Employers are continuing to invest in their well-being programs, but they will be raising the bar for what's expected from their vendors.
The Business Group on Health released a survey looking at employer strategies around well-being initiatives, polling 131 firms that employ 11.2 million people collectively. The employers represent multiple sizes and geographies, with 60% being multinational.
The survey found that 93% of employers intend to either maintain or expand their well-being programs for 2025. Most (73%) said they will keep their existing offerings, while 20% said they will grow.
In tandem, 94% of those surveyed said they will be increasing the expectations they have for well-being program vendors to show improvements to outcomes. Jim Winkler, chief strategy officer for the Business Group, said during a media briefing that this isn't a new trend but that employers are simply turning up the heat on these vendors.
Contracts have performance metrics, for example, and there are guarantees around hitting those marks, he said.
However, these firms are going to be finding new ways to push for strong performance. That includes really digging into key data to see what's working and what's not and either improving or eliminating programs that aren't reaching the right workers or producing notable results.
There also is not a way to find a single vendor that can cover every area of interest, Winkler said, so employers will be looking for ways to get these partners to collaborate. Shared efforts mean accountability is then shared, too.
"Employers have always had a responsibility, an obligation and a significant effort focused on on how their vendor partners are accountable," Winkler said. "It's really that we're upping the bar."
Beyond pushing vendor partners more to deliver, the study delves into where employers are investing the most in their well-being programs. For example, all of those surveyed were including mental health initiatives within that framework, with 47% saying it's the most important piece of the puzzle.
In addition, 44% of those surveyed said mental health was the second most important element to consider, according to the report.
Similarly, 99% of those surveyed have programs around physical health, with weight management being a key area of focus. Close to two-thirds of the employers said that GLP-1s had impacted the way they approach well-being, either pushing them to make changes to programs or increase oversight on vendors.
Beyond medication-assisted programs, nutrition and health eating-related initiatives are also gaining momentum, Brenna Shebel, vice president of the Business Group, said during the briefing. Programs range from providing additional resources to employees about healthy eating to doing more to ensure that healthy food options are available at the workplace to encourage habits.
"We know there's a renewed interest in nutrition as a preventive health measure and also an impactful tool to help employees reach their well-being goals," Shebel said.
Financial-health-related programs are also in the spotlight, according to the survey. Most (92%) of the employers who responded said that they include it as a dimension of well-being currently, with 100% set to do so in 2026. Offerings can include student loan repayment options, tuition reimbursement, assistance with emergency savings and more.