A new survey from WebMD Health Services reveals that U.S. employee wellbeing has deteriorated significantly over the past two years, with financial health remaining the most stubborn challenge. The study, which polled nearly 4,000 full-time workers, found that the share reporting high wellbeing fell 11% between 2022 and 2024, while the proportion describing low wellbeing jumped 39%, leaving more than one in four employees in that category.
Among the five dimensions tracked—physical, mental, work, social, and financial health—financial wellbeing ranked last, with fewer than half of respondents (45.5%) rating it as strong. The other non-physical dimensions deteriorated at three to four times the rate of physical health over the same period. “Physical health programs have long been the foundation of organizational well-being strategies, and their relative stability suggests those investments are holding,” said Erin Seaverson, senior director of the Center for Research at WebMD Health Services. “But the sharper decline in mental, work, social and financial well-being shows that today’s pressures extend beyond what physical health programs alone can address.”
The survey also uncovered a pronounced divide in how workers experience their jobs depending on their position in the organizational hierarchy. Only 12% of individual contributors described themselves as highly engaged, compared with 37% of senior leaders. Wellbeing scores followed a similar pattern, with senior leaders reporting strong wellbeing at nearly three times the rate of frontline employees. Middle managers, tasked with bridging leadership and the workforce, are absorbing a disproportionate share of the strain. Their burnout rates are more than three times those of individual contributors, even as their engagement and wellbeing scores remain comparatively modest.
“Every employee deserves to feel engaged, valued and well at work. But these gaps show that one-size-fits-all approaches are no longer enough,” Seaverson said. “Organizations need well-being strategies that reflect the different realities employees experience at every level.”
Artificial intelligence in the workplace emerged as another dimension of the picture. Eight in ten employees now use AI tools at work, and daily users are far more likely to report feeling productive as a result. However, employees who strongly agree that AI makes them more effective are 4.5 times more likely to face burnout than those who are neutral or disagree. This finding echoes recent research from BNY Wealth, which found that 96% of ultra-high-net-worth investors use AI weekly, but advisors remain a key human check.
The survey also identifies trust as a central lever for both wellbeing and engagement. Employees who trust their organization highly are 27 times more likely to be highly engaged than those with low trust, a gap the report frames as far more than incremental. For financial advisors, these findings underscore the importance of addressing clients’ financial stress, which can spill over into other areas of life. A separate survey from Corebridge found that 56% of retirees fear outliving their savings more than dying with money left over, highlighting the persistent anxiety around financial security.
As employers grapple with these trends, the data suggests that targeted interventions—particularly around financial health and trust-building—may yield the greatest returns. The report’s authors recommend that organizations move beyond generic wellness programs and adopt strategies tailored to the specific needs of different employee segments, from frontline workers to senior leaders.
