7 Ways to Engage Your Team in Workplace Wellbeing for Better Culture and Performance

Beanbags and yoga classes aren’t enough anymore. If your workplace wellbeing strategy begins and ends with fruit bowls or mental health posters in the lunchroom, it’s time for a reset. In Australia and New Zealand, more businesses are waking up to the reality that employee wellbeing isn’t a perk but a performance driver.

But getting your team genuinely involved in wellbeing initiatives? That can be the tricky part. Without real engagement, even well-funded programs can fall flat, leaving leaders scratching their heads and teams feeling disconnected.

If you want a culture where wellbeing is more than lip service and where performance naturally follows, here are seven smart, evidence-based ways to get your people on board.

1. Normalise Conversations About Wellbeing

Creating an environment where people feel comfortable discussing wellbeing starts with open, honest communication. When wellbeing is part of everyday dialogue rather than something saved for annual awareness days, it becomes embedded in workplace culture. 

Leaders and managers should model this openness, sharing their own experiences and encouraging team members to do the same. This helps to reduce stigma and creates psychological safety across all levels of the business.

2. Create a Shared Definition of Wellbeing

Every workplace is different, and so is every team. Rather than relying on generic definitions, involve your employees in defining what wellbeing means within your organisation. 

This shared understanding helps create more relevant initiatives and fosters a stronger sense of ownership. It ensures that wellbeing programs align with the real needs of your people, whether that includes flexible hours, training on building resilience or better workload management.

3. Involve Employees in Program Design

Top-down wellbeing programs often miss the mark because they don’t reflect the lived experiences of employees. To drive genuine engagement, consult your team when designing wellbeing strategies. 

This could include surveys, focus groups or informal conversations. When employees are involved in shaping initiatives, they are far more likely to participate and promote them. Engagement increases when people feel heard and empowered.

4. Embed Wellbeing into Workplace Policies and Practices

To be effective, wellbeing needs to be integrated into everyday operations and not treated as an add-on. Policies around flexible work, leave entitlements and workload expectations should support employee wellbeing. 

Similarly, team norms, such as respecting boundaries around emails outside work hours or encouraging regular breaks during the day, can reinforce positive behaviours. When wellbeing is incorporated into how work is done, it becomes part of the organisational fabric.

5. Support Managers to Champion Wellbeing

Managers play a key role in the employee experience. Yet many lack the confidence or skills to have effective wellbeing conversations. 

Investing in leadership development that includes mental wellbeing, empathetic communication and workload management can help bridge this gap. When managers are equipped to support their teams, wellbeing becomes more consistent across departments rather than depending on individual efforts.

6. Foster Peer-Led Initiatives

Some of the most effective wellbeing activities are led by employees, not HR or senior leaders. Peer-led initiatives, such as walking groups and lunch-and-learns, build community and give staff a sense of agency. These programs tend to feel more authentic and are often more sustainable in the long run. Encouraging and recognising these grassroots efforts can help wellbeing feel less corporate and more human.

7. Measure What Matters and Adapt

Engagement with wellbeing programs isn’t static. It evolves based on team needs, business pressures and wider societal changes. Regularly gathering feedback and monitoring participation rates can help you understand what’s working and what’s not. Using this data to adapt and improve your approach shows that you’re responsive and committed, which builds trust and keeps the conversation moving forward.

Creating a Workplace That Works for Everyone

If you're aiming for better culture and performance, it starts with how your people feel at work. Workplace wellbeing isn’t about ticking boxes with fruit bowls or yoga Wednesdays. It’s about creating an environment where your team feels valued, supported and empowered to bring their best selves to work. When employees are genuinely engaged in wellbeing initiatives, the ripple effects are powerful: stronger collaboration, higher morale and a culture that people actually want to be part of.

Want to build a workplace where wellbeing drives real business results? At better [blank], we help organisations design and implement people-first wellbeing strategies that actually work, boosting engagement, lifting performance and strengthening culture from the inside out. Get in touch with us today.