Workplace Wellbeing That Works: From programmes to practices that make a difference.

It’s Stress Awareness Week, and it’s a good moment to pause and ask: Are workplace wellness initiatives creating the change we expect and offering the support our employees need?

Many organisations invest in wellbeing programmes with the best intentions: gym memberships, meditation apps, wellness challenges, healthy snacks, and even on-site psychotherapy services. Behind these initiatives are people who care deeply and work hard to make a difference. Their dedication is real, and their goal is meaningful impact.

Are workplace wellness initiatives creating the change we expect and offering the support our employees need?

Yet, despite these efforts, many employees continue to experience stress, burnout, and disconnection.

The issue isn’t that people don’t care about their wellbeing. It’s that most initiatives focus on the symptoms instead of the source.

While psychotherapy can be a valuable part of overall wellbeing support, in my experience it is often not as effective in workplace settings because:

1. People usually seek psychotherapy when stress or burnout has already reached a critical point.

2. Many prefer to access these services privately, outside the workplace.

3. In some organisations, stigma or confidentiality concerns still make employees hesitant to engage.

Where Traditional Wellness Falls Short

• Solutions stay on the surface, addressing symptoms and habits but not systemic or embodied stress.

• Workplace Wellness can become another box to tick, another KPI to meet.

• The body’s role in stress is often ignored, with programmes centred on mental strategies alone.

• One-size-fits-all approaches overlook the personal context: trauma, nervous system states, and lived experience.

What Research Shows

Chronic workplace stress is held in the body as much as in the mind. When the nervous system is dysregulated, no app or challenge can restore balance. Sustainable wellbeing requires attention to how people’s nervous systems respond to the environments they work in... and we each have our own context.

What Can Help

Change is possible when we begin to address the root causes of stress and design support that meets people where they are.

• Trauma-Informed Approaches: Recognise that stress is not only about pressure, but about how the body reacts to it based on an individuals lived experience.

• Body-Based Practices: Somatic techniques, breathwork, stretching and movement help people regulate stress in real time.

• Psychological Safety: Wellbeing grows in spaces where people feel safe enough to express their needs, ask for help, rest and recover.

• Leadership Engagement: Culture shifts when leaders are emotionally literate,  model healthy boundaries and sustainable practices.

• Tailored Support: Different nervous systems need different kinds of care.

How SETUKA Supports Organisations

At SETUKA, we go beyond generic wellness initiatives to help individuals and teams find their calm and centre within the demanding realities of their work. Our trauma-informed approach meets people where they are, helping them build self-awareness, gain emotional literacy, regulate stress, and connect to a steadier sense of wellbeing even in high-pressure environments. Our motto is:

Self-care is not about escaping the mission, it’s about staying resourced within it.

Through workshops, practical somatic tools, and immersive experiences, we support teams and leaders to:

• Understand their stress responses

• Build nervous system resilience

• Develop emotional literacy

• Learn healthy boundary-setting practices (not too rigid, not too fluid)

• Strengthen culture from the inside out

If you are passionate about helping your teams or organisation build a culture of self-care that supports meaningful contribution in both professional and personal spheres, we would love to connect and discuss how we might collaborate.

📩 Get in touch to explore trauma-informed workshops, keynotes, or wellbeing experiences for your team.

What has your experience been with workplace wellness? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

If this post resonated with you, feel free to share it with someone who might benefit too. And if you’d like to keep exploring themes like emotional wellbeing, transitions, and conscious self-leadership, I invite you to subscribe to the blog and join the SETUKA newsletter. You’ll receive occasional updates on upcoming workshops, fresh insights, and practical tools to support you, both personally and professionally, on your journey of growth and self-care.

Thank you for being part of the SETUKA community. Let’s stay in touch, and until then, take gentle care.

Heidi Kempeneer,

Therapist and Founder of SETUKA , a platform for body-based therapies and well-being services for individuals and organisations.

Find out more about me and what I do.