Hong Kong’s hidden crisis: The urgent need for a workplace wellbeing solution (that works)
Wendy Suen, Head of Talent Solutions for ConnectedConsult and Mathew Gollop, Managing Director of ConnectedGroup.
As one of the globe’s most important financial centres, Hong Kong is a city that never sleeps. And, in this fast-paced corporate world, employee wellbeing is often overlooked. According to Gallup’s “State of the Global Workplace: 2024” report, almost half (49%) of Hong Kong’s workers say they experience “a lot of stress at work.”
Yet, a healthy, engaged workforce is vital for productivity and long-term success. With rising levels of stress, burnout, and mental health challenges, prioritising workplace wellbeing is no longer beneficial. It’s essential.
The importance of wellbeing
Traditionally, businesses have placed little emphasis on employee wellness due to cultural norms, cost concerns, and a need for more awareness about its benefits. Leaders often set an unsustainable example, working long hours and expecting the same from their teams. This created a work culture that valued endurance over wellness,
The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point. It prompted companies to rethink their approach. Investing in wellbeing initiatives is now crucial to shifting towards a healthier work culture. Moreover, the latest workplace generation, Gen Z, values workplace wellbeing and often rejects employers that fail to support mental health or work-life balance.
Prevention starts with awareness
An Aon and TELUS Health report reveals that employees in Asia are under “significant mental health strain.” Findings show that 40% of employees in Hong Kong and 39% in China have a high risk of developing mental health issues. Even more concerning was a recent AXA study that identified several worrying points, the most shocking being that 49% of the workforce reported burnout in 2024 (up from 22% in 2023). With this awareness as a foundation, leaders must take action.
Why CEOs must take note
Wellbeing has often been seen as an HR responsibility and has become a checklist item. This leads to initiatives being sporadic or not meaningfully integrated. Leaders must champion and engage in wellbeing initiatives, setting the tone for the entire organisation. It is an investment in maximising productivity and talent retention.
While workforce wellbeing is becoming a stronger focus for employees, support for leadership teams and CEOs is often neglected. A pre-pandemic survey of 2,400 CEOs found that they all suffered from stress. A post-pandemic Bupa Global survey revealed that 96% of Hong Kong’s CEOs said they had poor mental health within the last year.
Leaders must cultivate a thriving work culture, but how can they do this if they're struggling with their poor mental wellbeing?
Wellbeing programmes
Workplace wellness programmes have a deeper history in Western countries but in Asia,
they are a newer concept and organisations are still learning how to create impact in this area. By prioritising employee wellbeing with active programmes, leaders signal its importance to the workforce. However, when leaders start to model healthy behaviours, such as taking regular breaks, managing stress, and respecting work-life balance, they set a powerful, more sustainable example for employees to follow.
Beyond HR
Workplace wellbeing is more than organising lunchtime yoga or a morning meditation. It should form a connection between the company and the employee and reinforce the importance that the organisation places on the issue. It should be consistent, sustainable and holistic because there is no single fix for all employees.
Wendy Suen is the Head of Talent Solutions for ConnectedConsult, a wellbeing and HR consulting firm that provides creative solutions in engagement, behaviour change, and human performance improvement. She says, “One common misconception is that workplace wellbeing programmes focus on physical health, such as fitness and nutrition. While these are important, comprehensive programmes address mental, emotional, social, occupational, financial, cultural, environmental, and transformational health. Employees need different interventions at different times in their lives, so a support programme needs to reflect this."
Overstretched HR teams cover everything from recruitment to talent management. It leaves little time for structured wellbeing programmes. To tackle this, the Workplace Wellbeing course developed by ConnectedConsult helps CEOs, senior executives, and HR professionals integrate health and wellness into their organisational culture to ensure ongoing and long-term impact.
The Workplace Wellbeing Model
The ThriveWell 360 Model is a framework that weaves together 12 wellbeing dimensions. It is an evolution from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to address the diverse facets of individual and organisational wellness. This model stands out for its bespoke approach, tailoring strategies to meet each workplace environment's needs and challenges. It drives positive cultural change within organisations. The model's adaptability and ongoing evolution ensure that it remains relevant, effective, and inclusive. It delivers long-term benefits such as improved employee engagement, productivity, and organisational performance.
Caption: Harmonising Wellbeing Horizons: Integrating 12 Dimensions, Dual Impact Strategies, and Effectiveness Personas for Holistic Workplace Growth
Ignite the workplace wellness flame
The three-part course is a holistic approach to creating sustainable workplace wellness programmes that engage employees and enhance business performance. It starts with foundational steps for launching workplace wellness initiatives and ensures ownership is internal.
The course wraps up by combining all strategies into a plan to create a comprehensive workplace wellness programme. It meets the unique needs of Hong Kong businesses, providing context-sensitive solutions that align with cultural norms and business practices.
The road to results
Effective programmes should be part of a broader strategy that includes leadership support —encouraging participation through a supportive environment rather than mandated activities.
Wendy says, “Wellbeing should align with business objectives, and integrate into performance metrics. Track and share the impact of wellbeing initiatives to show their benefits.”
Make wellbeing a business priority
Integrating wellbeing into workplace culture is critical for the long-term success of businesses in Hong Kong. As Wendy says: “There is a growing recognition of the link between employee wellbeing and business performance. Research shows that happier and healthier employees are more productive, creative, and loyal, leading to better business outcomes.”
While large corporations have more budget and resources, SMEs and startups must also prioritise this investment. The competitive job market in Hong Kong means that wellbeing programmes can help attract top talent which will become more critical as the market improves. Mathew Gollop, Managing Director of ConnectedGroup, says: “Hong Kong is a talent time bomb. The market is currently talent-shallow, and there are many areas where skills are short. The slower market conditions have somewhat hidden this, but as it improves, the competition will quickly become fierce. Organisations who have not prioritised employee wellbeing will be the first to suffer.”
Take action today
Investing in wellbeing is an investment in your Company’s future. A strong programme can reduce absenteeism, improve productivity, and increase employee retention. All contribute to a stronger bottom line.
Empower your organisation to thrive by making workplace wellbeing a top priority. Join us in transforming your approach to wellbeing today.
