The Wellbeing Dilemma It’s a priority, but employees still struggle.

Recent findings from Steelcase global research suggest that employees around the world are experiencing a bumpy path after the pandemic. These patterns emerged as dramatic shifts in work upended long-term norms. Leaders rank employee wellbeing as their top priority, but people aren’t feeling it – at least not yet. The latest data is: Leaders can help change the trajectory by understanding where employees are struggling and making meaningful changes that will actually help improve their wellbeing.

Work-Life
Balance Dropping Employees say their productivity is consistent, but satisfaction with their work-life balance has dropped significantly over the last three years. Percentage of global employees moderately to highly satisfied with their work-life balance 71 % 2021 2022
2023 69 % 59
%

46 % 45
44 % % % 44
27 28 24 23 % % % % The Gap Between
Leaders and Employees Leaders There’s a sizable gap between leaders’ level of wellbeing at work and how employees are feeling. In fact, employees rate their work-life balance far worse than leaders do. Their energy levels are lower and nearly half are worried about their mental health, compared to less than a third of leaders. Leaders can’t assume that if they’re feeling good about work that their employees are having the same experience. I am dissatisfied with the balance between my work and personal life Employees I don’t feel healthy and have enough energy to get things done daily I’m not engaged in interesting work
that appropriately challenges me I am dissatisfied with the state of my mental health

Leaders, Showing
Up Matters Leaders impact performance simply by being present in the office: There’s a clear correlation between how much employees see leaders and how satisfied they are with their workplace experience. When leaders set an example of being fully present at work, it sets the right tone for everyone else. of employees
don’t see their
leaders in the
office consistently % 58 Things get better when leaders are in-person and visible in the office more often: Likelihood
to Leave Engagement Productivity Connection
to Culture Wellbeing +6 % +4 % +5
% +3 % -7 %

Length of commute Feeling better working from home Stress in the office Not able to focus in the office Better workspace at home Lack of privacy in the office 40
42 25 24 20 21 % % % % % % The Office
Can Do Better While commute time is difficult to impact, there are plenty of other ways organizations can support people’s wellbeing and ability to get work done in the office. Employees say there are things that get in the way of working in the office more often. Why employees don’t work in the office more often

What Employees Want Most Privacy Spaces that support wellbeing The trend toward unassigned desks and more collaboration spaces must be balanced with what employees say are their biggest needs: more options for privacy and wellbeing – which often go hand-in-hand. Spaces that support virtual collaboration Access to enough power Flexible furniture to meet my needs of all employees say addressing sustainability at work has grown more important
5 1 59 2 3 4 % of Gen Z employees agree
sustainability matters 50
%

My Needs Matter There are other factors that have a significant impact, but feeling like your needs are considered in the design process has the strongest positive correlation to
higher wellbeing scores.” Sarah Johnson Employees who feel their needs are taken into consideration in workplace design have substantially higher wellbeing scores — up 22%. Just asking people is a small step that can make a big difference. “ Steelcase Senior Researcher

Principal Researcher Melanie Redman Sarah Johnson Senior Researcher About the Research Steelcase WorkSpace Futures team conducted this study with employees in 11 countries around the world, from a broad range of industries and company sizes. This study is part of an ongoing research series fielded 15 times since 2020, with over 68,925 employees and leaders. This work reflects our commitment to deeply and accurately understanding what people and organizations need.

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