Creative Pathways to Wellbeing: Expanding What Supports People at Work
Workplace wellbeing looks different for every person, and to create a culture of wellbeing we need to challenge our own perceptions on what workplace wellbeing means.
This quarter’s theme, Creative Pathways to Wellbeing, invites us to consider the many ways organizations can support connection, meaning, health, and the conditions people need to thrive at work.
I often say that, “when it comes to wellbeing at work, all you need to do is… everything”.
I know that can sound overwhelming, but most organizations don’t need to launch more programs or fill the calendar with more activities. Instead we need to better examine how the ways people experience work shapes their health and wellbeing. Workload, relationships, purpose, flexibility, leadership, financial stress, psychological safety, belonging, autonomy, recovery, and whether people feel seen as whole human beings are factors that impact wellbeing.
Workplace wellbeing can’t be reduced to one program or one definition. What resonates with one person may not resonate with another, and what someone needs during one stage of life may change in the next. A strategy that only offers one type of pathway will almost always miss part of the workforce.
This quarter, we are exploring Creative Pathways to Wellbeing because many of the most meaningful approaches may not look like traditional workplace wellness at first glance. Sometimes supporting wellbeing means getting out of our heads about what a wellbeing program is supposed to look like and paying closer attention to what actually helps people feel connected, supported, purposeful, and able to thrive.
Different Pathways Reach Different People
One of the easiest mistakes in workplace wellbeing is assuming that participation tells the whole story. If a program is popular with one group, it can be tempting to assume it’s the right approach for everyone., but the reality is usually more complicated.
For example, some people love competitions. They enjoy leaderboards, points, team challenges, and the energy of working toward a shared goal. I am probably one of the least competitive people you could meet, so that kind of structure does not motivate me in the same way. I do enjoy challenges when they help me reflect, stretch, or build a practice that feels meaningful, but I don’t want to feel like I am competing against my coworkers.
So should you incorporate challenges or competitions in your strategy?
Well, that isn’t necessarily the right question to reflect on. Neither response is right or wrong, they are simply different ways people engage in an initiative. If an organization only offers competitions, it may lose people who are turned off by that format. If it only offers quiet reflection, it may lose people who are energized by shared momentum.
The point isn’t to do everything all the time, but instead to offer a thoughtful variety of opportunities throughout the year so more people can find an entry point into wellbeing that feels relevant to them.
Programs Aren’t Strategies
A wellness challenge, reading group, volunteer program, coaching session, educational event, or applied workshop can all support wellbeing, but each one should connect back to a larger strategy. The question isn’t just about whether people participated. The better question is how the opportunity helped strengthen a culture of wellbeing.
Did it help people feel more connected? Did it create space for reflection or learning? Did it support meaning, recovery, trust, or belonging? Did it help leaders understand what people need? Did it influence the way people experience work?
When programs are treated as the strategy, organizations can end up chasing participation without understanding impact. When programs are connected to a broader culture of wellbeing, they become tools for creating more meaningful experiences and healthier ways of working.
This is where thinking creatively can help us see that a program does not have to look like a traditional wellness offering to support wellbeing.
Some of the Best Pathways are Unexpected
Volunteerism is one example I come back to often. When done thoughtfully, volunteering can help people contribute to something larger than themselves, build relationships across departments, connect with purpose, and feel proud of the organization they are part of. Those are all meaningful wellbeing outcomes, even if the program is not labeled as a wellbeing initiative.
Reading programs are another example I have seen work exceptionally well. A shared book, article, or story can create space for reflection, empathy, conversation, and learning. It can help employees explore leadership, identity, values, change, joy, or how they relate to their work. For some people, that kind of experience may feel far more engaging than a fitness challenge or webinar.
This is what I hope we keep exploring throughout the quarter. Wellbeing might look different than we expect. It might show up through movement, mindfulness, volunteering, storytelling, values reflection, peer connection, learning, creativity, better work design, or a manager who knows how to support people with care and clarity.
What We Are Exploring This Quarter
Our first event this quarter, Values-Driven Approaches to Supporting the Whole Person at Work, will explore how organizations can center what matters most to people and support the whole person at work. Dr. Tesha Crockett-Gibson will examine the role of personal values in wellbeing, engagement, and resilience, while also considering physical, mental, social, financial, occupational, and growth-related dimensions of wellbeing.
Later this quarter, Telling Tales: Stories That Can Transform Your Work Life will use children’s books, storytelling, and reflection to explore autonomy, support, meaning, purpose, and joy at work. I love this as part of the theme because it reminds us that creative pathways don’t need to be complicated. Sometimes a story gives people language for what they are experiencing and helps them imagine a small shift that could make work feel better.
We will also continue connecting this theme to our Values Alignment Facilitator Certification, a pre-summit intensive for people who want to help others explore personal values, work values, organizational values, and practical opportunities for greater alignment.
Together, these conversations help expand how we think about workplace wellbeing. They also remind us that wellbeing strategy should be connected to the real lives, values, needs, and experiences of the people it is meant to support.
Reflections for this Quarter
As we move through this quarter, I hope leaders will pause before asking, “What program should we offer next?” and spend more time asking, “What helps people experience wellbeing here?”
That question opens up more possibilities. It leaves room for traditional wellbeing resources, and it also leaves room to improve the everyday conditions that shape how people feel at work.
There is no single right approach to workplace wellbeing because there is no single human experience of work. Creative pathways help us notice what we may have overlooked, include more people in the conversation, and build strategies that are more connected to how wellbeing actually happens.
Sometimes the most meaningful path is the one we haven’t considered as workplace wellbeing yet.
Wellbeing Think Tank brings together people who care deeply about creating healthier, more human workplaces. Learn how to join our community and stay connected to evidence-based learning and events throughout the year.
If you believe accessible, trusted resources should continue to be available to all, consider making a tax-deductible donation. Your support helps us continue to offer education you can trust, inspiration that you need, and resources so you can take action for wellbeing.
