In healthcare, stress and burnout run deep—and a generic wellness initiative won’t fix it. Healthcare leaders see the ripple effects every day: rising turnover, low morale, and safety slipping through the cracks. These are the signs it’s time to step back, reassess, and build an employee wellness program that truly supports your team’s well-being both on and off the floor.
Healthcare professionals are facing unprecedented levels of stress, exhaustion, and moral injury.
The numbers are sobering: in 2024, 43% of physicians reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout. Meanwhile, the current hospital turnover rate, while improving, is still as high as 18%, and 42% of hospitals report a vacancy rate of 10% or more.
Persistent staffing shortages have only worsened workloads, leading to a dangerous cycle of overwork, disengagement, and risk.
When employees are unwell, patient care suffers. Burned-out staff are more likely to make errors, less likely to engage in collaborative care, and are at higher risk of leaving their positions altogether. That’s where a well-designed employee wellness program can make all the difference.
But even the most well-meaning wellness efforts can fall flat if they’re not evolving with your workforce’s needs. Below are five red flags that your employee wellness program may be due for an overhaul—plus five research-backed strategies to help you rebuild it into something meaningful and sustainable.
If your team isn’t showing up for yoga classes, lunch-and-learns, or even taking the time to read your wellness newsletter, it’s a sign something’s off.
One third of healthcare employees report feeling disengaged, often because wellness offerings miss the mark.
In a fast-paced environment where free time is limited, staff are quick to tune out anything that feels like extra work or irrelevant fluff. Low participation usually points to a disconnect between what’s being offered and what employees actually need.
A drop in engagement means your wellness offerings may need to be rethought for relevance, accessibility, and impact.
A bowl of fruit in the breakroom or a guided meditation app subscription might work for some, but certainly not most.
Clinical staff like nurses and techs face different stressors than administrators or front desk staff. A generic approach ignores those differences. When programs aren’t tailored, they feel impersonal and ineffective.
If your employee wellness program doesn't account for flexibility or personalization, it's likely missing the mark for a large portion of your workforce.
If you’re not hearing feedback—positive or negative—about your employee wellness program, it’s not a good sign. Silence can mean employees don’t feel psychologically safe enough to speak up or believe that their input will lead to meaningful change.
After all, a survey of the U.S. workforce found that 84% of respondents said their workplace conditions had contributed to at least one mental health challenge.
This lack of communication can limit your program’s growth and its relevance.
When wellness initiatives operate without input from those they’re meant to serve, they can quickly become out of touch.
When wellness is seen as a standalone “bonus” rather than an integrated part of your operational strategy, it’s easy for it to get deprioritized, especially during times of crisis. Programs that aren't connected to broader goals—like improving retention, reducing employee safety events, or boosting team satisfaction—tend to stay siloed and under-resourced.
Wellness initiatives should be connected to measurable goals and viewed as essential infrastructure, not an optional benefit.
Offering mental health support after a traumatic event or staff debriefs after a violent incident is important, but it’s reactive. A reactive approach limits long-term impact and misses the opportunity to build resilience across the workforce.
A healthy employee wellness program is proactive, identifying the signs of burnout, moral distress, and fatigue before they escalate into crises.
Prevention—not damage control—should be the foundation of any wellness strategy.
Employee wellness programs work best when they’re built with employees, not just for them. Engage staff through anonymous surveys, listening sessions, or wellness councils to learn what’s working and what’s not. Feedback loops ensure the program reflects current needs, not outdated assumptions.
When employees feel heard, they’re more likely to buy in and participate.
Each role in a healthcare setting carries its own pressure points. Customize wellness support based on department, job function, and shift. That could mean different approaches for overnight staff versus daytime workers, or clinical versus administrative teams.
Tailored solutions show that leadership understands and respects the unique challenges each team faces.
A strong wellness culture depends on open communication. Give employees safe, accessible ways to report concerns, whether it’s through anonymous forms, regular check-ins, or incident reporting tools. If staff can’t share when they’re struggling, leaders can’t offer support.
Psychological safety is just as important as physical safety.
Supervisors and managers set the tone for workplace culture. They should be equipped to recognize early signs of stress, initiate conversations around wellness, and integrate well-being practices into team workflows.
When leaders normalize wellness by encouraging time off, checking in on team morale, or modeling healthy boundaries, it signals that well-being is a priority, not a performance liability.
Equipping leaders with the tools to support wellness makes the entire program more sustainable.
Wellness should support the well-being of healthcare workers, but it should also drive results.
Measure how your employee wellness program affects retention, absenteeism, error rates, and patient satisfaction. Linking wellness to tangible outcomes helps secure long-term support from leadership and ensures your strategy evolves based on real impact.
If it matters, measure it. Use those insights to keep improving.
A strong employee wellness program is less about perks and more about building a culture of care, prevention, and trust. When staff feel supported and heard, they’re more engaged, more present, and better equipped to provide safe, high-quality care.
By spotting the warning signs early and making thoughtful adjustments, healthcare organizations can create a work environment where both employees and patients can thrive.
Our best-in-class healthcare survey software helps you hear directly from your team, empowering leaders to identify issues early, track progress, and build a culture of care that lasts. Request a demo to see it in action.