Beyond Apps and Perks: The Real Key to Thriving Teams
The future of work is wellbeing. In fact, I challenge you to give me any metric that matters to your organization – and I’ll show you how it ties to wellbeing. Retention, attraction, safety, profitability, innovation, performance – you name it.
Wellbeing is THE secret ingredient to a high-performing organization and thriving teams.
The good news is that most organizations and their leaders recognize the value of wellbeing. Hence, nearly every organization offers some type of workplace wellness program. Bad news is that few have actually cracked the code. The U.S. alone spends $1.8 trillion each year on the wellness economy — yet Gallup’s 2024 report shows that 7 in 10 employees are not thriving and only 31% are engaged with their work.
So what’s more powerful than apps, perks, and wellness initiatives that companies keep rolling out?
It may not be what you think — and it’s been hiding in plain sight.
The Wellness Illusion
By 2026, we are set to top $94.6 billion in global spending on workplace wellness, according to the Harvard Business Review.
With spending like that, shouldn’t we expect burnout, stress, and disengagement to be going down?
One would think — and yet the data shows exactly the opposite. Just last year, we saw a decline in global employee engagement, the first in four years.
What do these trends tell us?
They tell us that just because a company has a wellness program doesn’t mean that their people are any healthier or happier because of it. Why? Because most target the individual, and fail to address the real forces behind rising rates of employee poor health and mental distress.
On a societal level, these real forces are big food and big tech. As Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall, coauthors of the soon-to-be-released Food Intelligence, describe: “Individual wellness fixes are a trillion-dollar distraction from addressing the root cause of America’s chronic disease crisis: our toxic food environment.”
On an organizational level, it’s the workplace itself, with widespread issues such as perceptions of unfairness, unreasonable work load, and unreasonable time pressure.
In a nutshell: The American way of life and the modern workplace have fundamentally altered our capacity to be well.
Most wellness programs mistakenly perpetuate the “Wellness Illusion” that each of us, as individuals, has the capacity to “mindset” our way out of this mess. But the reality is that 80% of our health is shaped by where we live, learn, work, grow up, and grow old. Put another way: We become the environment we are in, for better or for worse.
So, now what? We need to stop trying to change the “fish” (the individual) and start changing the “water” (the environment).
So, how do we do that?
The Hidden Lever
Here’s the good news: Companies already have the most powerful lever for wellbeing right in front of them. And it’s been hiding in plain sight — their managers.
If there is any silver bullet in all of this, it is ONE thing: Managers. Whether or not wellbeing is part of the job description, every manager is in fact uniquely positioned to make – or break – the wellbeing of the people they lead.
Managers alone account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement. This means managers have an outsized influence on whether employees are engaged or disengaged - with both their work and their wellbeing.
Managers aren’t a side note in wellbeing — they are the most critical piece.
They are the ones who set the tone around wellbeing within the team. For example, they are the ones who give permission – or don’t – to get up from one’s desk, to go for a run, to turn off one’s devices at night. They are also the ones who can check in, offer support, and create a culture where team members feel they belong.
On the flip side, they can worsen a toxic workplace and make an employee’s life (and their own life) more challenging, dysfunctional, and lonely.
How impactful can a manager be?
Seven in 10 U.S. workers say they would leave a job if they had a bad manager (LinkedIn)
Managers have a stronger influence on their employees’ mental health than therapists or doctors, and an influence equal to spouses and partners (SHRM)
After performance reviews, employees are significantly more motivated if their managers are skilled and involved in goal-setting (McKinsey)
When employees trust their managers, they are 14x more likely to be highly engaged in their work, compared with those who don’t trust their managers (ADP Research Institute)
Every manager is effectively both the chief culture architect and chief wellbeing officer for their team.
Why This Matters Now
The world feels especially overwhelming: economic uncertainty, rapid AI disruption, and rising polarization create even more strain. For managers, the mental load of leading teams on top of daily responsibilities can feel even heavier.
But when a team’s culture undermines mental health, surface-level fixes — apps, yoga classes, or wellbeing days — won’t touch the deeper, systemic issues.
McKinsey research shows that employees most at risk of burnout point to being constantly “on call,” unfair treatment, unreasonable workloads, limited autonomy, and a lack of social support.
This is why managers sit at the pressure point of today’s workplace. They’re both at higher risk of burnout themselves — and absolutely critical in shaping the culture that determines whether their team sinks or thrives.
Wellness initiatives only work when managers are engaged and lead by example. The good news? When managers step into the role of wellness champions, even small, everyday actions can spark lasting cultural shifts.
Yet, most managers get plenty of training on budgets and systems, but very few receive training on how to lead people and wellbeing. We’ve left managers on the front lines of wellbeing without the training, playbook, or tools they need. And yet, research shows they’re the single biggest lever for whether teams thrive or burn out.
So, the question becomes: What if we equipped managers to lead wellbeing with the same seriousness as we train them on budgets, strategy, or systems?
From Overlooked to Empowered: The Multiplier Method
Managers & Leaders at Healthstat adopt their favorite power pose during a Managers on the Move Workshop.
We can activate our managers to be multipliers of wellbeing through what I call The Multiplier Method. It’s a proven framework that elevates wellbeing, boosts productivity, strengthens engagement, and advances organizational culture.
The three parts of The Multiplier Method:
DO — Lead by Example. Prioritize your own wellbeing first. When you model self-care, you make it safe for your team to do the same. This isn’t about perfection — it’s about showing effort and giving permission.
SPEAK — Talk About Wellbeing. Normalize real conversations about stress, energy, and balance. A simple, genuine “How are you really doing?” can spark trust and connection. Words matter, and your words set the tone for what’s valued.
CREATE — Build a Culture. Design small rituals, team norms, and micro-moments that make work life healthier and more human. You may not control the whole organization, but you do shape the culture of your team.
When Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota adopted this approach, the impact was undeniable: a 24% increase in overall employee wellbeing and a 36% increase among managers themselves.
See how Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota put this into action. (Case Study)
This isn’t about doing more. It’s about leading differently. Whether you lead a team of five or five thousand, you have the chance to become a new kind of leader — one that builds belonging and brings out the best in people.
Wellness Starts with Leadership
Wellbeing at work has too often been framed as an individual responsibility — one more thing for employees to manage on their already full plates. But the real opportunity lies in shifting from “self-care” to team care — from individual fixes to collectively building cultures of wellbeing.
When leaders embrace this shift, everything changes. Managers set the tone, create the conditions, and multiply wellbeing across their teams. And when that happens, everyone thrives.
So, what’s more powerful than apps, perks, and well-intended initiatives?
A supported, empowered manager.
When we invest in equipping managers to lead wellbeing as part of their everyday leadership, we don’t just reduce burnout — we create thriving, resilient teams ready to meet the future.
That’s exactly why I created Managers on the Move — a leadership-meets-wellness training program designed to equip managers with the tools, confidence, and everyday practices to become true multipliers of wellbeing. Because when we stop putting the burden solely on individuals and instead activate our managers, we shift from quick fixes to lasting culture change.
The future of wellbeing at work won’t be driven by perks. It will be powered by managers. Learn more about Managers on the Move and start equipping your managers today.