Research & Insights for Workplace Wellbeing

Explore open-access research and evidence, expert insights, and practical frameworks, carefully curated and summarised, with clear takeaways to support confident, informed decision-making across the workplace wellbeing industry.

1 Result

1

Why and How do Workplaces Invest in Mental Health and Wellbeing? A Systematic Review and Process Tracing tudy

Luke Henstock, Rebecca Johnson, Philip Kinghorn, Derek Beach, Hareth Al-Janabi

Social Science & Medicine

2024 December.

DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117633

Elsevier Ltd.

Licence Label: CC BY 4.0

This study explores how and why organisations invest in workplace mental health and wellbeing, combining a systematic review with an in-depth case study. It shows that decisions are rarely driven by evidence alone. Instead, investment is shaped by a mix of legal responsibility, business priorities, reputation, and beliefs about productivity. The research highlights a staged but non-linear process, including building leadership buy-in, allocating resources, implementing initiatives, and ongoing evaluation. Importantly, decisions are often influenced by internal data, culture, and intuition rather than formal evidence, reinforcing that workplace wellbeing is shaped as much by organisational context as by research.

This research highlights that workplace wellbeing investment is driven by real-world pressures and decision-making, not just evidence or best practice.

  • Wellbeing investment is often shaped by business priorities rather than employee need
  • Leadership belief and buy-in play a critical role in whether action happens
  • Decisions are frequently based on internal experience, not external evidence
  • Investment does not follow a neat or linear process in practice
  • Organisational culture strongly influences what gets prioritised
  • Employee involvement helps ensure initiatives are relevant and used
  • Evaluation is ongoing and evolves over time
  • There is a clear gap between research evidence and how organisations actually act

© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. The original work remains the intellectual property of the authors and publisher. Commentary by The Well Crowd. © The Well Crowd Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved. This content provides a summary and independent commentary on the original research and does not reproduce the original publication. It is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional or medical advice. No part of this content may be reproduced or distributed without prior written permission.

Back to top

The List, your Trusted Workplace Wellbeing Directory

A curated community where People Leaders find trusted Workplace Wellbeing providers, and providers find meaningful business.
Access The List Join The List