Employee wellbeing in 2025 – trends, timing and tactics that actually work

Employee wellbeing remains high on the agenda. But the key challenge in 2025 lies in cutting through the noise and delivering support that genuinely engages and helps people – when they need it most, in the ways that suit them best.

In our most recent insights talk, our team offered a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the trends shaping wellbeing in 2025. Backed by live platform data and insights from tens of thousands of employee interactions and events, our event provided a practical roadmap for building smarter, more responsive wellbeing strategies.

You can watch a full recording of the event here. In this article, we outline some of the key insights from this talk, that you could use to support the people in your workforce this year.

Mental health is still the key concern

Mental health continues to be the number one concern across organisations of all sizes. According to Wellness Cloud data, stress and anxiety remain the most common reasons employees reach out for support. Unsurprisingly, therapy remains the most in-demand service, but what’s encouraging is the rise in proactive wellbeing behaviours – such as coaching, workshops, and self-guided development tools.

Rather than waiting until crisis point, more employees are actively seeking out tools to help them stay well and build resilience. This shift is important: it signals a move from reactive to preventative approaches in how individuals manage their wellbeing.

Two emerging areas of concern stood out:

• Financial wellbeing: With the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, financial worries are increasingly showing up in onboarding data and one-to-one support requests.
• Sleep: Closely linked to financial stress, sleep is now one of the fastest-growing wellbeing concerns among employees.

These trends suggest that integrated, holistic support, like combined sleep and financial wellbeing sessions. may be the future of workplace health.

Evolving expectations with neurodiversity and women’s health

Neurodiversity conversations have moved from ‘awareness’ to ‘action’. Organisations are no longer just talking about ADHD, autism or dyslexia in the workplace – they’re now investing in coaching and therapy for neurodivergent employees, as well as support for parents of neurodiverse children.

Women’s health also continues to gain traction, and the scope is expanding. Beyond menopause and fertility, employees are looking for information on more complex and less openly discussed issues such as PCOS, endometriosis, pregnancy loss and baby loss. These requests are being driven by employees who want support tailored to their real-life experiences – not just broad-brush solutions.

When employees seek support – timing is everything

One of the most powerful insights from the wellness cloud session was the importance of timing. Understanding not just what support employees need, but when they are most likely to engage, can make a huge difference to the success of your wellbeing strategy.

Seasonal Peaks

Data from thousands of one-to-one bookings and event registrations shows that demand for wellbeing support follows predictable seasonal patterns:

• January: A surge in demand – driven by “New Year, new start” energy.
• May: A peak linked to post-Easter resets and alignment with Mental Health Awareness campaigns and awareness days.
• September: The biggest spike of the year as employees return from summer and refocus.
• December & Summer holidays: Noticeable dips in engagement, likely due to annual leave and holiday distractions.

Weekly and Daily Patterns

Wellness Cloud’s data reveals clear engagement rhythms:

• Mondays are when people are most likely to book wellbeing sessions.
• Wednesdays (especially afternoons) are when they’re most likely to attend them.
• Fridays and weekends see the lowest engagement.

This has huge implications for how you plan internal communications and wellbeing campaigns. If you want people to take action, communicate early in the week. If you’re running live events, aim for midweek when engagement is highest.

What employees are engaging with

Most popular one-to-one support services

• Therapy – Still the top service across the board.
• Coaching – Rapidly growing, especially among employees seeking professional development and stress management tools.
• Parenting & fertility support – Reflecting changing family dynamics and reduced stigma.
• Neurodiversity – Showing up across therapy, coaching, and parenting sessions.

Event engagement trends

• Mental health topics such as stress and anxiety attract the highest attendance.
• Coaching and career development are becoming increasingly popular.
• Women’s health events see a spike in October, aligning with Menopause Awareness Month.
• Parenting and neurodiversity sessions grow in popularity around the start of school terms.

Our top five most attended events of 2024 included:

1. Managing anxiety and stress
2. Becoming the master of your life
3. Neurodiversity awareness
4. Generative AI for productivity
5. Recognising a heart attack and CPR

Wellbeing sessions that combine a broad appeal with niche depth, like targeted topics delivered by experts, are proving to be the sweet spot.

Cracking the code on engagement

Wellness Cloud shared some fascinating A/B testing insights from their email communications. Here’s what actually moves the needle when it comes to getting employees to engage:

• Urgency works: Subject lines like “Don’t miss out” led to a 380% increase in bookings.
• Overused personalisation falls flat: Including someone’s first name in an email subject line reduced open rates by 9%.
• Detailed emails win: Including expert bios and explaining the value of a session increased engagement by 18%.
• Smart tone strategy: Formal, direct subject lines + warm, conversational email copy = 3x higher click-through rates.
• Lunchtime is best: Emails sent around midday now outperform early morning comms.

These findings are especially useful for HR, communications and internal engagement teams looking to boost take-up of wellbeing services, webinars and benefits.

Your 2025 wellbeing strategy takeaways

Whether you’re a global HR leader or a solo People & Culture champion, these are the key points to carry into your strategy this year:

Insights to watch

• Mental health remains the biggest priority, but burnout prevention is gaining ground.
• Proactive support like coaching is growing fast – meet your people before they reach a crisis.
• Financial wellbeing and sleep are the emerging silent stressors.
• Neurodiversity and women’s health require more tailored, informed support.

Timing is crucial

• Plan campaigns and events around January, May and September.
• Schedule engagement pushes for Monday (decision-making day).
• Host events and share content on Wednesdays (action day).

Communications that convert

• Use clear, benefit-led messaging.
• Tap into urgency without manipulation.
• Mix direct subject lines with friendly, warm email content.
• Send emails around lunchtime, not first thing in the morning.

Wellbeing strategies can no longer rely on one-size-fits-all solutions. The workforce is more diverse, more stretched, and more tuned in than ever before. By paying close attention to timing, personal relevance, and data-driven insights, organisations can turn their wellbeing offerings from ‘nice to have’ to life-enhancing.

Ready to evolve your approach? Whether it’s reviewing your current strategy or bringing in specialist support, now’s the time to align your initiatives with what your people actually need – and when they’re ready to engage.