How to Offer Health and Wellness Stipends That Truly Boost Employee Well-Being

A typical workday often comes bundled with more than just tasks and deadlines — it carries the hidden weight of stress, mental exhaustion, and burnout. While an employment contract expects employees to deliver services in exchange for pay, the reality is that it also demands a significant investment of physical, emotional, and mental energy.

That's where employee health and wellness programs step in — not as a luxury, but as a critical necessity.

Today, organizations that genuinely care for their people understand that well-being isn’t limited to annual health check-ups or occasional fitness challenges. True well-being means empowering employees to prioritize their health, in ways that are meaningful to them, every single day. 

Health and wellness stipends are one of the most flexible and thoughtful ways to demonstrate to employees that their well-being matters, offering them the freedom to choose the wellness solutions that best support their lifestyle.

In this blog, we will explore what health and wellness stipends are, how they work, and how organizations can design programs that not only uplift employee morale but also drive better business outcomes.

What is a health and wellness stipend?

Gym memberships, swimming classes, Zumba sessions—you know the drill. Health and Wellness stipends are financial resources or services provided to employees to support their well-being. As these funds are released in the employees’ hands to be spent on their well-being, it’s a great way to show them that the organization cares for employee health and wellness.

يمكن منح رواتب الصحة والعافية على الأسس التالية:

• شهري
• ربع سنوي
• نصف سنوي
• سنوي

Health and wellness stipends are taxable items. These taxes can either be grossed up on the organization’s behalf or can be taken care of by the employee.

What health and wellness stipends are not?

A common misconception among many employees and employers is that health and wellness stipends are insurance policies purchased by the employer for the employees. No, that’s not the case.

فيما يلي بعض الأشياء التي لا تشكل رواتب الصحة والعافية جزءا منها:

• حساب التوفير الصحي (HSA)
• حسابات الإنفاق المرنة (FSA)
• راتب التأمين الصحي
• رواتب مع خيارات السداد

الآن بعد أن أوضحنا ذلك ، دعنا ننتقل إلى كيف يمكن للمؤسسة تقديم رواتب الصحة والعافية لموظفيها.

Why wellness programs are a business imperative

The modern workplace is evolving rapidly. Employees today are not just seeking a paycheck; they are looking for employers who care about their overall well-being. Yet, the demands of work, tight deadlines, and increasing digital burnout have made health and wellness programs more than just a nice-to-have — they are a strategic business priority.

Investing in employee wellness isn’t just about offering gym memberships or meditation apps; it's about fostering a culture that promotes physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Studies show that organizations with strong wellness initiatives experience 23% higher employee retention, 41% lower absenteeism, and significantly higher levels of engagement and productivity.

Ignoring wellness today comes at a steep cost — from higher turnover rates and medical claims to lost productivity and diminished morale. On the flip side, companies that proactively invest in employee well-being see tangible business benefits, such as:

• Improved employee engagement and lower burnout rates.
• Higher talent attraction and retention, especially among Gen Z and millennials.
• Lower healthcare costs for both employees and employers.
• Enhanced employer brand reputation in a competitive hiring market.

Wellness programs also serve as a critical lever for building resilience, enabling employees to better manage stress, maintain a work-life balance, and perform at their peak over the long term.

Simply put: when organizations invest in their people’s well-being, the people invest back — with their energy, loyalty, creativity, and passion.

Health and wellness stipends are one of the most flexible and employee-friendly ways to start this journey, offering autonomy, choice, and meaningful support. And when powered by an innovative platform like Empuls, these initiatives go beyond mere perks — they become catalysts for sustained employee happiness and business success.

Distributing health and wellness stipends to employees

Sure, sneaker money and gym pass sound like a decent way to distribute health and wellness perks and stipends, but are you sure that’s what all your employees want? The key to getting them involved in employee perks and reward programs is to give them the power of choice. This can be achieved by distributing health and wellness stipends along with a catalog of options.

Thanks to digitized perks and a rewarding platform, Empuls, your employees have a huge catalog of health and wellness perks and stipends to choose from.  Whether it's a massage this month or a vertical diet plan next, your employees can easily select the perfect health and wellness perk that suits them best.

Here are some trending perks in the field of Health and Wellness that your employees would surely appreciate and be thankful to the organization for empowering them with the choice to do so.

Best health and wellness stipends to offer your employees

To build a truly impactful health and wellness program, it's essential to offer a variety of benefits, and the right technology partner can make all the difference. 

With Empuls, companies can design customized wellness perks catalogs, automate stipend allocations, and ensure employees have endless options to support their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 

Empuls makes wellness more accessible, personalized, and measurable, helping organizations cultivate a healthier and more engaged workforce.

1. Employee assistance programs

With the onslaught of work-life balance issues affecting both employers and employees, it’s only human to feel mentally depleted and overwhelmed at the same time. Mental health problems are the most significant cause of low productivity, and it matters more than any targets, goals, or numbers to be achieved. An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) helps employees manage work and life challenges.

