Workplace Wellbeing Plans in 2025

As we enter 2025, it's imperative for HR and wellbeing leaders to craft dynamic strategies that resonate with the evolving needs of the workforce. Wellbeing remains a top priority, and aligning your initiatives with the latest trends and resources is essential. Here's how you can elevate your workplace wellbeing programmes in the coming year.

1. Advanced Education for Leaders

• Postgraduate Certificate in Workplace Wellness: In September 2025, a new cohort will commence this Level 9 programme at Trinity College Dublin. Applications are anticipated to open in spring 2025. Given the programme's popularity, please ensure you're subscribed to the Work Well Weekly mailing list to receive timely updates.

• 8 Steps to Embed a Culture of Health: For a flexible, online alternative, this programme offers an evidence-based framework for developing sustainable workplace wellbeing initiatives. It's the same framework that underpins the postgraduate certificate at Trinity, providing comprehensive insights at your own pace.

• Sustainable Workplace Wellbeing workshop: This workshop is designed to introduce senior leaders to the 8 Step Framework for developing, implementing and sustaining a wellbeing programme at their workplace, providing an overview of the evidence from effective and successful programmes.

• Dedicated Line Manager Training: Wellbeing often fails at line manager level. We will work with you to develop a bespoke wellbeing training programme for managers at your workplace so they can align with the organisation’s vision AND support the wellbeing of their team. Click here to find out more.

2. Empowering Champion Networks

• Wellbeing Champion Training: Wellbeing should be a shared value across the organisation, not something that is owned by one person or team. A team of wellbeing champions can support wellbeing leader(s) embed a culture of health through programme development, communication, organisation and feedback. The training is customisable to suit organisations at various stages of their wellbeing journey, whether you're initiating a programme or revitalising an existing team.

• Mental Health Champions: Equip your team to support colleagues facing mental health challenges. Mental Health First Aid Ireland offers a comprehensive two-day training program designed to build confidence and skills in this critical area.

• Menopause Champions: Ensure ongoing relevance of menopause initiatives by empowering colleagues through specialised training. Catherine O’Keeffe, known as the Wellness Warrior, provides expertise in this domain.

3. Engaging Workshops and Resources for All Employees

• Interactive Workshops: Beyond traditional sessions, explore workshops like 'The 5 Ways to Wellbeing,' 'Positive Mental Health Conversations,' and 'Physical Activity Goal-Setting.' These sessions are designed to be engaging and can be tailored to meet specific organisational needs, ensuring relevance and impact.

• The Work Well Podcast: Stay informed with insights from industry leaders discussing the future of workplace wellbeing. For example, listen in to Professor Sir Cary Cooper discussing the evolution of workplace wellbeing and TD Emer Currie on policies supporting healthy work environments. These discussions provide actionable strategies to enhance your initiatives. See below if you’d like to sponsor the podcast.

• Work Well Webinars: Access a rich archive of webinars on our YouTube channel covering diverse topics in workplace wellness. A recent webinar providing an overview of Career Opportunities in Workplace Wellbeing could be a good place to start.

4. Financial Wellbeing Initiatives

• Comprehensive Resources: You’ll find details of all the financial wellbeing options available to you and your colleagues in this Work Well Webinar. This includes organisations I have worked with and highly recommend including Employee Financial Wellness, Jim and the team at Eolas Money and Anne-Marie at Money Coaching Ireland.

5. Live Events and Networking Opportunities

• Workplace Wellbeing Ireland Events: Workplace Wellbeing Ireland will host a series of live and in-person events across 2025 at leading Dublin and regional workplaces. At previous events we discussed Domestic Abuse Policies in Irish Workplaces at Grant Thornton and we spoke about What Judgment Feels Like at the NTMA. Could your workplace host a Work Well Live event in 2025?

6. Sponsorship Opportunities

Would you like to position your brand at the heart of Ireland's largest and most engaged workplace wellbeing community? Find out more below and in our 2025 Partnership Prospectus.

• Work Well Live Events & Webinars
  As you saw above, we’re bringing you a series of impactful in-person events at top workplaces in Dublin and across the regions as well as a series of live webinars.

  - Webinars: One-hour sessions packed with insights.

  - In-Person Events: Two-hour themed gatherings featuring expert panelists, Q&A sessions, networking opportunities, and exhibitor spaces.

• Work Well Weekly Newsletter
  Stay ahead of the curve with Work Well Weekly, Ireland’s go-to digest for workplace wellbeing news and trends. Delivered to over 4,250 engaged HR leaders and wellbeing champions, our newsletter consistently achieves a 50%+ open rate.

• The Work Well Podcast
  Season 6 of The Work Well Podcast is coming! This leading show features thought-provoking conversations with workplace wellbeing experts, available on Spotify, Apple, Google, and YouTube. We’re seeking a partner to co-create the next season and drive workplace wellbeing conversations further.

Download the 2025 Partnership Prospectus.

7. Physical Wellbeing

• parkHIIT @ Work
  parkHIIT is a social enterprise with a vision to advance physical, mental and social wellbeing for people of all ages and backgrounds by promoting the importance of resistance exercise in community based public spaces. We also offer midweek workouts for organisations that want to support the physical wellbeing of their colleagues. If you'd like to support a social enterprise while at the same time supporting the physical wellbeing of your colleagues then check out parkHIIT @ Work. 

• Gym Management

• If you’re in the lucky position of having a gym onsite at your workplace then you want to have the best people in the business managing that gym. That’s Fitvision. If you’d like an introduction to Mark the CEO then drop me a line.

8. Nutrition Ideas

Feeding Your Potential
Fuel your body for work and play. 'Feeding Your Potential' is a Workplace Wellbeing Nutrition Course that empowers colleagues to make healthier choices with the tools and the knowledge to do so.

• Book a live healthy cooking demo or sign up to a 6 week perimenopause cooking programme with Fiona’s Food for Life

• Podcast: How Nutrition Can Enable High-Performance with Kate McDaid

• Fruit Partner: Fresh fruit and snack packs delivered weekly by The Fruit People

• Revolutionise your workplace canteen with Food Choice at Work’s scientifically proven programme that integrates environmental re-engineering and detailed nutrition education. If you’d like an introduction to Fiona the CEO then drop me a line.

9. Online Programmes

Self-Care for Working Parents
On this course, Clinical Psychologist Dr. Malie Coyne supports working parents to balance the many demands placed on them by helping them to cultivate compassion for themselves and their children, whilst creating a healthy work-life balance which truly aligns with their values.

Managing Stress at Work to Improve Wellbeing
We can achieve well-being within our work and personal lives if we are equipped with sufficient resources to balance against the daily demands we face. In this evidence-based module, underpinned by the Job Demands Resources Model and Conservation of Resources theory, Dr. Jennifer Hynes explores the psychological, social, physical and financial drivers of well-being in life. 

How to Boost Energy, Increase Productivity and Eliminate Procrastination
Just like an athlete, or any leading performer, if you want to win the day, it’s critical that you start on the right foot. That’s why morning routines are so important. They prime you for the day ahead, motivating you, energising you, and helping you to take positive action as you go about your day. Join Brian Pennie as he highlights key techniques including gratitude, visualisation, affirmations and mindfulness to demonstrate how routines don't have to take time, they make time. 

Thank You 

I'm sure you have a lot going on at present so thanks very much for reading all the way to the end of this article. By integrating these advanced resources and programmes into your 2025 planning, you position your organisation at the forefront of employee wellbeing, fostering a thriving and engaged workforce ready to meet the challenges of the future.

I have never been more excited by the positively changing landscape and the opportunities that are out there in this space and will continue to do all I can through Workplace Wellbeing Ireland and the Work Well Community to promote wellbeing in our workplaces throughout 2025.

Yours in health,
Brian

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brian Crooke is a wellbeing educator, speaker and adviser, empowering Irish organisations to promote and sustain wellbeing within their workplaces.

He is the founder of The Work Well Institute and the Workplace Wellbeing Ireland community and is Course Director of the Postgraduate Certificate in Workplace Wellness at Tangent, Trinity College Dublin. He is the host of The Work Well Podcast.

In his spare time, Brian is bringing free resistance training to every county and community in Ireland through his parkHIIT social enterprise.

THE WORK WELL COMMUNITY

The Work Well Institute - Our online education hub.

Our Workshops - Bespoke and tailored options available.

The Work Well Forum - Our private LinkedIn group.

The Work Well Podcast - Conversations with thought leaders.

The Work Well Webinars - Our back catalogue of live panel discussions and expert led presentations.

Our Services - Talks, workshops and bespoke programmes. 

The Work Well Newsletter - community news and updates. 

parkHIIT @ Work - Tailored resistance training workouts: online or on site.