Why Employee Wellbeing Is Becoming a Business Priority in 2026
Explore the corporate wellbeing trends shaping 2026, the latest UK workplace data and how accessible yoga, Pilates and movement can support healthier teams.
wild thing studio
8/8/202614 min read
And why making movement easier to access at work may be one of the simplest places to start.
For a long time, workplace wellbeing sat somewhere on the edge of company culture.
A wellbeing week. A meditation app. A discounted gym membership. Perhaps a yoga class once a quarter.
That is changing.
As organisations manage demanding workloads, hybrid and distributed teams, long hours at screens and growing concern around employee health, wellbeing is becoming less about perks and more about how people are supported to work well over the long term.
And the numbers explain why.
Workplace wellbeing in numbers
148.8 million
working days were lost because of sickness or injury in the UK in 2025.[1]
9.4 days
average sickness absence per employee among organisations responding to the CIPD's 2025 survey, up from 7.8 days in 2023.[2]
12 billion
working days are estimated to be lost globally every year to depression and anxiety.[3]
US$1 trillion
is the estimated annual cost to the global economy from lost productivity associated with depression and anxiety.[3]
Employee wellbeing is not separate from the way organisations perform.
Increasingly, the two are part of the same conversation.
Workplace wellbeing is becoming more strategic
One of the biggest shifts is not simply that organisations are talking more about wellbeing.
It is that wellbeing is moving further into business strategy.
The CIPD's 2025 Health and Wellbeing at Work research found that 57% of organisations surveyed had a standalone wellbeing strategy, compared with 44% in 2020.[2]
And 74% said employee wellbeing was on senior leaders' agendas, up from 61% in 2020.[2]
When asked about the key opportunities for employee health and wellbeing over the following year, respondents identified:
54% improving employee health and wellbeing
39% increasing employee engagement
39% reducing sickness absence
38% improving employee performance.[2]
These figures do not mean every wellbeing programme automatically delivers those results.
That distinction matters.
A yoga class cannot fix an unhealthy workload.
Pilates cannot compensate for poor management.
And an employee wellbeing programme should never become a way of asking individuals to manage problems created by the organisation itself.
But alongside good leadership, manageable workloads, psychological safety, flexibility and appropriate occupational health support, making it easier for people to move can form one practical part of a healthier working culture.
Our working lives have become increasingly sedentary
For millions of people, work means sitting.
At a desk.
In meetings.
On trains.
On video calls.
Then often back in front of another screen at home.
The evidence supporting regular movement is well established.
Updated UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidance published in July 2026 reinforces a simple message:
some movement is better than none, and the greatest health gains are seen when people move from inactivity to doing something regularly.[4]
Adults should aim for around 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week, while the guidance also emphasises reducing prolonged periods of sitting and maintaining strength.[4][5]
World Health Organization guidance recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity, alongside muscle-strengthening activity.[6]
But there is an important workplace lesson within those recommendations.
We do not need to turn employees into athletes.
We need to make movement easier to access.
What if movement simply fitted into the working day?
Corporate wellbeing has a tendency to keep adding things.
Another platform.
Another login.
Another benefit employees have to remember exists.
Perhaps the bigger opportunity is integration.
What if movement became a normal part of the working week instead?
A 30-minute Pilates class before work.
Yoga at lunchtime.
A mobility session between long blocks of meetings.
A live online class employees can join whether they are working from home or the office.
A movement session built into a team day or company offsite.
None of these ideas is revolutionary.
That is partly the point.
The intervention can be simple.
The bigger cultural signal is:
you have permission to step away from the screen and move.
What does the research say about movement at work?
There is evidence supporting workplace physical activity interventions, but it is important not to overstate it.
A systematic review examining exercise, yoga and walking interventions across office-based workplaces found improvements in measures of employee wellbeing compared with no intervention.[7]
A later review of reviews examining physical activity within workplace health promotion also found evidence of positive effects across a range of outcomes, while highlighting considerable differences between interventions, populations and research methods.[8]
That means we should be careful with claims such as:
“Yoga will increase employee productivity by X%.”