Whether it's a discreet hotline number where one can talk their heart out about what’s bothering them or simply discuss what’s going on in their mind, or a systematic approach of seminars to address workplace stress, it’s the best and most crucial health and wellness stipend an organization can offer.

Do note that this is a very intricate piece of health and wellness perks and in most cases, should be offered to the organization’s employees without any strings attached. Deteriorating mental health is the gravest cause of rising suicide rates and as ghastly as it sounds, it’s the organization that can stop it from happening by assisting the employees emotionally.

2. Discount on drugs and medications

Medications cost more than $ 1200 a year for an adult's needs (inclusive of the family). Whether it's over-the-counter drugs or prescribed ones, the best health and wellness stipend to offer your employees is a discount on their medications. With Empuls, your workforce is eligible for the discounts on meds.

3. Subsidized medical tests

A doctor's visit often comes with the demand of a few lab tests here and there. These are quite a burden on the pocket, and if the organization can offer Health and Wellness perks by providing subsidies or reimbursements for lab tests and check-ups, it would be a great help to employees in alleviating this burden and keeping them happy.

4. Bundled healthcare savings

مع ارتفاع رسوم استشارة الطبيب كل عام يمر ، يشعر الكثير من الناس بالخوف من فكرة زيارة مكتب الطبيب. لكن الفحوصات الصحية كبيرة للحفاظ على علامات التبويب على ما يجري ، وتوفر مجموعة المدخرات الطبية المجمعة خيارا لتوفير الاستشارة والأدوية الصيدلية والاختبارات والتوفير في الإجراءات الطبية. ملاحظة: هذا لا علاقة له بالتأمين.

5. Online doctor consultations

Now that many people are hesitant to visit the doctor's office, a quick teleconsultation is often enough for a preliminary screening of what's wrong. With many "App Doctors" now available at bay, organizations can get that service to the employees' disposal.

6. Healthy eating habits & diet plans

From keeping the pantry stocked with healthy, fibre-rich, and protein-packed items to giving out hampers to your employees for referring to health consultants, taking care of one's diet is such a wellness perk that can be done in the office as well as outside. With many people adopting healthy eating lifestyles from going vegan to sticking to health supplements (more on that later), you, as an organization, can hook them up with low-cost diet plans at exclusive rates via Empuls.

Encouraging healthy eating habits is a great start, but making it easy for employees to access the resources they need is even better. With Empuls, organizations can offer discounts and perks on nutrition consultations, healthy meal subscriptions, dietitian sessions, and curated wellness hampers. 

Whether employees are aiming to go plant-based, keto, or simply make better food choices, Empuls ensures there are tailored options to help them stay on track with their health goals.

7. Pamper your employees with salon and spa perks

No, we aren't talking about an in-house hairstylist, but getting your employees' hair done along with a manicure and pedicure here and now is undoubtedly a perfect way to win their hearts. The hottest places for employees to cash in their bonuses are self-care services, such as massage parlors, salons, and full-body makeovers. 

Investing in self-care options, such as spa therapies and salon services, goes a long way in reducing workplace burnout. Through Empuls, organizations can offer spa days, massage vouchers, grooming sessions, and wellness treatments as part of their health and wellness benefits. 

With an extensive range of beauty and wellness experiences available globally, Empuls lets employees choose the perfect pampering session they deserve, bringing smiles, renewed energy, and gratitude back to the workplace.

8. Women's health

Thanks to the recognition of the biological challenges that women face in their daily lives, many organizations have revised their policies to include menstrual leaves and extended maternal leaves (let alone providing essentials like squishy pillows and hot water bags to support them). But women's health comes with a cost, especially when it comes to doctor's visits.

9. Gym and health club memberships

Did you know that corporate gym memberships are the most utilized health and wellness perk from all? Although most of the gym-goers barely hit the gym once a fortnight, they surely are at ease with the fact that when the next fitness revelation hits them at 2 AM in the night when they finish a tub of ice cream, they can hit the gym from the next day thanks to the membership from their employer. 

10. Savings on doctor visits & health check-ups

Doctor visits are essential for analyzing what's wrong, whether it's a preventive one or to determine the cause of symptoms. But every doctor's visit burns quite a hole in the patient's pocket, and that's why, as an employer, you can help your employees by providing them savings on health check-ups. 

11. Pandemic prevention

COVID-19 has got us all by the scruff of the necks and there's nothing much to do but wait it out, wash our hands, and wear masks while maintaining social distances. Presenting your employees with COVID safety kits might be a great idea to show that you care.

12. Protein and health supplements

As the new lifestyle brings about numerous changes in the way people approach their health, the importance of eating right is now openly showcased as indispensable. With most people engaging in workouts and diets, there has been a rise in the adoption of health supplements, protein shakes, bars, and similar products. 

13. Skincare & beauty

Now, a vast and vital expense in an adult's pocketbook, skincare, and beauty has its standards. Organizations can help their employees get a net price off on their next perfume purchase or skin serum.

14. Next-gen competent healthcare

As technology keeps coming up with marvellous breakthroughs in the field of medical sciences, people are looking up to cures of the deadliest ailments from science's end. Putting that aside, however, here are a few perks you can offer in the name of competent healthcare to your employees.

