If you’re looking for an innovative way to increase engagement with your corporate wellness program, we’ve got news for you!

Editor's Note: This article was updated in August 2026.

TL;DR: Workplace stress can affect employee health, focus, productivity and engagement. Employers can help by addressing workplace stressors, training managers and providing accessible well-being resources.

Workplace stress can affect more than an employee’s mood. Prolonged or poorly managed stress may influence sleep, concentration, physical well-being and the ability to perform work safely and effectively.

It can also affect the organization through reduced engagement, lower productivity, absenteeism and turnover. A wellness program can provide valuable support, but lasting improvement also requires employers to examine workload, communication, flexibility, management practices and other sources of workplace stress.

The infographic below illustrates how stress can affect the body. Afterward, we’ll explore common workplace stressors and practical steps employers can take.

With all the miracle diets in the world, it’s important to consider some of the simple benefits of getting back to the basics. Opting for a plant-based diet is one way to do just that.

Alright, alright…this isn’t something you can really mandate in your corporate wellness program. But, it is something that’s important to consider and share with your employees. The more knowledge your workforce has, the more healthy decisions they’ll be able to make. So, let’s get started.

Workplace morale is a huge factor in employee health. It’s also a great predictor of company productivity. While there are a number of long-term company changes you can make to develop a positive company culture, we know those are easier said than done.

Here are a few quick and easy ideas to improve employee morale and create a happy office environment right now.

Sometimes there’s a fine line between what you should and shouldn’t encourage your employees to do. After all, you’re a part of their work life, so you shouldn’t go traipsing into their personal life too much. That doesn’t mean you can't care about their well-being in all aspects of life. 

So, how do you address something like a healthy diet? Here are some ideas that can help you encourage healthy eating without being too pushy!

Financial wellness is an aspect of employee wellness that’s often forgotten. It’s important that employees feel healthy financially for many of the same reasons they should feel healthy physically.

To get started, let’s take a look at what financial wellness means. For an employee, financial wellness includes:

• Minimal feelings of financial stress
• A strong financial foundation (little or no debt, emergency savings and living below their means)
• A plan to follow to meet future financial goals
  

Having a positive culture in your workplace can play a huge role in the well-being of your employees and the quality of the work they do. When designing a wellness program, a lot of times just doing a screening or Health Risk Assessment isn’t enough to make an impact. If you really want to help your employees live healthier lifestyles, you’ll need to create an environment conducive to those choices.

Exercise has benefits no matter what weight someone may be. Overweight? Underweight? Struggling with a healthy diet? Doesn’t matter. Regular exercise will help to improve your health in some way.

Regular physical activity can help you to control your weight and combat health conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. It can improve your mood and increase your energy. Exercise can even help you sleep better at night.

Do you get enough zzz’s? Odds are you—and your employees—probably don’t. But what’s the big deal with being a little drowsy at work? There are actually quite a few negative outcomes of sleep deprivation. There are also plenty of things you can do to make sure you have a well-rested workforce.

At Work

Some of the negative consequences of sleep deprivation are seen at the workplace. It’s estimated that fatigue-related production loss is close to $2,000. This is due to mistakes that are made because employees' minds are quite as sharp on fewer hours of sleep.

In short, yes. Corporate wellness can be your competitive advantage.

Allow us to explain why. But first, it’s important to understand the goals of a corporate wellness program. Most programs have some combination of these goals: 

• Increase productivity and efficiency of work
• Improve employee morale and engagement
• Develop a more positive company culture
• Cut costs on insurance and employee healthcare packages