With burnout chronically high — nearly 45% of workers responding to a recent Eagle Hill survey reported experiencing the condition — and engagement declining, HR professionals have increasingly been looking for nontraditional benefits to add to their total rewards.

After remote and hybrid work arrangements, employers responding to HR Dive’s 2024 Identity of HR survey said mental health benefits were a top nontraditional strategy. The push likely aligns with workers’ stagnating or declining levels of well-being, according to findings from The Conference Board’s Next Frontier for Employee Well-being report. It’s also likely spurred by workers saying they expect such investment.

While wellness benefits differ from organization to organization, from gym memberships to company-sponsored yoga to counseling support, researchers have found that even if workers expect such benefits, they are unlikely to use them if employers aren’t clear and transparent about what’s available and how they work — or if they don’t provide the schedule flexibility to encourage their use. 

Read on for five recent stories on the current state of wellness benefits.