Wellbeing as a business strategy: Embedding health into leadership
For years, “wellbeing” has been treated as a side project – apps, awareness days, maybe a yoga class if budgets allow. But the numbers now make one thing very clear:
Wellbeing is not a perk. It is a core business strategy.
In Great Britain alone, work-related ill health and injury led to an estimated 40.1 million working days lost in 2024/25, with work-related stress, depression and anxiety making up a huge share. Deloitte estimates that poor mental health costs UK employers £51 billion a year, mainly through presenteeism – people at work but not able to perform.
By contrast, multiple analyses suggest that for every £1 invested in workplace mental health and wellbeing, employers see an average return of around £4–£5 in productivity, reduced absence and lower turnover.
This article is part of the Health and wellbeing in the corporate world: The Human Leader playbook and focuses on one crucial shift:
Moving from “wellbeing as benefits” to “wellbeing as leadership”.
A quick invitation before we dive in
If you are carrying the responsibility for wellbeing, culture and performance – and it feels like a lot – you do not have to do this alone.
The Human Leader Workshop is a practical, embodied programme that helps your managers turn wellbeing from a poster on the wall into how they actually lead – in conversations, meetings and hybrid rhythms.
1. Why wellbeing now sits on the board agenda
The business context has changed dramatically:
The HSE reports that 964,000 workers are living with work-related stress, depression or anxiety, contributing to tens of millions of lost working days each year.
Poor mental health at work now costs UK employers an estimated £51 billion a year, with presenteeism (people struggling on at work) the biggest cost driver.
Reviews on psychosocial hazards emphasise that high workloads, low control, poor leadership and unclear roles are not just “people issues” – they are business risks that damage safety, productivity and retention.
At the same time, the business case for investment is strong:
Deloitte’s analysis suggests an average ROI of £4.70 for every £1 spent on workplace mental health interventions.
Other global reviews using WHO data point to around 4:1 returns on mental health investment through improved health and productivity.
So wellbeing is no longer a soft conversation. It is about:
Protecting your ability to deliver.
Retaining critical talent.
Reducing exposure to psychosocial risk under standards like ISO 45003.
For a bigger picture of this landscape, see Health and wellbeing in the corporate world: The Human Leader playbook.
2. From perks to strategy: three levels of wellbeing
To embed wellbeing into leadership, it helps to think at three levels:
Individual support – counselling, employee assistance, apps, flexible working.
Team climate – how leaders behave, how safe people feel, how hybrid routines run.
Organisational design – workload, role clarity, change management, psychosocial risk.
Most organisations over-invest in level 1 and under-invest in levels 2 and 3.
2.1 Individual support (necessary but not sufficient)
Employee assistance programmes and mental health apps are useful safety nets. They:
Provide confidential help.
Support people already in difficulty.
But on their own, they do not change:
Excessive workloads.
Toxic meeting cultures.
Poorly designed hybrid working.
2.2 Team climate (where leadership lives)
A growing body of research shows that leadership behaviour has a significant impact on employee wellbeing, affecting stress, engagement and affective health.
Inclusive, supportive and transformational leadership styles are consistently linked with:
Higher wellbeing and vigour.
Lower stress and burnout.
Stronger performance and commitment.
We explore this more deeply in Trust as your competitive edge: The science of psychological safety and Rehumanising the workplace for hybrid teams.
2.3 Organisational design (where risk really sits)
Standards like ISO 45003 remind us that wellbeing isn’t just about resilience – it’s about how work is designed:
High or unreasonable demands.
Lack of control or autonomy.
Poor relationships and support.
Unclear roles and badly managed change.
This is where leadership at the top must treat wellbeing as a strategic design question, not an individual coping issue.
We zoom into this in From policy to practice: Bringing ISO 45003 to life in your culture.
3. Embedding wellbeing into leadership: four practical shifts
So what does it look like when wellbeing becomes a leadership capability, not just an HR initiative?
3.1 Wellbeing literacy as a core leadership skill
Human Leaders understand:
Basic stress and recovery cycles.
Signs of overload and early burnout.
The link between their own nervous system state and team climate.
This is not about turning managers into therapists. It is about giving them enough wellbeing literacy to:
Spot risk early.
Have humane, boundaried conversations.
Adjust work patterns where they have control.
We develop those foundations in Leading with nervous system awareness: Somatic skills for modern managers and Breath, movement and focus: A somatic toolkit for corporate wellbeing champions.
3.2 Psychological safety as a leadership KPI
Instead of asking only “Did we hit target?”, Human Leaders add questions like:
“How safe is it here to say ‘I’m struggling’?”
“Can people raise risks without fear?”
“Are mistakes used for learning rather than blame?”
Including psychological safety indicators in leadership reviews and engagement surveys moves it from “soft culture” to accountable behaviour.
You can see how this plays out in Psychological safety in meetings: From silent screens to real dialogue.
3.3 Hybrid rhythms designed for health
Wellbeing-focused leadership asks:
Are we using our office time for high-value connection and collaboration?
