2020 Employee Wellbeing Mindset Study

The state of
employee wellbeing

Alight’s 2020 Employee Wellbeing Mindset Study examines the wellbeing attitudes and experiences for U.S. employees. In light of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the topic of wellbeing in the workplace has never been more top of mind for leaders and workers alike. We surveyed 2,500 U.S. employees prior to the outbreak on five key areas of wellbeing: physical, mental/emotional, financial, social and career.

Check out the highlights below and download the full report for more insights on how your organization can build and execute its own unique wellbeing strategy in the context of COVID-19 and beyond.

Employee wellbeing is improving, although factors such as debt and burnout continue. The longer-term impacts from COVID-19 are yet to be fully understood.

“My current state is going well for my...”

Overall wellbeing

44% (+6% from 2019)

Mental and emotional wellbeing

46% (+3% from 2019)

Social wellbeing

45% (+9% from 2019)

Physical wellbeing

44% (+2% from 2019)

Professional and career wellbeing

44% (+5% from 2019)

Financial wellbeing

40% (+6% from 2019)

Despite improving overall financial health, growing debt continues to remain an issue.

24%

24% say “My level of debt is ruining the quality of my life”

Up 7 points from 2017

61%

61% say “There’s no way I’ll be able to retire at the age I want”

Up 17 points from 2017

Employees are also struggling to find the balance they desire—helping strike the right balance between safety, wellbeing and productivity will be critical.

43% of workers are experiencing symptoms of burnout

The good news is when there’s a great overall employee experience, workers are 3x more likely to report positive overall wellbeing, making wellbeing a critical component to consider in an employer brand or value proposition.

While employees are becoming more active consumers of healthcare, more are avoiding care to save money—signaling an opportunity for employers to help.

Healthcare consumerism is on the rise.

90% of employees have looked up or compared costs for prescription drugs or medical services at least once

Up 17 points from 2019

Care avoidance, however, continues to be a growing problem.

43% of employees say “I have not gotten care (or considered it) for myself or another family member because I could not come up with the out-of-pocket costs”

Up 14 points from 2019