A Look Back at Employee Wellbeing in 2025

2025 was a year of AI adoption, ongoing return-to-office debates, and rising workplace stress. In the middle of it all, wellbeing became part of the job.

Across industries, employees redefined what it means to be well. According to Wellhub’s State of Work-Life Wellness 2026, 86% of employees consider their wellbeing as important as their salary, and 89% say they perform better when they prioritize it.

Against this backdrop, Wellhub’s proprietary data shows employers responding in force, not with perks, but with programs that make a measurable impact.

In 2025, industrial and essential sectors saw the largest increase in employees enrolling in Wellhub, marking a major shift from past trends. Traditionally, wellbeing benefits like access to wellness programs were considered perks for office workers. But Wellhub is proof that’s no longer the case. This year, businesses in Manufacturing and Production, Energy and Utilities had the highest percentage of eligible employees enrolled in Wellhub. 

At Wellhub, enrollment means employees who have subscribed to their company-provided wellbeing benefit and begun using the platform to access options for fitness, mindfulness, therapy, nutrition, and sleep. This growing participation from sectors with a large hands-on population shows that wellbeing has become relevant and accessible to every type of worker, not just those behind a desk.

This report highlights where wellness surged in 2025, how employees checked in with their wellbeing, and what trends are shaping the next era of workplace wellness—an era where wellbeing isn’t a perk, but an imperative performance driver.

2025 Highlights: How the Workforce Stayed Well

🏭 Wellness goes industrial: Manufacturing and Energy sectors recorded the highest global enrollment rate, proving wellbeing has become a standard in essential industries. This represents a major shift as non-desk employees become some of the most active and engaged Wellhub users worldwide.

⚙️ Energy leads the charge: The Energy sector saw +39% year-over-year growth in employee enrollment, the fastest of any industry globally.

🔄 Hybrid wellness doubles engagement: Employees combining in-person and digital options logged nearly 2x more check-ins, proving flexibility fuels consistency.

💪 Strength Training stays strong: It remained the most popular in-person activity globally, just as in 2024, followed by Pilates and Combat Sports.

🚴Cycling gains speed: Cycling recorded the largest YoY increase in check-ins in 2025 (+94%, up from +2% in 2024). While it remains outside the top five in-person activities, the sharp rise suggests early signs of a comeback.

🧠 Holistic wellness remains top of mind: Mental health was the fastest-growing digital category, followed by nutrition, extending 2024’s trend of employees embracing holistic wellbeing.

🕕 The death of happy hour, wellness hour is here to stay: 6:00 PM remained the global peak time for wellbeing activities.

📅 Tuesday is the most active day; Sunday the ultimate rest day, both unchanged from 2024.

I. The Industrial (Wellness) Revolution

2025 drove a major shift as non-desk industries lead in enrollment. For the first time, non-desk and essential workers, those in manufacturing and energy sectors, recorded the highest levels of enrollment and participation in wellbeing programs worldwide.

These industries are home to some of the world’s most physically demanding and stressful jobs, and their adoption of wellness benefits demonstrates how wellbeing has become part of workforce infrastructure, not a perk for office employees.

Industries With Highest Employee Enrollment

1. Manufacturing & Production
2. Utilities / Energy / Chemical
3. Financial Services
4. Technology
5. Food & Beverage
    

This surge in industrial participation signals that frontline and non-desk employees are actively using their wellbeing benefits, checking in more frequently and across a wider range of wellness categories than ever before.

“We’re hearing it directly from employers, especially in essential and industrial sectors: wellbeing has moved from a perk to a pillar,” said Cesar Carvalho, CEO and Founder, Wellhub. “Many of these companies have faced years of labor shortages, high turnover, and productivity pressure, and they’re realizing that wellness is part of the solution. Deloitte’s 2025 manufacturing outlook identified workforce shortages as a top operational risk, and our data shows those same industries leading global wellness enrollment for the first time. Manufacturing and Energy aren’t just catching up, they’re setting the pace, because investing in workforce wellbeing is now a competitive advantage.”

According to Wellhub’s Return on Wellbeing 2025 Report, 73% of CEOs say wellness programs improve retention, 67% say they reduce absenteeism, and 80% report stronger talent attraction.

The Takeaway:
Wellbeing is now universal. Industrial and non-desk employees are just as engaged as their corporate counterparts, proving wellness is essential to every type of work.

II. “Hybrid” Wellness Doubles Engagement

Employees are continuing to combine in-person and digital wellness experiences, creating a more flexible and sustainable approach to wellbeing.

In 2025, one in four employees (25%) used both digital and in-person wellbeing options, up eight points year over year, a clear signal that flexibility fuels consistency and long-term engagement.

Those who participated in both onsite and digital activities showed more than double the engagement levels compared to users who stuck to just one format.

