With decades of experience helping organizations navigate change through technology, HRTech expert Ling-Yi Tsai has a unique perspective on the evolution of the workplace. Specializing in everything from HR analytics to talent management, she has seen firsthand how companies succeed—and fail—at fostering healthy environments. Today, we’re exploring a critical shift in workplace wellbeing: the move away from surface-level perks toward a culture where support and psychological safety are deeply embedded. We’ll discuss the pivotal role of leadership in shaping an employee’s daily experience, how to build trust without sacrificing performance, and what a more human-centered definition of success really looks like as we look toward the future of work.
Many companies offer wellbeing apps and perks, yet burnout remains high. Why do these surface-level solutions often fall short, and what does it look like when wellbeing is truly embedded in a company’s culture? Please share a specific example.
That’s the central paradox we’re seeing right now. Organizations invest in these initiatives, but they’re treating the symptoms, not the cause. As Gemma Wardell, the Founder of Human Brilliance, rightly points out, people don’t end a workday feeling completely drained because they forgot to use their meditation app. They feel that way because their workload was unmanageable, expectations were a moving target, or they didn’t feel safe enough to ask for help. When wellbeing is truly embedded, it lives in those ordinary, everyday moments. It looks like a manager checking in on a team member’s capacity before assigning a new project, or a company policy that actively encourages and protects time off, rather than just offering it.
A person’s daily experience—from workload to unclear expectations—often shapes their wellbeing more than formal programs. How can leaders embed wellbeing into the entire employee lifecycle, and what practical steps can they take to address these “ordinary moment” stressors?
This requires a fundamental shift from implementation to integration. It’s about looking at every single touchpoint with an employee through a wellbeing lens. During recruitment, are we transparent about the role’s demands and the team’s work-life boundaries? In onboarding, are we providing genuine clarity and support, or just a mountain of paperwork? Practical steps include regular, structured check-ins that go beyond project updates to discuss workload and potential roadblocks. Leaders can also implement simple team agreements around communication hours to protect personal time. These small, consistent actions address the real sources of stress far more effectively than any standalone initiative.
Given that a manager’s behavior is a strong predictor of team wellbeing, how can organizations cultivate more human and emotionally aware leaders? Could you describe what it looks like when a manager successfully models healthy boundaries and its impact on their team?
Cultivating this kind of leadership goes beyond a one-off training session. It involves investing in development that focuses on emotional awareness and the psychological impact of a leader’s actions, especially during times of change. When a manager successfully models healthy boundaries, it’s incredibly powerful. For instance, you might see a leader openly state, “I am logging off at 5:30 p.m. to be with my family and will not be checking emails until tomorrow.” This single act gives their entire team explicit permission to do the same. It replaces unspoken pressure with a clear, healthy standard, fostering a sense of trust and demonstrating that the organization values its people as whole human beings, not just producers of output.
Psychological safety is crucial for enabling teams to contribute honestly without fear. What is the first step a leader should take to build this environment, and how can they do so without being perceived as lowering performance standards?
The very first step a leader must take is to model vulnerability and curiosity. This could be as simple as starting a team meeting by admitting, “I’m not sure what the best approach is here; I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts,” or acknowledging a mistake openly. This reframes leadership from having all the answers to facilitating the best outcome. It’s crucial to understand that psychological safety isn’t about creating a comfortable, consequence-free zone. As Gemma Wardell noted, it’s not about lowering standards. It’s about creating the conditions for high performance by ensuring people can think clearly, challenge ideas respectfully, and ask for help before a small issue becomes a crisis.
Organizations are starting to link wellbeing with sustainable performance. What does this more human definition of success look like in practice, and how can HR leaders shift from focusing solely on output to metrics that support long-term engagement and energy?
This new definition views wellbeing and performance as two sides of the same coin, not opposing forces. In practice, it means success is measured not just by what was achieved, but how it was achieved. Did we hit our targets by burning out half the team, or did we do it in a way that left people feeling energized and motivated? HR leaders can spearhead this shift by integrating metrics like team health, psychological safety scores, and voluntary turnover rates into performance dashboards alongside traditional productivity KPIs. The goal is to tell a more complete story, proving that when you create an environment where people can thrive, exceptional, long-term performance naturally follows.
What is your forecast for wellbeing at work?
Looking toward 2026, my forecast is that wellbeing will no longer be a separate department or a line item in the benefits budget. It will be a core leadership competency and a non-negotiable aspect of organizational culture. The conversation is fundamentally changing. Instead of leaders asking, “What new wellbeing program should we buy?” they will be forced to ask, “What in our current culture is getting in the way of our people feeling well?” Answering that question honestly is where the real, transformative work begins, and the organizations that embrace this shift now will be the ones that attract and retain the best talent in the years to come.