Let’s be honest: “wellness” in the workplace used to mean a fruit basket in the breakroom or a company gym membership that half the team never used. But in today’s world—where burnout is rampant, healthcare costs are rising, and remote work has blurred the lines between personal and professional life—wellness needs to mean something much bigger.
Employees don’t just want support for their physical health. They want to feel seen as whole people—with mental health needs, financial pressures, and personal goals that go beyond what happens during a 9-to-5 workday. And when companies recognize this and offer a holistic approach to wellness, the return on investment is powerful: improved morale, higher retention, and a more energized, productive workforce.
So what does it look like to build a truly holistic wellness program for your team? Let’s break it down—mind, body, and wallet.
Physical Wellness: Going Beyond the Gym Membership
Supporting physical health is usually where most wellness programs start. But it’s not just about gym reimbursements anymore. Your team’s physical wellness should include:
- Preventative care support: Encourage annual check-ups, flu shots, and regular screenings. Offer flexibility in scheduling to make it easier for employees to actually attend.
- Movement breaks and ergonomic workspaces: Especially for remote or hybrid teams, posture and daily movement matter. Offer stipends for standing desks or ergonomic chairs, and normalize short stretch breaks during meetings.
- Nutrition education or support: This could be through access to virtual dietitians, healthy snack deliveries, or wellness webinars about eating for energy and focus.
Don’t forget to include physical wellness in your company culture, too. Normalize walking meetings, celebrate wellness wins, and model healthy habits from the top down.
Mental Wellness: Making Support Accessible, Not Taboo
Mental health has long been stigmatized in the workplace—but thankfully, that’s starting to shift. Still, offering meaningful mental health support takes more than adding a therapy app to your benefits package.
Start with these:
- Access to professional care: Partner with platforms that offer teletherapy, or ensure your health plan includes strong mental health coverage. Make it easy and confidential for employees to get help.
- Mental health days: Build flexibility into your PTO policy so employees can take time to rest, reset, or deal with life’s curveballs—without having to justify it.
- Manager training: Equip people leaders with tools to recognize signs of burnout, support struggling employees, and create psychologically safe work environments.
You can also promote things like meditation, stress management webinars, and peer connection programs—but only after the basics are in place. Real support starts with access and destigmatization.
Financial Wellness: The Often-Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Here’s where many wellness programs fall short: money stress. But if you’ve ever tried to focus at work with a surprise medical bill looming or student loan payments piling up, you know how financial strain affects every part of life—including job performance.
Financial wellness means more than a 401(k). It means giving your employees tools to feel more secure, confident, and supported in their daily financial decisions.
This is where LSAs, HRAs, and FSAs can play a crucial role.
Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs)
An LSA is a flexible, employer-funded account that reimburses employees for wellness-related expenses. Think gym memberships, therapy apps, fitness classes, even meal delivery or child care in some cases.
While LSAs are after-tax (unlike FSAs and HRAs), their real power lies in customization. You define what qualifies, set a spending limit, and empower your team to choose what wellness means to them. For example, one employee might use their LSA to take yoga classes, while another uses it for financial coaching (learn more here).
LSAs show your team that you’re not just checking a wellness box—you’re giving them the autonomy to choose support that fits their life.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
FSAs let employees set aside pre-tax dollars to cover qualified medical expenses—like copays, prescriptions, or dental and vision costs. This is a simple, cost-effective way to help your team stretch their healthcare dollars further.
Employers can also choose to contribute to FSAs, giving employees even more support. The result? Less out-of-pocket financial strain, and a smarter way to cover routine healthcare expenses.
Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs)
Unlike FSAs, HRAs are entirely employer-funded. You set the budget and define the eligible expenses—whether that’s premiums for individual insurance plans (in the case of an ICHRA) or general medical costs.
HRAs are particularly useful for remote or distributed teams, since they allow employees to choose their own insurance or care providers and get reimbursed, tax-free. It’s a great way to offer high-value support without locking your company into one-size-fits-all plans.
Other Financial Wellness Add-Ons
Beyond LSAs, FSAs, and HRAs, more employers are layering in other types of financial support:
- Student loan repayment assistance
- Emergency savings matching
- Access to financial coaching or planning tools
- Transparent pricing tools for healthcare
Each of these reinforces the message: We know money matters, and we’re here to help.
Bringing It All Together
Creating a holistic wellness program doesn’t mean you need to throw everything at the wall and hope it sticks. It’s about listening to your team, offering real flexibility, and addressing wellness in all its forms.
Start by asking:
- Are we supporting our team’s physical health in everyday, practical ways?
- Do we offer mental health resources that are accessible, stigma-free, and encouraged?
- Are we helping our team reduce financial stress, especially around healthcare?
The best wellness programs are dynamic, not static. They evolve as your team grows, as the world changes, and as new needs emerge.
Final Thoughts: Wellness as Culture, Not Just a Benefit
A truly holistic wellness program isn’t just a collection of perks—it’s a reflection of your company culture. When you support the whole person, you create a workplace where people feel safe, valued, and energized to do their best work.
And when employees are physically healthy, mentally supported, and financially stable, everyone wins.
So yes, keep the fruit basket. But let it sit beside an LSA, an HRA, and a real strategy that puts people first. Because that’s where wellness really begins.