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What gen Z expects from workplace wellbeing: A conversation with Samantha, Wellness Program Manager

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  • Last Updated on September 10, 2026
  • 10 mins
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Table of Contents

Why One-Size-Fits-All Doesn’t Work Anymore

We know that today’s workplace wellbeing programs can’t be a one-size-fits-all kind of program, because every single employee has very different needs, so each program has to be personalized, else it’s not going to be effective. This is especially important in today’s day and age, when Gen Z is entering the workforce and taking up more and more positions, becoming the more dominant generation in the workplace. And by now, we know that Gen Z’s needs and wants are quite different from what typical programs and systems are used to. Generally, what we’re seeing is that Gen Z is bolder and more upfront about their problems, and they have a specific, different set of problems. It’s generally very different from what people have been used to up until now.

So, is this true when it comes to workplace wellbeing programs themselves? That’s what we’re going to explore in this blog, via a conversation with Samantha, a Wellness Program Manager on this very topic. You can check out the entire discussion below:

Where Wellness Programs Go Wrong

First, let’s talk about the existing problems or gaps in workplace wellbeing programs, specifically for Gen Z. I asked Samantha this question, and she came up with a story about two clients.

One client rolled out a wellness program in the same week that layoffs were actively happening. That came across as tone-deaf and was bound to be perceived very badly, especially by Gen Z, who are much more sensitive to issues like these.

For another client, they were a bit better, in the sense that they offered wellness benefits in the form of stipends to their employees.

But then, in the fine print, it turned out that therapy sessions weren’t included.

This was perceived poorly by the Gen Z population in that company, as they tend to be very focused on benefits like therapy, mental health and mindfulness, and so they expect this from wellness programs as well.

Gaps like this are what let a program down in the long run, because on paper, it looks great, you’ve rolled out a wellness program and all that, but in reality, no one’s really using it, because you’re not satisfying what Gen Z, the majority workforce, is specifically looking for. So, it’s not going to work.

Is Gen Z Really Different, or Is It Just HR Complaining?

After reading the previous section, the natural question arises: is Gen Z’s workplace wellbeing expectations actually different, or is this just HR always complaining about the youngest person in the room?

What I found out from Samantha is that yes, Gen Z’s needs are quite different, and it shows up in the form of questions they ask even before onboarding or hiring: things like “what’s your EAP utilization like?” Or “Are mental health sessions included in your benefits package?”. These are actual deal-breaker questions for the newer generation, because they expect these benefits and features before they even join a company. And if a company doesn’t have it, they’re quite happy to walk away and look elsewhere. This is a very different scenario, especially when compared to older generations, who are more reserved: they wouldn’t ask these kinds of questions in interviews until the very last round, once the offer was basically finalized, or maybe just a meek question about benefits here and there.

By looking at scenarios like this, we can really understand that addressing the upcoming and current generation’s needs iare becoming increasingly important. It’s not just HR complaining; it’s a real demand that needs to be addressed, especially in the workplace wellbeing industry. So yes, Gen Z’s needs are quite different, and we need to cater to that through workplace wellbeing programs built around them.

The Gap Between Promise and Delivery

The fact is that companies are aware of these issues, and they’re trying to put out programs to cater to Gen Z’s primary needs. Let’s take mental health as an example. Companies always promise they’re putting out mental health programs, but what’s the actual gap between what they’re promising and what they’re delivering? That’s another thing Samantha cleared up for us, and what we learned was quite interesting.

The gaps never really show up on paper, or in the policy itself: the policy is usually really well designed and well thought out, in Samantha’s experience.

And people do use it; that’s not the actual issue. You’d expect the gap to be in the adoption rates, but that’s not it either.

The real issue is with management and their approach. Say you take a mental health day off, and then your manager texts you in the middle of the day saying, “hey, are you doing okay?” That can go two ways in the view of the employee.

One way: The manager is just checking in.

The other way, which is the one most perceived by employees, is that they feel rushed or policed.

They feel like they’re being reminded that they’re on leave for a mental health day, and that they’re not working. Essentially it makes them feel that their reason for the leave was trivial, which could lead to added stress and burnout.
Beyond that, it signals to the employee that the program is just a policy to keep them happy, while the manager is still watching them and reminding them, which can come across as a bit passive-aggressive.

That’s a gap that still exists, and it can’t be solved by any kind of policy. It has to be addressed by training employees, especially at the management level. There should be sessions or some kind of training procedure to help develop people-skills, understand the evolving wants and needs of the workforce, and adapt accordingly.

What a Good Wellness Program Actually Looks Like

So now the question arises: what does a good wellness program look like that addresses these issues? We asked Samantha the same question, and she gave a really good example of a client who was doing it right, and compared it to another company who had it all wrong.

As mentioned before, the workforce needs to be trained on how to approach these situations, especially with Gen Z. This client adoptd this approach but went a bit further, was incredibly proactive, and trained their entire workforce on general people-skills aimed at eliminating burnout situations, rather than just putting out a meditation app after the fact that someone’s already burnt out. Proactive decision-making and proactive approaches are the way to cater to Gen Z’s workplace wellness wants and needs.

On the flip side, she also compared it with another client that had a not-very-useful workplace wellbeing program, where it was more just for the PR and for the books, not really for the employees. This program just had a smoothie bar and a massage therapist and other similar benefits, just on paper, as an added convenience, not really a need or want.

None of the employees actually wanted that. It was just a PR thing.

That’s basically what sets bad programs apart from actual useful, good programs that show results. It’s also visible in the sense that employees stop leaving the company: there’s more retention, less burnout, less stress overall, and overall efficiency and output increase. So that’s what a good wellness program can do, that one built just for PR cannot.

What to Throw Away, What to Build Instead

Keeping all these factors in mind, we asked Samantha to design a wellness program around Gen Z’s wants and needs. What would she throw away first? What would she keep? And what would she replace, rather than just throw away? She gave us an interesting answer, with lots of stuff to think about.

The thing she’d throw away is anonymous surveys.

While these surveys look good on paper and have good intentions, the trust factor is just not there, as she put it. Employees feel hesitant to use them; they’re not sure if it’s really anonymous or not, whether it’ll affect their employment, or whether their health data is getting tracked. It’s just not trustworthy to them.

Parallel to this, there are EAP hotlines, which some companies have. These are meant to help employees: you call a number and you can talk to someone about your issues. But again, employees aren’t going to be very comfortable talking to a stranger about their mental health issues. So it really defeats the purpose, both of these things.

To replace this, what she would add are low-friction surveys into existing tools used by the employees.

These surveys would only take 30 seconds and understand the real issues that the workforce is facing on a regular basis. She would also build this into manager training, so that it carries over to the entire team under that manager and spreads to teh entirety of the workforce in that manner. This manager-training piece is important, because if you can get management to understand this and implement it in their day-to-day communication and work, only then does it actually become beneficial for employees. You can provide all the benefits in the world to employees, but if management isn’t supportive of it, it defeats the entire purpose, and it’s really not that useful at all, except for PR.

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The Bottom Line

So, to sum it all up: to build a program around Gen Z’s needs, you need transparency, you need trust, you need management training, and most of all, you need effective communication to put it all together, cater to what they’re asking for, and ensure your company doesn’t suffer from too much turnover, low retention, or stress.

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