10 Brand Employee Wellness Programs to Take Inspiration

Did you know that 99% of Airbnb employees would recommend their workplace to a friend? As a brilliant example of a company dedicated to maintaining employee wellness, Airbnb is just one of many offering their staff members wellness workshops, exercise spaces and an environment to thrive within in 2024.

Employee wellness has become a key concern for a number of brands across the globe. While most businesses pour focus into increasing conversions and retaining loyal customers, how many also think about employee retention in a fast-paced industry environment?

Without satisfied employees, you’re unlikely to have satisfied customers. Maintaining employee wellness in the form of workshops, ergonomic care, and health benefits breeds a positive and productive workforce that works twice as hard to capture new opportunities for your brand.

In fact, 70% of employees enrolled in company wellness programs report higher levels of job satisfaction in comparison to those without the same benefits.

With this in mind, we’re delving deeper into the benefits of introducing an employee wellness program to your workforce retention strategy and sharing ten of our favorite brand examples to take inspiration from in 2024.

What are the benefits of employee wellness programs?

It goes without saying that employee wellness carries many benefits for a business. From reducing absenteeism to encouraging healthy behaviors, companies that prioritize employee wellness can expect higher levels of productivity and a workforce willing to stick by their side.

Let’s have a closer look at some of the key benefits you can expect when introducing an employee wellness program to your business:

Improving employee morale: Did you know that 80% of employees who work in an organization with an employee wellness program claim that they enjoy their work? When they feel confident about their mental and physical health, supported employees are less stressed at work and more focused on the task at hand.
Encouraging healthy behaviorswell-being: If you introduce healthy eating programs, fitness equipment, and mental wellbeing workshops, you encourage healthy behaviors within your workforce. In turn, maintaining a healthy workforce means that business healthcare costs are significantly reduced.
Boosting employee retention: This one is obvious. If employees are happier at work, they are more likely to keep showing up. In fact, according to Zippa, wellness programs alone reduce absenteeism by 14-29%.
Attracting new talent: If your business advertises itself as an employee-first company, you quickly attract new talent. High-caliber workers make a beeline for companies that will offer them brilliant perks and a comfortable work environment.
Improving teamwork: Many wellness programs are group-based. These can be workshops, fitness classes, or even comfy areas where staff members can congregate. The more time employees spend together as a group completing fun tasks and wellness initiatives, the more they will fuse together as an unbreakable team.

The benefits of prioritizing employee wellness are undeniable. While upfront costs to introduce health-first initiatives into the workplace can be steep, they pay off in employee retention rates, reduced healthcare costs, and a happy, healthy workplace.

10 Employee wellness programs to take inspiration from in 2024

Did you know that 9 in 10 organizations offer wellness incentives for their employees in 2024? This suggests that businesses without an employee wellness program are falling far behind the mainstream when it comes to maintaining a happy and healthy workforce. With this in mind, here are ten wellness programs to take inspiration from in 2024:

1. Nike’s wellness program

First up, we have Nike. the sportswear business is known for its innovative consumer campaigns, but recently, they have also introduced an impressive wellness program for their global set of employees.

Starting in their headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike now provides their in-house employees with a fitness zone called the Bo Jackson Center, which is full of gym equipment, rock climbing walls, an indoor basketball court, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool to encourage health and wellness during the work day.

Their aim is to engage their employees from all angles to create a more agile workforce going forward.

“We believe that a skilled, valued, and engaged workforce is key for growth and sustainability, and we want to empower suppliers to engage with and value their people because we know that high employee engagement leads to a more efficient, agile, and committed workforce, which results in beneficial outcomes for both the individual and the organization,” claims Nike in a recent press release.

While this is only the beginning, the company has since released an Engagement and Well-being (EWB) Survey to their factory workers to learn more about current engagement levels and any improvements that employees believe should be made to improve their working conditions.

2. The Iowa Clinic’s wellness program

The Iowa Clinic is another example of a wellness program that prioritizes the health of its employees directly.

Rather than creating a wellness center in their on-site locations, their strategy consists of offering healthcare and wellness gift cards to workers as incentives to perform well within the company.

Using the HR program Cooleaf, the healthcare company allows members to tap into recurring wellness programs and activity gift cards they can use in their local area.

Better still, the company also hosts a number of online webinars that educate employees on the importance of health screenings before offering them discounts for their next appointment within the clinic itself.

3. Expedia UK’s wellness program

Expedia’s creative approach to employee wellness also deserves a place on our list. Introducing a ‘wellness allowance’ to their UK employees, the business offers workers up to £1200 per year to send on fitness and fitness-related kit.

This gives employees the ability to choose activities that appear personally to them and enjoy them outside of work hours.

“One of the best Expedia Group benefits is the wellness reimbursement. I’ve been with the company for about five years, and I am appreciative of what it has done for me. I bought a new snowboard, lift passes, bicycle, paddle board, snowshoes, hiking gear, gym memberships, fitness classes, running registrations, and other workout-related things along the way,” says Quenita Dich, Salesforce System Administrator at Expedia.

