Report: Employee well-being efforts require broader corporate leadership beyond HR

Efforts to improve employee well-being within organizations require a broader scope of responsibility than typically handled by Human Resources departments, according to a new analysis in Fast Company. The report contends that HR alone cannot successfully advance employee well-being; it necessitates commitment and ownership from all levels of leadership, including the C-suite.

Historically, companies have delegated the responsibility for the employee experience to HR, which has been tasked with collecting and analyzing feedback. However, key drivers of employee engagement—such as workloads, supportive leadership, flexibility, and job security—reside within the core business operations, not solely within HR's purview. This has resulted in a situation where, despite HR's involvement, fundamental issues often remain unaddressed.

The analysis also highlights the inherent conflict in HR's role: expected to advocate for employees while simultaneously executing top-down decisions like layoffs and organizational changes. This dual mandate can erode employee trust in HR. Supporting this, Leapsome's 2026 Workforce Trends Report indicates that while 81% of HR leaders believe they effectively advocate for employees, only 54% of individual contributors fully trust HR to do so.

For employee well-being to become a systematically managed aspect of business, responsibility must extend beyond HR. This accountability should be owned by top leadership, managers must be held responsible, and continuous feedback channels for employees are essential, coupled with consequences for failures. Without these integrated elements, well-being risks remaining merely a talking point.

Ultimately, top leadership must assume ownership of the company's employee well-being strategy. This could be formalized through a Chief Well-Being Officer role, which must be a genuine C-suite position with direct access to the CEO. Furthermore, the report advocates for continuous, short, and targeted employee feedback mechanisms over traditional annual surveys to enable prompt identification and resolution of issues.