The New Workplace Imperative: Prioritizing Well-Being in an Uncertain World
Stress is everywhere—economic uncertainty, political polarization, climate anxiety, and rapid technological disruption are affecting professionals across every sector. It’s clear these stressors won’t disappear anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean we’re powerless.
When external stressors feel overwhelming or out of our control, the most impactful thing we can do is focus on what is within our control. I’ve learned that one of the most effective and overlooked strategies is to build a life, career, and workplace centered on well-being.
Well-being isn’t fluff. It’s not a luxury or a perk. It’s the foundation for resilience, effectiveness, and sustainable performance. A targeted and very intentional investment in well-being—especially at work—can blunt chronic stress and create the conditions for people and organizations to thrive.
The good news? There are research-backed strategies professionals and organizations can use to strengthen well-being, starting now. And here’s something even more encouraging: you don’t have to fix everything at once. Focusing on just one or two dimensions of well-being can begin to lift others. For example, improving your physical activity and reconnecting socially—even while facing financial stress—can boost your overall sense of well-being. Small, intentional steps ripple outward.
STRESS LEVELS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH – THRIVING IS LOW
We are at a defining moment for the global workplace where engagement of employees—their enthusiasm and motivation—is faltering. We are seeing declining engagement and increasing stress, and the trends are not getting better.
Two-thirds of Americans (67%) report being very or somewhat anxious about current world events. Around two-thirds (65%) of employed adults report that their company or organization has been affected by recent government policy changes. In the workplace, a majority of U.S. workers report higher stress levels. According to a 2025 survey, job insecurity is significantly increasing stress.
Global workers (58 percent) report they are struggling in their lives according to Gallup’s latest updated workplace wellbeing indicator. In the U.S., only 50 percent of people report they are thriving down from 60 percent in 2019. This marks a new record low since Gallup began measuring employee wellbeing in 2009.
The costs are lost productivity and lowered impact driven by a widening gap between executive demands and employee expectations.
WELL-BEING: AN OVERLOOKED ANTIDOTE
The challenges are clearly significant. But there is an often-overlooked antidote to stress: well-being. Gallup defines wellbeing as “all the things that are important to how we think about and experience our lives.” It’s a holistic concept that goes beyond just physical health or happiness.
Well-being, unlike externally driven stressors, is more within our control and takes a holistic approach to the various facets of our life. It involves feeling good in our careers, communities, and relationships, as well as maintaining physical and financial well-being. These elements collectively contribute to a holistic sense of being well.
Here’s the key: improving even one area—like physical activity or social connection—can lift other dimensions and create upward momentum. When we focus on what is in our power to shift, rather than getting stuck on what we can’t control, we begin to reclaim agency. Well-being is a framework that helps us move forward, not stay stuck.
The consequences of neglecting well-being are significant. We become less resilient, creative, confident, and understanding. Eventually, we become less productive. Our impact in the world also decreases.
WHAT IS WELL-BEING?
Let’s start with defining wellbeing. It is not the same as wellness. Well-being and wellness are often used interchangeably, but they have different scopes and meanings.
Wellness typically refers to physical health and lifestyle choices that support it—like nutrition, exercise, sleep, and preventive care.
Well-being is a broader, more holistic concept. It includes physical health (wellness), but also emotional, social, career, financial, and community dimensions. It's about how people experience their lives—whether they feel purposeful, supported, financially secure, and mentally balanced.
Gallup’s Five Elements of Wellbeing are:
Career Wellbeing – Liking what you do every day and being motivated to achieve your goals.
Social Wellbeing – Having strong relationships and love in your life.
Financial Wellbeing – Effectively managing your economic life.
Physical Wellbeing – Having good health and enough energy to get things done daily.
Community Wellbeing – Feeling safe and having pride in your community and the place where you live.
According to Gallup’s research, thriving in all five areas is key to overall wellbeing—falling short in any one can have a negative impact on the others.
PRACTICAL STRATEGIES TO STRENGTHEN WELL-BEING AT WORK
There are practical ways that you can intentionally invest in your well-being at work, drawn from research and coaching practice:
Design Your Work Around Your Strengths Gallup finds that people who use their strengths daily are more engaged and resilient. Identify what energizes you and what depletes you. Then:
Shift more time toward energizing, high-impact work.
Delegate or renegotiate draining tasks.
Advocate for projects that tap into your natural talents.
Set and Protect Energy Boundaries Energy is more valuable than time. Start tracking your energy across the week:
What activities lift you up?
What consistently drains you? Then experiment with boundaries like blocking deep work time or ending your day consistently.
Build Meaningful Connections Social well-being plays a major role in work satisfaction. Strengthen connections by:
Scheduling regular check-ins with trusted colleagues.
Saying yes to informal chats or walk-and-talks.
Offering gratitude and support to build reciprocity.
Invest in your Physical or Mental Health. Start with what you know works:
Make a daily movement a priority for your mental an physical health.
Commit to a regular meditation practice.
Engage a therapist to support you navigate challenging times.
Define What Well-Being Means for You Well-being isn’t one-size-fits-all. Reflect on:
What energizes and fulfills you?
Which areas of your life need attention?
What one or two actions could support that starting this month?
TAILORING WELL-BEING: A UNIQUE JOURNEY
Every individual’s path to creating a life of well-being varies due to unique talents, motivators, and circumstances.
Importantly, well-being doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing endeavor. Working on one domain can positively influence others. For example, committing to regular exercise may also improve sleep and confidence, which in turn lifts your ability to manage financial or work-related stress. The journey is not about perfection—it’s about intentional progress.
Researchers at Gallup report that progress in the five dimensions of well-being reduces burnout and stress while increasing fulfillment and thriving.
EMPLOYERS/MANAGERS TAKE NOTE: EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING DRIVES OUTCOMES
If you are a manager or employer, take particular note of your employee’s wellbeing needs. Employees who strongly agree that their employer cares about their overall wellbeing are:
3x more likely to be engaged
69% less likely to search for a new job
71% less likely to report burnout
5x more likely to advocate for their company
5x more likely to trust leadership
36% more likely to be thriving overall
Yet only one in four U.S. employees feel their employer truly cares about their well-being—a number that has declined since the pandemic.
THE PATHWAY TO WELL-BEING: REAPING THE REWARDS
While the rewards of a well-being-centered life are substantial, the path requires intention. It demands a shift in mindset, reordering of priorities, and long-term thinking. It involves doing the inner work to clarify what really matters.
But the return on investment is powerful: better mental health, greater resilience, increased life satisfaction, and a sense of purpose.
In a world that may not get less stressful anytime soon, well-being is not optional—it’s essential.