Briefing | How are organisations promoting wellbeing at work in Ireland?

Strengthening mental health support

According to the CIPD’s HR practices in Ireland 2025 report, more than a third of organisations (36%) said that employee wellbeing has been more challenging over the past year. Just over half (51%) said that wellbeing is increasingly on the agenda of senior leaders in their organisation. And despite this amount being slightly lower than in previous years, it is still significant that over half are addressing it at that level. 

Delving into the specifics, the report found that mental health challenges were a leading cause of absenteeism, affecting 25% of organisations. Meanwhile, 54% are raising their investment in mental health support, with many also addressing a ‘long hours' culture. This suggests employers may be recognising the importance of providing mental health support to maintain a healthy and productive workforce. 

Workload, job design, and job changes are major contributors to mental health issues, with burnout emerging as a significant concern for 29% of organisations. Over half of respondents cited a perceived lack of management support as a factor that contributes to poor mental health.  

From ‘always on' to always supported 

Employers have demonstrated an awareness of how workplace practices can impact mental health, with nearly a quarter of employers (24%) recognising the negative impact of an 'always on' culture. Half of employers said that they do encourage employees to disconnect from work outside of office hours, seeking to promote a healthier work-life balance. This shows how employers are aware that technology use could risk blurring the lines between employees' work and personal lives in a way that can overwhelm them.

Although technology can contribute to an 'always on' culture, it can also provide solutions to overworking and improve wellbeing outcomes. In our research, we found that online wellbeing initiatives are now offered by 56% of organisations.  

Online wellbeing tools, such as mental health apps and virtual wellbeing programmes, provide flexible and convenient access to support. Our research also found that 51% of employers are actively embracing digital resources, showing that online solutions are becoming more of a central part of workplace wellbeing, particularly in remote and hybrid settings. 

Flexible working a key success factor 

Our research also found that flexible and remote working continue to have a positive impact on employee wellbeing, with 78% of organisations agreeing this was the case. Flexible working could be seen as an enabler of human-centred work environments, where employees can meet their responsibilities while balancing personal and professional commitments. 

Embedding wellbeing into workplace culture 

Although more than half of organisations have said that awareness around wellbeing at a senior leadership level has increased, as noted above, this is slightly lower than in previous years. This suggests that there could be an opportunity to integrate wellbeing more deeply into leadership priorities. 

Employee wellbeing should be more than a checkbox and could be woven in as a core value in an organisation. But to achieve this, senior leaders will need to actively participate in role-modelling positive wellbeing behaviours. This remains a challenge as only 21% of respondents reported seeing an increase in senior leaders actively role-modelling wellbeing behaviours, with 20% reporting a decrease.  

If employers wish to embed wellbeing in their organisation, they should make it a part of strategic discussions at all levels and build it into daily operations, with senior leadership driving its integration into the organisational culture. 

Employers and people professionals can learn more about wellbeing approaches at the CIPD in Ireland Wellbeing Conference, which focuses on the measurable impact of wellbeing and explores how employers can embed wellbeing culture into strategy with intent.