There is not strong enough evidence to make a universal promise like that.
A much more useful conclusion is:
Regular physical activity supports physical and mental health. Work-related health challenges have significant human and economic consequences. Employers can help by creating environments in which healthy behaviours are easier to access.
Movement can be part of that.
The participation problem
Creating a wellbeing programme is one thing.
Getting people to actually use it is another.
CIPD found that 28% of respondents identified employees not engaging with wellbeing activities as one of the key challenges facing their organisation.[2]
Cost matters too.
56% of organisations with health-related benefits said cost-effectiveness was one of the factors they considered when selecting those benefits.[2]
This raises an important question.
Instead of asking:
How many wellbeing benefits can we offer?
Perhaps organisations should ask:
How easy are our wellbeing benefits to actually use?
This is where online movement becomes interesting.
It can remove several barriers at once.
No commute to a studio.
No specialist equipment required for many sessions.
Employees can participate from home or the workplace.
Sessions can reach teams across different locations.
Classes can be designed around different levels of experience.
A regular session can become part of the working rhythm rather than another benefit people have to organise in their own time.
Accessibility also changes the tone.
Corporate movement does not need to be competitive.
It does not need before-and-after photographs.
It does not need leaderboards.
And it certainly does not need to become another performance metric.
Sometimes 30 minutes to step away from a screen and move is enough.
Prevention is becoming increasingly important
The UK Government's Keep Britain Working programme is placing increasing emphasis on prevention, early intervention and helping people remain healthy and in work.[9]
The wider direction matters.
It does not mean employers should become healthcare providers.
It means recognising that the way work is designed can either create barriers to healthy behaviour or help remove them.
Movement is only one part of that picture.
But it is a relatively simple place to start.
Where yoga and Pilates fit
At Wild Thing Studio, we believe movement should help people feel better, not give them another standard to meet.
Yoga and Pilates can both work particularly well in a workplace setting because sessions can be accessible, adaptable and delivered without a traditional gym environment.
Yoga can create space to move, mobilise and step away from concentrated desk work.
Pilates can introduce controlled movement, strength and stability into the working week.
Neither should be positioned as a cure for burnout, stress or poor workplace culture.
They are simply useful ways of helping people move.
And sometimes simple is exactly what workplace wellbeing needs.
From wellbeing initiative to wellbeing culture
The organisations leading the next phase of employee wellbeing may not be those with the longest list of benefits.
They may be the ones where healthier behaviours genuinely fit into everyday working life.
Where taking a break is normal.
Where movement is encouraged.
Where senior leaders participate too.
Where wellbeing appears throughout the year, rather than once during a wellbeing week.
And where employees are supported without wellbeing becoming another target to hit.
The future of corporate wellbeing may therefore be less spectacular than we imagine.
It might simply mean creating healthier rhythms around how we work.
Move a little more.
Step away from the screen.
Create space to reset.
Then get back to what matters.
Bring Movement Into Your Workplace
Wild Thing Studio creates accessible movement and wellbeing experiences for modern teams.
From live online yoga and Pilates classes to workplace sessions, workshops and tailored team experiences, we can create something that fits around your people, working patterns and location.
Sessions can be delivered for remote, hybrid and office-based teams, with open-level movement designed to feel inclusive rather than intimidating.
Move well. Work well.
Explore online yoga and Pilates with Wild Thing Studio
Frequently Asked Questions
What is corporate wellbeing?
Corporate wellbeing describes how an organisation supports the physical, mental and social wellbeing of its employees.
A comprehensive approach can include working conditions, leadership, flexibility, occupational health, mental health support, movement programmes and employee benefits.
Why is employee wellbeing important in 2026?
Employee health has significant consequences for individuals and organisations.
ONS estimates that 148.8 million working days were lost because of sickness or injury in the UK in 2025, while CIPD research shows employee wellbeing is increasingly reaching senior leadership agendas.[1][2]
Can yoga and Pilates be part of an employee wellbeing programme?
Yes.
Live or online yoga and Pilates can form part of a wider workplace wellbeing programme by making structured movement more accessible during the working week.
