Employees rank mental health days as the best resource to manage stress and anxiety, but nearly two-thirds leave vacation time on the table signaling a need for tools to recover
Dallas, TX, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A recent survey by Wondr Health, the trusted leader in digital weight management solutions for businesses, polled nearly 2,000 employees to uncover which resources have the biggest impact on mental health management. The results highlight the difference in employee preferences vs. workplace realities for stress management and sheds light on how employers can bridge this gap.
Respondents reported that time off or mental health days (21.5%) are the most effective resource to reduce stress and anxiety. But a separate survey found that 62% of U.S. workers do not take advantage of all their allotted vacation days—letting roughly one-third of it go to waste. Not utilizing this PTO has a significant impact on employees—leading to increased stress, higher risk of depression and physical health issues, and decreased productivity.
“The most common reasons we see for people skipping PTO include things like internalized pressure, heavy workloads and organizational culture. Time poverty is a big driver of burnout and overall diminished health and life/work satisfaction,” said Tim Church, MD, MPH, PHD, Chief Medical Officer, Wondr Health. “The findings show how important time off and flexibility are and signal that employers need to honestly evaluate how their current culture and policies may be impacting PTO hesitancy, burnout and subsequent impacts on health and wellness.”
Employees ranked flexible work hours and remote options as the second most important resource for stress management—underscoring the value of balance. Physical activity and emotional well-being resources also ranked high, suggesting a strong demand for holistic behavioral and lifestyle change support.
Most important mental health resources according to employees:
- Time off or mental health days – 21.5%
- Flexible work hours or remote work options – 15.4%
- Support for physical activity – 14.3%
- Emotional well-being content – 13.3%
- Live and on-demand mindfulness sessions – 9.8%
- Resources to improve sleep – 9.7%
- Access to health coaching – 7.3%
- A supportive manager – 6%
- An online support community – 2.5%
Church continued, “Even if your employees are utilizing their PTO, they may not be able to fully unplug and get the most out of their vacation. Burnout is a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach to resolve. But what really drives long-term mental and physical health is always rooted in behavior change. To be ahead of the curve, employers should focus on crafting a wellness strategy firmly rooted in behavioral science to truly help employees build the skills they need to reclaim their time and navigate stress to boost overall health and productivity.”
To learn more, visit www.wondrhealth.com
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ABOUT WONDR HEALTH
Wondr Health improves access to digital, evidence-based behavioral and lifestyle interventions, expert nutrition services, and tailored medication management for full-spectrum weight and obesity care. Born in the benefits space in 2007, Wondr Health starts with behavior change to treat the root cause of 200+ high-cost chronic health conditions, to improve health outcomes and quality of life, and to prevent and reduce health-care costs. Powered by data-driven engagement expertise and personalized programming, and supported by expert content, coaches and clinicians, Wondr Health solutions help everyone achieve long-term weight loss, improve movement, reduce stress and anxiety, build healthy eating habits, get better sleep, and more. For more information, visit www.wondrhealth.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Innsena for Wondr Health
Trent Freeman
wondr@innsena.com
CONTACT: Nora Dudley Wondr Health 7733305540 ndudley@wondrhealth.com
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