Social Connectedness and Community Well-being

Showcasing the findings on employers’ approach to social connectedness and community in their well-being programs from the 2025 Employer Well-being Strategy Survey.

icon_featured_hand

May 20, 2025

This inaugural survey focused on the current and future state of employer well-being programs

Key Takeaways

  • Two additional well-being dimensions—social connectedness and community—are part of three-quarters of employers’ multi-dimensional well-being strategies.
  • Relative to other well-being areas, community and social connectedness are less likely to be ranked as the most important well-being dimensions. Still, data findings reveal growing consideration and inclusion of these areas for 2026.
  • Many employers are offering a wide range of initiatives to support community and social connectedness.

Social Connectedness and Community Well-being Key to Personal Well-being

Employers are increasingly recognizing the importance of including social connection and community involvement as part of a holistic well-being strategy. In 2025, 84% of employers will include social connectedness in their strategy (Figure 5.1). Additionally, 76% of employers will provide opportunities to engage in community well-being (Figure 5.3). While growth for social connectedness has been slow, more employers are considering adding community to their well-being strategy in 2026.

Figure 5.1: Social Connectedness by the Numbers, 2025 
Figure 5.1: Social Connectedness by the Numbers, 2025

A Wide Range of Social Connectedness Initiatives Offered

Employers around the world offer a variety of initiatives to foster social connection between colleagues, even at times on a global scale. As illustrated in Figure 5.2, some of the most common programs in place in 2025 include get-togethers, employee resource groups (ERGs)/affinity groups, peer coaching or mentoring and team-building exercises. Although not as common, nearly half of employers will design opportunities to combat loneliness and isolation, an approach that could be helpful in addressing the well-being of remote workers. While these programs address a global vulnerability in many workplaces, only 21% of employers believe that employees are highly engaged in social connectedness offerings.

The most powerful way we can get people to engage with our mental health and well-being benefits is through our ERG’s peer-to-peer events and Slack channels. The organic interaction within an ERG normalizes mental health and creates trust for the benefit, which is very effective at increasing engagement.


Siska Treacy, Intuit

Figure 5.2: Employers’ Social Connectedness Initiatives, 2025 
Figure 5.2: Employers’ Social Connectedness Initiatives, 2025
Figure 5.3: Community Initiatives by the Numbers, 2025 
Figure 5.3: Community Initiatives by the Numbers, 2025

Community Service Events a Common Offering Globally

In 2025, almost all employers have a community service program/volunteer event offering in place. About three in four employers provide time off for employees to volunteer in the community, and 52% go so far as to provide incentives for volunteering (Figure 5.4). However, despite this widespread offering, only a quarter of employers find that employees are highly engaged in community initiatives.

Figure 5.4: Employers' Community Initiatives, 2025 
Figure 5.4: Employers' Community Initiatives, 2025

More Topics

Resource icon_right_chevron_dark Community & Social Connectedness icon_right_chevron_dark Social Determinants of Health icon_right_chevron_dark Culture & Strategy icon_right_chevron_dark
More in Data Insights