Today’s workplace benefit marketplace is full of wellness-focused offerings like gym discounts, meditation apps, and virtual yoga, all of which can encourage employees to lead active lifestyles and provide better access to doing so. There are many benefits that these options can bring, such as new fitness goals, positive lifestyle changes and more. However, throughout my time as Clinical Manager of Behavioral Health Services and in my previous experiences working with health organizations and benefit providers, I’ve come to understand that the most important underlying theme of wellness benefits that employees actually want is simply having personal time to spend on themselves or with loved ones.

The reality is that while wellness-focused apps and programs offer valuable resources for stress management and access to behavioral care, these offerings must be complemented by a workplace culture of empathy that prioritizes rest and flexible personal time. There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way flexible work is approached, and this has had a lasting effect on employee preferences in the post-Covid era. That period of time showed everybody that time is valuable, and that quality work can be done from places outside the traditional office setting. However, in 2024 it was estimated by SHRM that only 7% of companies had flexible PTO policies. This is increasing rather quickly due to demand, especially from the millennial and Gen Z cohorts and those entering the workforce now.
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When work-life balance lacks

The absence of healthy work-life balance, and wellness benefits more broadly, for employees can mean diminished productivity, burnout, a desire to leave their role, and subsequently an impact on mental health. Some employees feel that even on PTO, they must always be “on” and attentive to what comes through their desk. A 2024 Harris Poll found that even when employees did take time off, 60% struggled to fully disconnect from work, 86% checked emails and 56% took work-related calls during their PTO. About 50% noted feeling guilty that they took time off in the first place. Workplaces should be actively working to steer away from this as the norm, and communicate to employees that they should disconnect and prioritize their time off to the fullest extent.