“How does your organisation approach wellbeing?” If your answer is a list of wellbeing programmes, perks, or a ‘wellbeing lead’, you might be missing the point. In a recent conversation with Rich Hanrahan, co-founder of RPNA, I was struck, yet again, by how often organisations separate wellbeing from the ‘real work’ of leadership and organisational culture. That’s not just a missed opportunity; it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of how workplaces function best.

Why wellbeing programmes aren’t enough

All too often, organisations treat wellbeing as something a designated person or team ‘does’. We run surveys, chase an engagement score, and wonder why nothing truly changes. Rich’s research, drawn from local government and with broader relevance, joins the dots: fundamental, lasting improvements in wellbeing come from the way we lead. Period.

As much as I love a drop-in yoga class, real workforce wellbeing is woven through leadership behaviours, management routines, and team dynamics. It’s less about what perks you offer, and more about the culture you create – in which people feel safe to speak up, valued for their work, and empowered to make changes.

Curiosity over numbers: A leadership non-negotiable

Spot a low survey score and the instinct kicks in – fix it, fast. But the Burning Out or Burning Bright report wisely urges us not to chase numbers. Instead, let’s get curious. What’s behind those results? What does this data actually mean for your context, and how can it spark meaningful conversations?

Too often, responsibility (read: blame) for low scores lands on the wellbeing team, or a handful of managers. Rarely is the energy directed towards organisation-wide reflection: What are the conditions we’re setting? How do our people actually experience their day-to-day work? So what do you need to do? Move from score-watching to honest dialogue.

The untapped potential of your people

One of the most powerful findings the research unearthed is that 88% of frontline staff want to contribute more. Imagine that – nearly nine out of ten are ready and willing to get involved, bring ideas, and change things for the better.

But are they asked? Frequently, no. The grind of ‘keeping up’ means few organisations create the space to harness this resource. Giving staff a voice, a sense of control, and genuine influence – especially over their own workplace frustrations – doesn’t just improve wellbeing, it drives better results for everyone.

Psychological safety: Non-negotiable, not “nice to have”

Another sobering insight: 69% of frontline staff don’t feel emotionally safe with their line manager. That matters – a lot. When people don’t feel able to speak truth to power, we lose ideas and innovation and risk driving problems underground until they explode.

What makes the difference? It’s not a magic wand or a new toolkit, but consistent effort to create psychologically safe spaces for honest conversation, regular feedback, healthy disagreement, and shared problem-solving. Managers don’t need all the answers. In fact, the best leaders admit what they don’t know and draw on the collective experience of their teams.

It starts with asking better questions

Ready to move beyond buzzwords? Ask yourself (and your leadership team) these questions set out in the report:

• How do our organisational structures affect wellbeing?
• Are our systems set up to let people do their best work?
• Does our leadership approach foster psychological safety, or undermine it?
• Do we value people as whole humans, not just task-doers?

Until we do, wellbeing will remain a box-ticking exercise – separate from the realities of performance, retention, and organisational health.

What will you do differently?

Ultimately, workers are waiting for leaders who understand that wellbeing, performance, and organisational effectiveness are inseparably linked. The opportunity to start these conversations, adapt our approach, and build better workplaces has never been clearer.

Let’s talk about how you can put this into practice in your organisation – get in touch