“Since I’m such an active person, this perk helps provide me things that I can do that make me happy and healthy.”

4. Adobe’s wellness program

Adobe also puts employee wellness first with its myriad of wellness initiatives. These range from healthy lunch options to flexible working conditions and fitness centers on each office site around the globe.

Adobe also hosts whole company wellness days where employees free themselves of their work tasks for the day and engage in fun outdoor wellness workshops that build morale and promote teamwork inside and outside of the office.

5. Hotjar’s wellness program

Hotjar is a brilliant example of a brand incorporating employee wellness from home. As we embrace the WFH era, where 69% of employers now offer hybrid or fully remote contracts, maintaining employee wellness remotely is crucial for a productive workforce.

Hotjar now gives each employee $4000 to create their very own home office that contributes to not only their physical health but their mental health, too.

They also encourage every employee to participate in open mental health discussions in person and from home, and they offer extended leave to those struggling in the wake of the WFH adjustment.

“At Hotjar, mental health is health. We believe that eating well, exercising, and taking care of your mental health all fall into the same bucket: health,” says David Darmanin, Founder and Chairman of Hotjar.

“In fact, we actively encourage team members to talk about their own mental health—in team meetings or our company-wide mental health channel on Slack. And to take time off as a preventative measure and to get some relief—before their mental or physical health is suffering too greatly.”

6. Patagonia’s wellness program

Up next, we have Patagonia’s wellness program. They have made it on the list due to their commitment to getting their employees into the great outdoors.

Offering outdoor seating spaces to switch up the office environment, this brand believes fresh air is the answer.

Hosting on-site and off-site yoga sessions, mindfulness walks, and nature workshops, the sustainable brand aims to improve the work/life balance of each and every employee who spends their days sitting at the desk.

7. Zappos’ wellness program

Zappos has partnered with a fitness brand called Wellthily to create its own employee wellness program. Offering employees on-site fitness suites, yoga classes, and healthy eating workshops, they take full advantage of their partnership with wellness experts.

Aiming to create an on-the-go wellness program, Zappos also allows traveling employees to tap into their wellness services by providing health snacks in hotels, free workout gear to use outside of the workplace and gift cards to enjoy workout classes anywhere, any time.

“Wellthily and Zappos.com have come together to make on-the-go health and wellness easier for everyone,” says the founder of Zappos, Nick Swinmurn.

“Wellthily believes in wealth through health. Their goal is to create social impact through wellness by offering an array of health-focused services at hotels all over the world.”

8. Johnson & Johnson’s wellness program

Did you know that Johnson & Johnson was one of the first global brands to introduce a company-wide wellness program?

“By the 1970s, CEO James Burke started a groundbreaking wellness program called Live for Life,” said Peter Fasolo, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Johnson & Johnson.

“As a result of that initiative, we were the first company to be tobacco-free, as well as one of the first to promote employee safe driving and to have a global HIV prevention program.”

Today, Live for Life offers in-house stress management, fitness centers, incentives for healthy eating, and more.

9. Airbnb’s wellness program

Next up, let’s talk about Airbnb. This company takes employee wellness extremely seriously.

Airbnb has hired an employee experience department whose responsibility is to maintain workforce wellness on and off-site.

One initiative implemented by the employee experience department is the introduction of ‘home-like’ offices. This means that office spaces look cozy and inviting and encourage conversation among employees. Workstations are ergonomic, and all employees get to have an input into how their space is designed.

Including your employees in the creation of your office setup is a brilliant way to grant them power over their own work-based wellness and encourages staff members to tailor their work experience to their individual needs and preferences.

10. Google’s wellness program

Last but not least, let’s talk about Google. As an enterprise with one of the largest office locations on the globe, they have plenty of space to enhance the employee experience.

Their newest GFit program allows employees to navigate the Google office on foot or bike to different wellness sessions set up across the campus.

These include mindfulness training, nutritional workshops, and access to on-site doctors for any healthcare concerns.

How to create a successful wellness program for your own company

As we step into a new era of employee wellness, your company must stay ahead of the curve regarding in-office and remote wellness trends and be prepared to adapt its wellness initiatives to fit your changing workforce dynamics.

The key to creating a successful workplace wellness program in 2024 is to get your employees involved. Following the footsteps of brands like Airbnb and Expedia, allowing staff members to customize their workspaces and tailor wellbeing tasks to their own preferences is a brilliant way to ensure each and every employee is satisfied.

It’s also important to be transparent when it comes to introducing a company wellness program. This aids you in attracting new talent. There are a few ways to do this. Ensure that your wellness program is mentioned within all job descriptions, and incorporate wellness into your overall branding. This could be through the introduction of health-based blogging, real-life employee stories, or social content showcasing your wellness workshops.

Before creating your own wellness program, start by getting closer to your workforce. Are they a strong team? Do they need to spend more time together? Is mental health or physical health a more pressing issue for your employee base?

Find out more about their current workplace stressors and ensure that your program is tailored to your workforce's individual needs for the best shot at success.