In 2025:

• Traditional Users (In-Person Only): Average 9 check-ins per month
• Digital Adopters (App Only): Average 8 check-ins per month
• Hybrid Users (In-Person + App): Average 19 check-ins per month
   

The Takeaways

• Flexibility drives engagement. Employees want wellness options that fit their schedules, lifestyles, and preferences.
• Hybrid programs continue to deliver nearly 2x higher engagement than single-channel approaches.
• Investing in hybrid wellness strategies gives companies a competitive advantage by meeting employees wherever they are on their wellbeing journey.

III. Strength Training Stays Strong, While Cycling Gains Speed

Variety has always been at the heart of Wellhub’s strategy, empowering employees to explore different ways to move, recover, and recharge. In 2025, all top in-person activities kept the same global rankings as 2024, showing stable participation across core movement types while new growth emerged below the surface.

Most Popular In-Person Activities

• Strength Training
• Pilates
• Combat Sports
• Dance
• Aquatic

In-Person Activities That Rose in Popularity Compared to 2024

• Cycling (+94%)
• Yoga (+74%)
• Pilates (+67%)
• Aquatic (+49%)
• Combat Sports (+48%)

Cycling is showing early signs of a comeback. After several years as a lower-participation category, cycling check-ins climbed sharply in 2025 (+94%). It is still not a top activity, but the sudden rise hints that habits may be shifting. If this momentum holds into 2026, cycling may be closer to re-emerging than we think.

The Takeaway:
Variety remains a cornerstone of employee wellbeing. Employees are not chasing trends; they are building balanced routines that last.

IV. Holistic Wellbeing Remains Top of Mind

While physical fitness maintained its dominance, holistic wellness categories continued to expand in 2025, led by mental health and nutrition, both building on 2024’s explosive digital growth.

Fastest-Growing Wellness Categories (2025)

• Mental Health: +58% (up from +48% in 2024)
• Nutrition: +51% (following 2024’s +112% surge)
   

This year’s growth shows that holistic wellness has shifted from new to necessary.

The Takeaway:
Holistic wellbeing is expanding. Employees aren’t just working out; they’re using integrated wellness options that support physical, mental, and nutritional health. This reflects a broader shift toward interconnected wellbeing, with 95% of employees agreeing that physical, mental, emotional, and social health are deeply linked.

V.  The Death of Happy Hour: The Wellness Hour Holds Steady

The global rhythm of wellness in 2025 looked remarkably similar to 2024, a sign that wellbeing has become a stable and lasting part of employees’ daily lives.

Global Wellness Snapshot

• Peak Activity Time: 6:00 PM (unchanged YoY)
• Top Check-in Day: Tuesday (unchanged YoY)
• Ultimate Rest Day: Sunday (unchanged YoY)
• Average Monthly Check-ins: 7 per employee
• Midday Sessions: 11 AM–2 PM accounted for 18% of all check-ins (up one point YoY)
   

These consistent patterns show that wellness habits are deeply ingrained.

The Takeaway:
The wellness hour remains strong. Employees are continuing to seek wellness-focused third places after work to recharge and connect, reinforcing that wellbeing has become the preferred way to unwind and reset.

VI. First-Time Employee Choices: Access Is the New Motivation

First-time Wellhub users in 2025 followed familiar patterns but with a stronger emphasis on approachable, restorative activities.

Top Entry Activities (2025)

• Strength Training: 33% (vs. 36% in 2024)
• Pilates: 29% (consistent year over year)
• Combat Sports: 13% (steady)
• Yoga: 7% (slightly higher than 2024)
   

The Takeaway:
Accessibility drives adoption. Sixty percent of Wellhub subscribers did not have a gym membership before joining Wellhub. Strength training leads the charge, indicating employees start with familiar, achievable workouts and build confidence that leads to more consistent, long-term engagement.

VII. What It All Means

2025 marked a new stage in global wellbeing maturity. Industries with a large non-desk working population became the most enrolled and active segment on the platform, variety stabilized, and holistic participation deepened across every industry.

The Takeaway:
Wellness has evolved into essential business infrastructure, a core system driving productivity and sustainable growth. From offices to factory floors, employees are actively embracing holistic wellbeing as an everyday essential.

Methodology

This research is an analysis of aggregated data from millions of employee check-ins across 32,000+ companies worldwide.

The analysis covers activity between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, spanning multiple wellness dimensions, including fitness, mindfulness, therapy, nutrition, and sleep.

A “check-in” is defined as any instance of engagement within the Wellhub network, whether it’s a gym visit, meditation session, therapy app use, or nutrition program.

An “enrollment” is defined as an employee actively registered in a Wellhub wellbeing program through their employer, indicating verified access to the platform and available benefits.

All data listed is aggregated and anonymized to ensure member privacy and represents global trends across Wellhub’s ecosystem of wellness partners and corporate clients.