They should complement, rather than replace, action around workload, leadership, psychological safety, mental health and working conditions.
What are the benefits of physical activity for employees?
Regular physical activity supports physical and mental health.
Research into workplace interventions also suggests that exercise, walking and yoga programmes can improve some measures of employee wellbeing, although outcomes vary depending on the programme, organisation and individual.[6][7][8]
Do employees need yoga or Pilates experience?
No.
Workplace yoga and Pilates sessions can be designed as open-level classes, with variations for different levels of mobility, fitness and previous experience.
Can online yoga and Pilates work for remote and hybrid teams?
Yes.
Live online classes allow employees to participate from different locations without travelling to a studio, making movement easier to integrate across remote and hybrid teams.
Sources
[1] Office for National Statistics. Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2025. Published 1 May 2026.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/labourproductivity/articles/sicknessabsenceinthelabourmarket/2025
[2] CIPD and Simplyhealth. Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025.
https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/health-well-being-work/
[3] World Health Organization. Mental health at work.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work
[4] Department of Health and Social Care. New UK CMO activity guidelines show every movement counts. Published 10 July 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-uk-cmo-activity-guidelines-show-every-movement-counts
[5] UK Chief Medical Officers. Physical activity guidelines. Updated 10 July 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-activity-guidelines-uk-chief-medical-officers-report
[6] World Health Organization. Physical activity.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
[7] Abdin S, Welch RK, Byron-Daniel J, Meyrick J. The effectiveness of physical activity interventions in improving well-being across office-based workplace settings: a systematic review. Public Health. 2018.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29751224/
[8] Schaller A et al. Physical activity interventions in workplace health promotion: a review of reviews. 2024.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38406496/
[9] UK Government. Keep Britain Working review update: March 2026. Published 31 March 2026, subsequently updated 3 July 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keep-britain-working-review-update-march-2026
And why accessible movement at work may be one of the simplest places to start
For a long time, workplace wellbeing sat somewhere on the edge of company culture.
A wellbeing week.
A meditation app.
A discounted gym membership.
Perhaps a yoga class once a quarter.
That is changing.
As organisations manage increasingly distributed teams, demanding workloads, long hours at screens and growing concern around employee health, wellbeing is becoming less about perks and more about how people are supported to work well over the long term.
The numbers explain why.
An estimated 148.8 million working days were lost because of sickness or injury in the UK in 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics.[1]
Meanwhile, the CIPD's 2025 Health and Wellbeing at Work research found average employee absence among surveyed organisations had risen to 9.4 days per employee, compared with 7.8 days in its 2023 survey.[2]
Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that depression and anxiety alone result in 12 billion working days being lost every year, costing the global economy approximately US$1 trillion annually in lost productivity.[3]
Employee wellbeing is not separate from business performance.
Increasingly, the two are connected.
The workplace wellbeing conversation is changing
One of the most interesting shifts is not simply that businesses are investing in wellbeing.
It is that wellbeing is becoming more strategic.
The CIPD found that the proportion of surveyed organisations with a standalone wellbeing strategy increased from 44% in 2020 to 57% in 2025.[2]
Nearly three-quarters, 74%, also said employee wellbeing was on senior leaders' agendas, compared with 61% in 2020.[2]
There is still a significant gap between intention and effectiveness.
Among organisations taking action around employee health and wellbeing, employers identified potential benefits including:
54% improving employee health and wellbeing
39% increasing employee engagement
39% reducing sickness absence
38% improving employee performance.[2]
These are employer perceptions rather than proof that every wellbeing initiative will create those outcomes. That distinction matters.
A yoga class cannot fix an unhealthy workload.
Pilates cannot compensate for poor management.
An employee wellbeing programme should never become a way of asking individuals to manage problems created by the organisation itself.
But alongside good leadership, manageable workloads, psychological safety, flexibility and appropriate occupational-health support, giving people realistic opportunities to move can form part of a healthier working culture.
We have designed increasingly sedentary working lives
For millions of people, work now means sitting.
At a desk.
In meetings.
On trains.
