Thriving Workplaces: How Employers can Improve Productivity and Change Lives

The report highlights the economic and societal benefits of prioritizing holistic employee health, estimating a potential global economic value of up to $11.7 trillion. It identifies significant health disparities across industries and demographic groups, particularly affecting women, LGBTQI+, neurodivergent, and low-income workers. The document provides a strategic framework for employers to move from reactive individual-level interventions to proactive, systemic changes at the team and job levels, supported by data analytics and leadership commitment.

• Investing in holistic employee health—covering physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions—could generate between $3.7 trillion and $11.7 trillion in global economic value, representing approximately 17% to 55% of average annual pay per employee.
• The primary drivers of economic value from health investments are increased productivity and reduced presenteeism, which together account for 54% to 77% of the total opportunity, valued at $2 trillion to $9 trillion.
• A 2023 McKinsey Health Institute survey of over 30,000 employees across 30 countries found that only 57% reported good holistic health, and only 49% were 'faring well' (reporting both good holistic health and no burn-out symptoms).
• Employee health outcomes vary significantly by demographic; women, LGBTQI+ individuals, neurodivergent people, those with lower education levels, and those with poor financial status report poorer health and higher burn-out than their counterparts.
• Burn-out symptoms are more prevalent among younger workers (aged 18-28), who are 18 percentage points more likely to report such symptoms than workers over age 60.
• While caregivers report higher holistic health (61%) than the global average (57%), they are 17 percentage points more likely to experience burn-out symptoms, primarily driven by exhaustion.
• The report advocates for a 'portfolio approach' to health interventions, shifting from reactive, individual-focused solutions (like gym memberships) to proactive interventions targeting the team and job levels to address root causes of burn-out and promote holistic health.
• Effective workforce health strategies should follow six principles: understanding the baseline and value at stake, developing sustainable initiatives, using pilots to test effectiveness, tracking 3-5 key metrics, ensuring leadership sponsorship, and embedding health into organizational culture.
• Data analytics and AI are identified as critical enablers for health strategies; for example, Experian used predictive workforce analytics to reduce global attrition by 4%, saving $14 million over two years.

APA

World Economic Forum (2025). Thriving Workplaces: How Employers can Improve Productivity and Change Lives. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Thriving_Workplaces_How_Employers_can_Improve_Productivity_and_Change_Lives_2025.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Thriving Workplaces: How Employers can Improve Productivity and Change Lives. 2025. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Thriving_Workplaces_How_Employers_can_Improve_Productivity_and_Change_Lives_2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Thriving Workplaces: How Employers can Improve Productivity and Change Lives |date=January 2025 |url=https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Thriving_Workplaces_How_Employers_can_Improve_Productivity_and_Change_Lives_2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2025thriving, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Thriving Workplaces: How Employers can Improve Productivity and Change Lives}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Thriving_Workplaces_How_Employers_can_Improve_Productivity_and_Change_Lives_2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }