The foundations of workplace well-being: Part two of four
Key takeaways
- Employees can’t use well-being support they don’t know exists. Making programs and resources visible and easy to understand is an important first step toward increasing participation.
- Regular communication can make well-being support easier to trust and access. When leaders talk about well-being consistently, it can help normalize these conversations and remind employees where they can turn for support.
- Well-being support needs to feel relevant to the individual. Helping employees understand which resources are available and how they relate to their own circumstances can make it easier to find the right support at the right time.
- Measuring awareness can help organizations understand what’s working. Looking at participation and awareness can show where employees are engaging, where gaps remain and where additional support may be needed.
According to the Q4 2025 TELUS Mental Health Index (MHI), 36 percent of workers in the US say their employer doesn’t offer an employee assistance program (EAP). A further 27 percent are unsure.
To compound matters, the Q1 2026 MHI also found that 11 percent of workers in the U.S. believe the biggest barrier preventing them from getting mental health support is not knowing where to get help.
In many organizations, the challenge with well-being programs isn’t necessarily a lack of tools or resources. Instead, it’s that employees don’t always know what support is available or how resources connect to their own needs. Without this awareness, even thoughtfully designed well-being strategies struggle to gain traction.
Across the TELUS ecosystem — which encompasses TELUS Health, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods, and TELUS Digital — organizational awareness is treated as a critical enabler of well-being participation. By making well-being visible and relevant, it becomes something individuals can engage with and, better, can tailor to their individual well-being journeys.
In this article, we explore why consistent communication and awareness are the true starting points for driving engagement and turning well-being into a lived experience.
Well-being is personal, but it requires a shared understanding
Well-being is inherently personal, and what supports one person may be irrelevant to another depending on their role, life stage, health or personal circumstances. Yet for people to engage in well-being initiatives, organizations must put in place a common language to help individuals make sense of what support is available to them.
This is where organizational awareness comes in. When well-being tools and resources are visible and easy to access, they can help normalize mental health conversations at work. It can also make it easier for people to identify and access support that could be helpful for them depending on where they are on their own well-being journey, whether they’re feeling well, struggling or feeling unwell.
Creating awareness through leadership communication and consistency
How leaders talk about well-being and whether it shows up consistently in everyday conversations sends signals that well-being support can be trusted. More importantly, when awareness increases, so does engagement, and this has a positive impact on overall mental health. For example, the Q4 2025 MHI found that EAP awareness alone can directly improve the mental health scores of employees in the U.S.
“We know that employees who engage with EAPs report improvements in mental health symptoms and well-being,” explains Luc Bourgeois, Director of client development and head communication & change management solutions at TELUS Health. “Even small increases in utilization can meaningfully lift mental health outcomes across an organization over time.”
To make well-being more visible through leadership, senior leaders can incorporate it into everyday communications and conversations. For example, sharing authentic video messages modeling work-life integration, like recording their annual team updates while walking outdoors. This consistency matters, and repeated and recognizable cues help to build confidence in the support available.
Using awareness as a measurable driver of well-being outcomes
“Measurement is one of the cornerstones of our well-being strategy. We use data every single day to learn more about the health risks of the organization, to make informed decisions about what we’re trying to accomplish, and where we need to focus our attention.”
- Sandy McIntosh, TELUS Health’s Chief human resources officer (CHRO)
TELUS diligently measures and monitors organizational awareness as a signal of whether well-being support is actually reaching its people. These insights not only help the organization tailor its approach to well-being, it also creates a consistent feedback loop between leadership teams and team members.
Trends in participation, for example, help TELUS leaders identify where awareness is strong, where gaps remain and which groups may need more targeted support. This ensures well-being support is relevant, evidence-based and has the organizational backing to create meaningful impact.
Awareness turns well-being strategy into action
In moments of uncertainty, knowing where to find reliable well-being support makes all the difference. “Whether it’s performance, compensation or time-off messaging, consistent reminders help well-being support seep into culture,” explains Luc. “That repetition builds trust and makes support feel real and accessible.”
Ultimately, employees are far more likely to engage when they understand what well-being means, what support is available and how it applies to them.
The TELUS well-being blueprint
Explore the TELUS well-being case study and learn how the organization is redesigning work to better support people where it matters most.
Download nowFrequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about building awareness of workplace well-being programs and helping employees understand and access the support available to them.
Why is awareness important for workplace well-being programs?
Building awareness helps employees understand what support is available, how different resources can support their individual needs and where to turn when they need help. Over time, consistent communication can also help normalize conversations about well-being and make accessing support feel like a natural part of the employee experience.
How can organizations increase awareness of well-being support?
Organizations can regularly communicate about available resources across different workplace channels and make information easy to find. Leaders can also reinforce these messages through everyday conversations and communications.
What role do leaders play in increasing well-being awareness?
Leaders can help make well-being more visible by talking about it openly and consistently. When employees regularly hear about well-being from leadership, it can help reinforce that accessing support is a normal and supported part of the workplace.
Can greater awareness increase participation in well-being programs?
Yes. Employees who understand what resources are available and how those resources relate to their needs may be more likely to use them. The Mental Health Index also found that awareness of an EAP is associated with a four-point improvement in mental health scores.
How can organizations measure awareness of well-being programs?
Organizations can look at measures such as employee awareness, program participation and utilization trends. These insights can help identify where awareness is strong, where gaps exist and which groups may benefit from more targeted communication.
This is part two in our series on the foundations of workplace well-being. See the rest of the articles (part one, part three and part four) for more.