On video calls.
Then often back in front of another screen at home.
The health case for movement is well established.
Updated UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidance published in July 2026 reinforces an important point: every movement counts, and some physical activity is better than none.[4]
The guidance shows particularly steep increases in health benefit when people move from being inactive towards approximately 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week.[5]
WHO guidance similarly recommends adults undertake 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, or an equivalent amount of vigorous activity, alongside muscle-strengthening activity.[6]
But there is an important workplace lesson hidden within those recommendations.
We do not necessarily need to turn employees into athletes.
We need to make movement easier to access.
Small interventions are more realistic than another wellbeing platform
There is a tendency in corporate wellbeing to keep adding things.
Another portal.
Another login.
Another benefit employees have to remember exists.
The more interesting opportunity may be integration.
Could movement become a normal part of the working week rather than something employees are expected to organise around it?
A live 30-minute Pilates class before work.
Yoga at lunchtime.
A mobility session between long blocks of meetings.
A recorded class available to employees across different time zones.
A team movement session as part of an offsite.
The intervention is relatively simple.
The wider idea is more important: create permission to step away from the screen and move.
Research into workplace physical-activity interventions supports the direction, although the evidence should not be overstated. A systematic review examining exercise, yoga and walking interventions in workplace settings found improvements in measures of employee wellbeing compared with no intervention.[7]
More recent reviews continue to investigate physical activity as a workplace-health intervention, with evidence suggesting exercise-based approaches can positively influence areas including wellbeing and work-related outcomes, although results vary considerably depending on programme design, workforce and measurement.[8]
So the argument for movement at work should not be:
“Do yoga and productivity will increase by X%.”
The evidence does not justify such a universal claim.
A better argument is:
Regular movement supports human health, work-related stress is a significant organisational issue, and employers have an opportunity to make healthy behaviour more accessible during the working week.
That is both more credible and more useful.
Accessibility will become one of the defining corporate wellbeing trends
One of the biggest challenges facing wellbeing teams is participation.
CIPD found 28% of respondents identified lack of employee engagement with wellbeing activities as one of their organisation's main challenges for the coming year.[2]
Cost matters too. 56% said cost-effectiveness was one of the factors considered when selecting health-related benefits.[2]
This creates an interesting question for organisations.
Instead of asking:
How many wellbeing benefits can we offer?
Perhaps the better question is:
How easy are our wellbeing benefits to actually use?
Online movement can remove several traditional barriers at once.
There is no commute.
No studio membership is required.
Employees can participate from home or the office.
Sessions can work across geographically distributed teams.
And a good programme can offer different levels and options rather than assuming everyone has the same mobility, fitness or experience.
Accessibility is also why the tone matters.
Corporate movement does not need to be competitive.
It does not need before-and-after photographs.
It does not need to turn into another performance metric.
Sometimes the most valuable thing an organisation can give someone is 30 minutes in which nothing is expected from them except to move.
The next phase of corporate wellbeing will be preventative
A revealing finding from the CIPD research is that many organisations remain more reactive than preventative in how they approach employee health.[2]
That is understandable.
Businesses are under financial pressure, teams are busy and immediate problems naturally demand attention.
But prevention is becoming increasingly important.
The UK's 2026 Keep Britain Working review reflects the scale of the wider challenge around ill health and employment and places greater emphasis on helping employers support people to remain healthy and in work.[9]
That does not mean employers become healthcare providers.
It means recognising that working environments can either create barriers to healthy behaviour or help remove them.
Movement is only one part of this.
But it is an unusually accessible one.
Where yoga and Pilates fit
At Wild Thing, we think movement should help people feel better, not give them another standard to meet.
Our wider philosophy is built around movement, creativity, nature and connection, with accessible practices that allow people to participate without needing to be advanced or experienced.
That same thinking translates particularly well into workplaces.
Yoga can create space for mobility, movement and slowing down after hours spent sitting or concentrating.
Pilates can introduce controlled strength and movement into a working week without requiring equipment-heavy gym environments.
Neither needs to be positioned as a cure for burnout or workplace stress.