Have we protected focus blocks and realistic meeting loads?
Are we checking how hybrid is affecting different groups (carers, new starters, introverts)?
We explore practical patterns in Hybrid teams without burnout: Designing sustainable work rhythms and Rehumanising the workplace for hybrid teams.
3.4 Wellbeing in strategic decisions
Finally, leadership teams routinely ask:
“What will this change do to people’s load and health?”
“Where are the psychosocial risks in this new structure or policy?”
“What support and communication will people need to stay well through this shift?”
This is where wellbeing meets strategy in a very concrete way.
Equip your leaders, not just your benefits
If you recognise that your benefits are generous but the day-to-day experience of work is still draining people, it is probably a leadership capability gap – not a budget issue.
The Human Leader Workshop is designed to close that gap by helping your managers:
Understand the business case for wellbeing in their language.
Practise conversations that blend care and clarity.
Use breathwork and simple somatic tools to stay calm and present.
4. Making the business case: measuring what matters
To keep wellbeing at the strategic table, you need clear ways to measure impact.
4.1 Track the cost of inaction
Start with data you already have:
Absence: days lost to stress, depression, anxiety and musculoskeletal issues.
Presenteeism: self-report survey questions about working while unwell.
Turnover and retention in key roles.
HSE figures show tens of millions of working days lost annually to work-related ill health and injury, with stress and mental health conditions a major component and an overall estimated cost of £22.9 billion in 2023/24.
Deloitte’s work on mental health underlines how these losses translate into £51 billion a year in direct employer costs.
Pulling those numbers into a simple dashboard turns a vague “we should care” into “we’re already spending this – just not intentionally”.
4.2 Measure leadership shifts, not just programmes
When you pilot leadership-focused wellbeing work, track:
Changes in psychological safety scores.
Changes in perceived support from line managers.
Uptake of simple practices (breathing resets, check-ins, hybrid rituals).
This is where Measuring what matters: Proving the ROI of wellbeing programmes can act as a companion piece to this article.
4.3 Tell stories and show examples
Alongside hard numbers, gather short stories:
A team that reduced meetings and saw energy rise.
A manager who used somatic tools to stay calm during a difficult restructure.
A hybrid routine that reduced burnout in a pressured function.
Stories make the business case emotional and believable, not just statistical.
5. The role of HR and L&D: from owners to enablers
HR and L&D are often expected to “own” wellbeing, but real traction comes when they act as strategic enablers.
This means:
Working with the board to position wellbeing as a risk and performance issue.
Embedding wellbeing into all leadership programmes, not just special workshops.
Giving managers follow-up support, not just one-off training.
We explore this partnership in HR and L&D as human leaders: Equipping culture shapers for the future of work, and we link it explicitly with the demands of hybrid and AI in Human-centred leadership in the age of AI.
FAQs: Wellbeing as a business strategy
1. Isn’t wellbeing mainly an HR responsibility?
HR plays a key role, but the biggest levers for wellbeing sit with line managers and senior leaders – in how they design work, hold conversations and manage change. HR can design frameworks and support, but wellbeing becomes strategic only when leaders see it as part of their role.
2. How do we avoid wellbeing being seen as a “nice-to-have” in tough times?
By connecting it clearly to risk, performance and cost. Use your own data (absence, turnover, engagement) alongside external figures from HSE and Deloitte to show what poor wellbeing already costs you – and what modest investments can return. Then embed wellbeing in existing strategic plans, rather than running it as a separate “soft” initiative.
3. Do we have to invest huge sums to see a return?
No. Many of the most effective moves – better hybrid rhythms, psychologically safer meetings, simple nervous-system tools – cost very little financially. The key investment is in leadership capacity and consistency. Often, you can start with a pilot group and build your business case from there.
4. How does this fit with ISO 45003 and psychosocial risk management?
ISO 45003 asks you to identify and manage psychosocial hazards such as high workload, poor support and badly managed change. Training leaders in Human Leader skills – from psychological safety to nervous-system awareness – is a direct way to reduce those risks day-to-day and demonstrate a proactive duty of care.
5. What if our leaders are already overloaded – won’t this feel like “one more thing”?
That’s a fair concern. A Human Leader approach is intentionally integrated: we focus on ways of leading that reduce load, create clearer priorities and support healthier hybrid rhythms. In other words, we help leaders remove friction, not add more tasks. Once they feel the benefits themselves, they are much more likely to champion wellbeing for their teams.
Make wellbeing part of how you lead, not just what you offer
Wellbeing is no longer a side project. It is a lens through which you:
Design work and hybrid patterns.
Develop leaders.
Manage risk and performance.
If you would like your managers to move beyond theory and practise this – in their bodies, in their meetings and in how they hold responsibility – I would be honoured to support you through The Human Leader Workshop.
Together, we can help your organisation treat wellbeing not as a cost centre or a perk, but as what it truly is:
A core business capability that protects your people and powers your performance.
I look forward to connecting with you in my next post.
Until then, be well and keep shining.
Peter. :)
