Employers see the value in employee health and well-being. The case for action is clear, but many employers still ask, “Where do we start?”
For employers, investing in workforce health delivers both upside and reduced pressures, strengthening organizational resilience and capacity for sustained performance in an increasingly uncertain environment.
Employees with stronger health report higher performance, innovative behaviours, and work–life balance, sustaining impact over time. McKinsey Health Institute’s (MHI) previous research has shown this pattern across health domains, demographics, and life stages.
With a crowded field of solutions, it can be hard to know which ones truly work. This publication aims to bridge that gap, translating global academic evidence into practical guidance for building a portfolio of interventions that improve health, strengthen performance, and sustain that performance over time.
To move from commitment to impact, the Institute analyzed 115 evidence-based workplace interventions across four dimensions of health: physical, mental, social, and spiritual.
The goal was to understand what works and where the biggest opportunities lie based on the current evidence. The analysis shows that effective workforce interventions exist and can improve both employee health and organizational outcomes.
Where should employers start? The highest-rated interventions don’t just fix what’s broken; they focus on simple, effective ways to make work itself healthier.
Across geographies, industries, and workforce types, a set of consistent themes emerges, highlighting the critical design features that distinguish higher-impact, more feasible interventions.
The report highlights five typical characteristics of these ‘no-regret’ interventions: Strengthen workplace enablers, embed in the flow of work, use low-friction delivery, target multiple health dimensions simultaneously and define clear outcomes