15. Men's health

Men's health is often overlooked, but don't worry - at Empuls, we've got your health covered. Here’s an offer especially for the men's health and supplements marketplace: Numan.‍

Benefits of giving health and wellness stipends to employees

Beyond just being a thoughtful gesture, health and wellness stipends deliver real, measurable value — boosting employee morale, reducing healthcare costs, and strengthening organizational culture.

1. High optimism and morale

Showing the workforce that the organization cares for them makes a world of difference in the morale on the office floor. The promise of a health and wellness stipend isn’t just a sharp-minded workforce, but a revolution at the workplace. 

People get into the groove when they are mentally and physically healthy; the positive morale emanates from their daily activities, and all in all, it pays off.

2. Reduced health risks

The primary goal of offering a health and wellness benefit to employees is to improve their well-being in some way. Now it might be something as aspirational as fitting into a shirt that no longer looks good on them, reducing cholesterol levels, or just getting fit for the sake of it.

 This minimizes any health risks, which liberates the employees’ minds to achieve more than they used to.

3. Value for money

When an organization imposes a one-size-fits-all health and wellness stipend on all employees, there is a high likelihood that they will not use it. People want to make the most of what they choose (which is why Empuls offers the freedom of choice) and if they’re allowed to do so, the money invested in health and wellness would surely pay off.

4. Reduced healthcare costs

The answer to the question " How can a health and wellness program reduce healthcare costs?” is a simple one: it depends on how effectively the program has been implemented. 

Healthcare costs won’t be reduced by a monthly presentation on eating right and a Zumba class once a quarter. It must be a comprehensive process that reduces the cost of healthcare for both employees and employers.

5. Improved productivity

We all know people at work who are physically fatigued and can’t give it their best not because they don’t want to, but because they just can’t. 

Now, an organization can’t set an 11 PM bedtime rule for employees and intrude on their personal lives, but what it can do is provide them with a health and wellness regimen that helps them stay in their best shape. This astronomically improves productivit,y and there won’t be lots more sleepyheads filling the chairs (well, at least after their first cuppa joe).

Organizations setting a benchmark with health and wellness perks

These corporate giants aren’t just excelling in providing their employees with health and wellness stipends; they are owning it. Have a look and take some inspiration:

• ‍Google takes ownership of its share in health and wellness with a People & Innovation Lab (PiLab), which studies the entire science behind making life at Google better. With employee fitness camps and on-site fitness centres, maternity clinics, and chiropractors, Google knows how to keep Googlers happy.
• ‍Microsoft offers its employees $800 every year to spend on health and wellness. Additionally, there are free gyms and fitness clubs available at select Microsoft locations for those who want to work out.
• ‍Basecamp is known for its perks, and a $100 a month allowance makes it the pioneer in the health and wellness perks front too. This fitness allowance can be used anywhere to promote health and wellness.
• ‍Hinge, the dating app, offers exercise stipends and workout date stipends to its employees.
• ‍Accenture has a 24/7 open hotline to help its employees address any issue, from minor concerns to major challenges, related to their mental health. So far, countless cases of substance abuse have been solved thanks to Accenture’s efforts in the health and wellness of its employees.‍

Elevate health and wellness stipends with Empuls

While health and wellness stipends are an excellent start, the real magic happens when you combine them with platforms that offer flexibility, automation, and personalization. Empuls makes it effortless for organizations to distribute health and wellness benefits, allowing employees to choose what matters most to them.

With Empuls' Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) and flexible benefits platform, employees get access to a wide range of perks — from gym memberships, wellness programs, and mental health support, to nutrition plans, spa treatments, and fitness gear. It doesn’t stop there. 

Empuls automates the distribution of stipends, offers a huge catalog of wellness options, and ensures tax-optimized benefits, making it simple for both employers and employees.

By integrating Empuls’ perks and benefits program into your health and wellness stipend strategy, you not only enhance employee satisfaction but also drive higher engagement, reduce burnout, and show genuine care for your workforce’s holistic well-being.

Empuls helps you:

• Offer unmatched choice and flexibility through a global wellness perks catalog.
• Automate benefit disbursements and simplify administration with a single, integrated platform.
• Boost adoption and participation with personalized nudges.
• Ensure compliance and optimize tax savings with structured fringe benefits.

Investing in employee wellbeing with Empuls ensures a happier, healthier, and more engaged workforce.

الخاتمة

Health and wellness stipends are no longer a luxury — they are a necessity for building a thriving, resilient workforce. By offering flexible, personalized wellness benefits, organizations show genuine care for their employees’ well-being while also boosting engagement, satisfaction, and retention.

The key lies in giving employees the power of choice and the flexibility to invest in what matters most to them. Whether it's mental health support, fitness memberships, or nutritional guidance, a thoughtfully designed wellness stipend can create a lasting impact across your organization.

If you're ready to launch or upgrade your wellness program, platforms like Empuls make it easy to automate, personalize, and maximize the value of your health and wellness stipends.

Invest in your people and watch your workplace transform.