What’s Really Getting in the Way of Workplace Wellbeing?

What’s Really Getting in the Way of Workplace Wellbeing?

Wellbeing has become a buzzword in business. We talk about it, fund it, even give it its own budget line.

But here’s the truth.

In far too many workplaces, wellbeing efforts look good – yet quietly fall flat.

Over the years, I’ve seen organisations roll out resilience training, mental health champions, digital detox days… and still watch their people burn out. Why?

Because unless wellbeing is embedded into how we work, no programme will make a real difference.

The Hidden Barriers No One Talks About

These are the patterns I see most often – the subtle blockers that sabotage even the best-intended wellbeing strategies:

1. No one asks what people actually want

This one sounds simple, but it’s often skipped.

A company I spoke to recently had rolled out a 'healthy habits' challenge. But when they actually asked staff how it landed, the feedback was clear – “We don’t need more tasks. We need smaller workloads and fewer unrealistic deadlines.”

We assume. We don’t ask. And the gap between intention and impact grows wider.

2. It’s treated as a quick fix

Wellbeing is not a plaster for burnout.

By the time people are disengaged or exhausted, it’s already too late for a tick-box intervention.

True wellbeing is proactive – baked into how the team operates before cracks appear.

3. The culture doesn’t match the message

You can run all the mindfulness sessions you like, but if the culture still celebrates being always on, people won’t feel safe to rest.

I’ve worked in places that talked about balance, yet quietly expected constant availability. That tension speaks louder than any policy.

So, What Can We Do Instead?

Here’s what I’ve learnt: wellbeing doesn’t begin with a strategy document. It starts with how people feel on a Monday morning. Tired? Heard? Stretched? Safe?

These small steps can help shift the culture, not just the calendar:

✅ Ask your people

Seriously. Ask. Run a poll. Have some open conversations. Let people tell you what wellbeing actually looks like to them. You’ll often be surprised by the simplicity of the answers

✅ Start small

Wellbeing doesn’t need to mean big change overnight. It could be rethinking meeting overload, building proper breaks into the day, or just taking time to ask, “How are you really doing?”

✅ Stay consistent

One-off efforts fade. It’s the small, steady gestures – the appreciation, the boundaries respected, the genuine check-ins – that quietly build trust and emotional safety over time.

It’s Not About the Initiatives. It’s About the Experience.

If you take one thing away, let it be this:

The real question isn’t “What wellbeing programmes are we running?” It’s “How are we making wellbeing part of how we work?”

Because real wellbeing doesn’t live in posters or plans. It lives in people. In how they feel, every day.

Over to You

What’s one small step you can take this week to make wellbeing feel real – for yourself or your team?

And if you’re not sure, maybe it’s time to ask.

With love until next time.

Samantha xx