🩺 Only one in four employees say they’re truly thriving at work. The rest? They’re either quietly struggling or slowly cracking under the pressure, according to Business Insider. And while that may sound like a people problem, new research reveals that it’s actually a business problem — one that’s costing companies in performance, innovation, and retention.

Data from job aggregator and researcher Indeed paints a sobering picture: Some 74% of employees are experiencing low happiness, high stress, or a lack of purpose at work, which has overtaken economic and political concerns as the leading source of stress. Some 87% of workers say that workplace happiness directly impacts how they feel at home. What makes it even more concerning for employers is that this doesn’t just affect how employees feel, it directly impacts how they perform. Employees with high wellbeing scores accomplish work goals at 1.5 times the rate of those without it, and they’re significantly more likely to contribute to business improvements and innovation.

What fosters high wellbeing at work? People typically point to flexibility and fair pay, but the data tells a different story. The top three predictors of workplace wellbeing are feeling energized by your work, feeling like part of something bigger than yourself, and trusting your coworkers. The problem? Nearly half of workers don’t feel energized, more than a third lack a sense of belonging, and 40% don’t trust their colleagues.

So what’s going wrong? We spoke to Yassin Asfour, CEO of Byte+, a workplace health technology company, who believes many organizations are misdiagnosing the issue. “The mistake many organizations make is treating low energy as a motivation or morale issue, when it's often a sign of systemic biological depletion,” he explains. “Addressing it requires more than a single workshop or wellness app — it demands continuous, data-informed health support.”

Why work has become the leading global stressor: The shift is striking — work now causes more stress than economic uncertainty or political turmoil, of which there is no shortage. Asfour points to a fundamental change in how work operates in our lives: “Work has become the central organizing force in many people's lives — especially post-pandemic. It's no longer limited to office hours or physical spaces. Instead, it follows us into our homes and our weekends. The boundaries between work and life haven't just blurred for many, they've disappeared. And when stress has no clear endpoint, it becomes chronic.”

This reality has given rise to what researchers call “quiet cracking” — a slower, quieter erosion of wellbeing that doesn’t show up immediately in performance metrics. More than half of employees experience symptoms of this phenomenon, creating what Indeed describes as “a silent drain on productivity and morale.”

If employees with high wellbeing are 1.5 times more productive, why aren’t more organizations prioritizing it? Asfour argues it comes down to short-term thinking. “Many organizations are structured around quarterly cycles — revenue targets, sales forecasts, and investor updates. In that context, wellbeing can seem intangible, slow-moving, or secondary,” he says. “The problem is that wellbeing doesn't deliver in bursts — it compounds.” Research from Oxford University, working with Indeed’s workplace wellbeing data, found a clear positive correlation between higher employee wellbeing and company valuation income. Organizations that simply measure and prioritize employee wellbeing are nearly three times more likely to excel in it.

Rather than treating health as something that happens outside of work, forward-thinking companies are embedding it into the workday itself. Asfour describes how Byte+ uses real-time interventions to help people course-correct before stress accumulates: “We guide users toward short meditative resets during high-strain windows, and we actively help them avoid energy-crashing behaviors — like consuming high-glycemic foods that lead to afternoon slumps.”

The results speak for themselves. Byte+ has recorded measurable improvements, including a 40% increase in daily step count, meaningful gains in sleep quality — particularly deep sleep and REM sleep — and tangible changes in body composition. But perhaps more importantly, they’ve seen serious participation across all job levels, from senior leadership to operations staff. “When health becomes a cultural value — not just a perk — it creates a foundation for performance, retention, and long-term trust,” Asfour notes.

For employers, the message should be clear: wellbeing isn’t a soft metric or a nice-to-have — it’s a strategic imperative that directly impacts your ability to attract talent, drive performance, and compete. As a senior talent strategy advisor at Indeed tells BI: “The most successful companies understand that wellbeing isn't just about making people happy for happiness' sake. It's about creating the conditions where people can do their best work, thrive, and achieve.” The organizations that recognize this aren’t just building healthier workplaces — they’re building more resilient, innovative, and profitable businesses. And in a market where only 26% of employees are thriving, that might be their biggest competitive advantage.