Fix the work, not just the worker: rethinking workplace wellbeing

What are organisations still getting wrong about people?

Erika points to our broader obsession with “maxxing” every aspect of life.

“Of course, businesses need to optimise to survive, but I think one thing we sometimes forget is that many of our workplaces were built around systems designed to maximise efficiency, not necessarily human flourishing. 

Those systems have served us well in many ways, but the reality is that people aren’t machines. Can we expect endless productivity from people without considering the conditions that people actually need to perform sustainably?”

For Erika, that means paying more attention to what actually drives people.

“People are motivated by factors such as purpose, belonging, autonomy and growth. When work is designed in a way that can support those needs, wellbeing and performance are often mutually reinforcing rather than competing priorities.”

What makes people want to be together in the workplace?

As organisations try to ‘earn the commute’, Erika says one of the strongest reasons for sharing a physical workplace is connection.

“Work remains one of the primary places where adults form friendships and social relationships, and these relationships play an important role in our wellbeing.”

Technology has made remote and flexible work easier, but it hasn’t removed our need for other people.

“We know from robust research that social connection is one of the strongest predictors of health and wellbeing and can help buffer the impact of stressful events.

While technology has enabled greater flexibility, people are still wired for connection, and in-person environments can create opportunities for meaningful relationships to develop that may be harder to replicate online.”

There’s also a collaboration benefit. Erika points to research suggesting that in-person interaction can be particularly valuable for idea generation.

“The researchers suggested that being focused on a screen may narrow our visual and cognitive attention, whereas being physically together can encourage broader thinking and exploration of ideas.”

What’s one workplace problem often mistaken for an individual one?

“Workplace stress,” says Erika. 

“Our Umbrella Wellbeing Assessment data shows that when it comes to stress in the workplace, many organisations invest heavily in initiatives designed to help individuals become more resilient, manage stress better, or improve their coping skills. 

While these supports are valuable and necessary, they can only take us so far if the underlying causes of stress remain unchanged. If people are experiencing excessive workloads, unclear expectations, poor communication or low levels of control over their work, the solution often sits within the design of work itself.”

That means looking not just at how people navigate stress, but at what is creating it in the first place.

“Increasingly, research is showing that lasting improvements in wellbeing come from addressing both individual and organisational factors, rather than expecting people to adapt to unhealthy systems.”

What does it mean to genuinely integrate workplace wellbeing?

There’s a difference between offering wellbeing support and building wellbeing into how work actually gets done.

“Organisations that genuinely embed wellbeing take a more systemic approach. They look more upstream and consider all levels of the system (individuals, teams, leaders, organisation). Rather than focusing only on helping individuals cope, they look at the factors within the workplace that shape wellbeing in the first place.”

That can include the way work is designed, how workloads are managed, the level of autonomy people have, how leaders communicate, how teams support one another, and how decisions are made.

“For example, a supportive organisation might offer resilience training to help people manage stress. An organisation that embeds wellbeing would also ask what is causing that stress in the first place.

Are workloads realistic? Are roles clear? Do people have the resources and support they need to do their jobs well?

Wellbeing becomes part of everyday practices and decisions, from leadership behaviours and team norms through to organisational policies and work design.”

Is poor wellbeing usually about the person or the workplace?

“Our research suggests that it is rarely as simple as one or the other. Personal circumstances, health behaviours and resilience all matter.”

But Erika says workplace conditions can have a bigger influence than many organisations realise.

“Workplace psychosocial factors tend to explain more of the differences we see in people’s wellbeing, psychological distress, and performance than individual factors alone.”

The 2026 Umbrella and Geneva Wellbeing Report draws on survey data from 11,610 working New Zealanders. It found that factors such as high workload, poor change processes and low psychological safety can contribute to poorer wellbeing and reduced performance.

That shifts the question from simply asking how someone can cope better to asking what might need to change about the work itself.

Buro Axon chairs

As work evolves, what do people need most?

AI, hybrid work and digital tools may be changing how work gets done, but Erika says some very basic human needs deserve more attention, not less.

“With all the constant change happening around us, organisations need to pay more attention to our basic psychological needs as humans… the need to belong, the need to feel capable and effective, and the need to have some autonomy and control over how we work.”

What do leaders misunderstand about high-performing teams?

One assumption Erika would challenge is that the best way to build a high-performing team is simply to hire more high performers.

“I was listening to a podcast featuring psychologist Dave Winsborough recently, who is also a friend of mine, and he made a point that really resonated with me. He argued that high-performing teams don’t start with personalities or team-building activities; they start with clarity.

Dave went on to describe high performance as starting with three simple questions: 'What are we here to do? Who are we going to do it with? And how are we going to do it together?' 

I think leaders often underestimate the importance of that shared understanding and vision. The best teams are not necessarily those with the most talented individual performers. They are the ones with clear purpose, clear roles, and confidence and belief that your colleagues will deliver. Trust and performance tend to follow from that foundation.

A sports team is a good analogy. In the NBA, having the five best individual players doesn't necessarily create the best team. Success comes from everyone being clear on the game plan, understanding their role and executing consistently together.”

How are you helping organisations at the moment?

“For organisations who truly want to create healthier workplaces, the topics I’m most passionate about are effective psychosocial risk management, work design, organisational psychology, and the practical application of systems thinking.

At its core, these areas focus on fixing the work, not just the worker, and they take a whole-of-systems approach to address the factors that shape people’s lived experiences in the workplace that can then have a flow-on effect onto their health, wellbeing, and performance.”

You can follow Erika’s work through the Umbrella Wellbeing blog, connect with her on LinkedIn, YouTube, or explore the range of workplace wellbeing services on the Umbrella website.