They are simply useful ways of getting people moving.
And sometimes simple is exactly what workplace wellbeing needs.
From wellbeing initiative to wellbeing culture
The most progressive organisations will probably not be those with the longest list of employee benefits.
They will be the organisations where healthy behaviours actually fit into the working day.
Where taking a break is normal.
Where movement is encouraged.
Where managers participate too.
Where wellbeing is supported consistently rather than appearing once a year during a wellbeing campaign.
And where employees are trusted to look after themselves without turning wellbeing into another target.
The future of corporate wellbeing may therefore be less spectacular than we imagine.
It could simply mean creating healthier rhythms around how we work.
Move a little more.
Step away from the screen.
Create space to reset.
Then get back to what matters.
Bring movement into your workplace
Wild Thing Studio creates accessible movement and wellbeing experiences for modern teams, including live online yoga and Pilates classes, workplace sessions, workshops and tailored experiences.
Sessions can be designed around your team, working patterns and location, from regular online movement classes to one-off employee wellbeing experiences.
Move well. Work well.
Explore workplace wellbeing with Wild Thing Studio
Frequently Asked Questions
What is corporate wellbeing?
Corporate wellbeing is the way an organisation supports the physical, mental and social health of its employees. It can include workplace design, management practices, flexibility, occupational health, mental-health support, movement programmes and wider employee benefits.
Can yoga and Pilates be offered as employee wellbeing benefits?
Yes. Live or online yoga and Pilates can form part of a wider employee wellbeing programme by making structured movement more accessible during the working week. They should complement, rather than replace, organisational measures addressing workload, management, mental health and working conditions.
What are the benefits of physical activity for employees?
Regular physical activity is associated with significant physical and mental health benefits. Workplace intervention research also suggests exercise, walking and yoga programmes can improve some measures of employee wellbeing, although outcomes vary between programmes and organisations.[6][7]
Do employees need previous yoga or Pilates experience?
No. Workplace yoga and Pilates can be designed as open-level sessions with variations for different levels of experience, mobility and fitness.
Can corporate yoga and Pilates work for remote teams?
Yes. Live online classes allow remote and hybrid employees to participate regardless of office location and can make regular movement easier to integrate across distributed teams.
Sources
[1] Office for National Statistics, Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2025, May 2026
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/labourproductivity/articles/sicknessabsenceinthelabourmarket/2025
ONS estimates 148.8 million working days were lost because of sickness or injury in 2025.
[2] CIPD, Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025
https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/health-well-being-work/
Based on a survey of 1,101 HR, people and management professionals. It reports increasing absence, growing adoption of formal wellbeing strategies, senior-level focus on wellbeing and employer perceptions of wellbeing investment.
[3] World Health Organization, Mental Health at Work
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work
WHO estimates depression and anxiety account for 12 billion lost working days globally each year and approximately US$1 trillion in lost productivity.
[4] Department of Health and Social Care, New UK CMO activity guidelines show every movement counts, July 2026
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-uk-cmo-activity-guidelines-show-every-movement-counts
Updated UK guidance emphasises that even small amounts of physical activity provide health benefits.
[5] UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines, 2026
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-activity-guidelines-uk-chief-medical-officers-report/uk-chief-medical-officers-physical-activity-guidelines
The updated evidence shows substantial health gains as inactive adults increase activity towards approximately 150 minutes per week.
[6] World Health Organization, Physical Activity
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
WHO provides evidence-based recommendations on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for adults.
[7] Abdin et al., The effectiveness of physical activity interventions in improving well-being across office-based workplace settings: a systematic review, 2018
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29751224/
The review found exercise, yoga and walking interventions improved measures of wellbeing across workplace settings compared with no intervention.
[8] Schaller et al., Physical activity interventions in workplace health promotion: a review of reviews, 2024
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38406496/
A review examining physical-activity-related workplace health promotion and associated outcomes.
[9] UK Government, Keep Britain Working: Final Report, March 2026
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keep-britain-working-review-final-report/keep-britain-working-final-report
The review examines the relationship between health, employers, workforce participation and productivity.
