmes. It might be time for you to move beyond traditional Employee Assistance Programmes and partner with services like Spill or Self Space, which provide access to qualified therapists.
With NHS mental health waiting lists often extending to months, employer-provided counselling addresses an important need. This approach helps normalise therapy as an essential wellbeing tool rather than just crisis intervention.
Normalising flexible working options
Rethinking the traditional work week is quickly gaining momentum across the UK. Companies that participated in the UK's four-day work week trials reported remarkable results: a 65% reduction in sick days and 57% decrease in staff turnover, while maintaining or even improving productivity levels.
There’s a growing wave of businesses adopting this model after these successful trials. The key discovery is that focused work time coupled with proper rest creates more sustainable performance, meaning you might get better results from staff even if they’re working fewer hours.
Other companies are bringing in more flexible scheduling policies, meaning employees can design work patterns that accommodate their individual circumstances.
When employees have greater control over when and how they work it’s logical that employee engagement and wellbeing improve.
Happy staff produce better results
At Order Office Furniture we know that it’s the people who really make your business. That’s why they deserve all the tools they need to do their best work.
It starts with a comfortable workplace - like chairs that don’t wreck your back and sturdy office desks that give enough space for equipment and essentials. But it doesn’t stop there. As we’ve discussed above, there’s a world of evolving benefits to consider.
If you’re just starting to think about staff wellbeing programmes or you’re looking to take your existing initiatives to the next level, the key is to focus on what actually matters to your team. Use feedback data, ask them what they need, listen to their answers and be willing to adapt as those needs change.
Want to know more about trade office furniture? We supply to some of Britain’s biggest businesses. Get in touch to talk about how we can help with bulk orders.
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