Modern workplaces are not just hubs of productivity; they’re increasingly shaping population health outcomes. Yet instead of fostering well-being, many work environments actively undermine it. From excessive workloads to toxic cultures and inflexible schedules, the workplace has become a powerful social determinant of health, for better or worse.

Wellness programmes aren’t enough

For years, employers have promoted individual-focused wellness initiatives: meditation sessions, healthier cafeteria menus, and gym discounts. But these efforts overlook the systemic causes of employee distress.

Wellness programmes often assume that stress is a personal failing, when in reality, it’s the structure of the work itself that’s the problem. This deflection of responsibility leaves harmful conditions intact, and unsurprisingly, studies show such programmes deliver minimal results in health, wellbeing, or productivity.

The reality of modern work: More, faster, monitored

Work in the 21st century has intensified dramatically. Regardless of income, workers are being asked to do more with less, often under constant surveillance or tight deadlines.

  • Low-wage workers face unstable, algorithm-driven schedules.
  • White-collar professionals deal with digital presenteeism, where boundaries between work and home are nearly nonexistent.

This relentless pace, paired with insecure employment, fuels chronic stress, cardiovascular issues, burnout, and disrupted family life.

A visual breakdown of global GDP gains from improving employee health and wellbeing. The chart shows the potential to add $3.7 trillion to $11.7 trillion, equivalent to raising global GDP by 4% to 12%, with the greatest gains in high- and middle-income economies.
The Global Cost and Opportunity of Employee Health
Source: McKinsey Health Institute

Improving workplace health could add between $3.7 and $11.7 trillion to global GDP, up to 12%.

Why control matters: The case for schedule autonomy

One of the strongest predictors of wellbeing at work is schedule control, the ability to choose when and how you work. Yet this remains out of reach for many, especially in low-income sectors where rigid and unpredictable rosters dominate.

Even knowledge workers, who appear to have flexibility, often lack real autonomy due to always-on expectations and surveillance technologies.

The erosion of workplace relationships

Strong social connections at work help buffer stress. But today’s fragmented, digital-first work environments and growing job insecurity are weakening these bonds.

If not deliberately nurtured, team structures can easily erode trust and collaboration, leading to isolation, disconnection, and decreased resilience.

An infinity-loop diagram representing five interconnected essentials for mental health at work: Protection from Harm, Connection and Community, Work-Life Harmony, Mattering at Work, and Opportunity for Growth. Each essential is colour-coded and includes space for supporting strategies.
Five Essentials for Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing
Source: Office of the U.S. Surgeon General

Key ingredients like connection and mattering are essential to healthy workplaces, but often neglected.

The cost of burnout culture

Presenteeism and hustle culture continue to be rewarded in many workplaces. Employees who overwork are praised, while those experiencing burnout are dismissed as weak or replaceable.

Studies reveal that remote professionals with high job identity often work longer hours voluntarily, disguising exploitation as passion. Over time, this contributes to disillusionment, fatigue, and health decline.

The financial toll of unwell workforces

Poor employee health isn’t just a personal issue; it’s a business risk. In the U.S. alone, conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, and physical inactivity cost employers more than $36 billion annually in lost productivity.

What’s more, declining employee wellbeing leads to:

  • Reduced innovation
  • Lower customer satisfaction
  • Higher turnover and recruitment costs

Redesigning work for health and productivity

So what works? Evidence shows that systemic changes, not superficial wellness perks, drive real improvement.

Key interventions include:

  • Flexible start times, break options, and predictable schedules
  • Removing non-essential tasks and streamlining workflows
  • Adding targeted staffing and improving training
  • Investing in team dynamics and relational health
A layered diagram comparing classical and expanded models of occupational health. It shows three key areas—Job Control, Job Demands, and Social Support—progressing from basic concepts like decision latitude and psychological demands to expanded work design strategies, such as schedule control, support for caregiving, and workload streamlining.
Work Design for Health – Updating the Occupational Health Model
Source: Lovejoy et al., American Journal of Public Health (2021)

Workplace redesign that expands control, support, and relational dynamics can boost both wellbeing and performance.

From wellness to wellbeing-by-design

True workplace health is not a side project; it must be embedded in how work is structured, scheduled, and supported. That includes leadership approaches, job roles, team dynamics, and cultural norms.

The question is no longer “Is your workplace making people sick?”
The data is clear, many are.
The real question is: What are you doing to change that?

Authored by Tom Varghese, Global Product Marketing & Growth Manager at Orion Health.

References

Brassey, Jacqueline, Lars Hartenstein, Barbara Jeffery, and Patrick Simon. 2024. Working Nine to Thrive: Better Aligning Employment with Modifiable Drivers of Health Could Unlock Years of Higher-Quality Life and Create Trillions of Dollars of Economic Value. McKinsey Health Institute. https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/working-nine-to-thrive.

Chang, Rong. 2024. “The Impact of Employees’ Health and Well-being on Job Performance.” Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences PSHE 29: 372–378.

Lovejoy, Meg, Erin L. Kelly, Laura D. Kubzansky, and Lisa F. Berkman. 2021. “Work Redesign for the 21st Century: Promising Strategies for Enhancing Worker Well-Being.” American Journal of Public Health 111 (10): 1787–1795. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306283.

Sonnentag, Sabine, Louis Tay, and Hadar Nesher Shoshan. 2023. “A Review on Health and Well-Being at Work: More Than Stressors and Strains.” Personnel Psychology 76 (2): 473–510. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12572.