Beyond a fruit bowl and free pizza Fridays - good employee well-being

Free fruit bowls are nice. So are Friday beers, beanbags, and birthday cakes. But a lot of organisations have latched onto them as the obvious answer when employees’ morale needs boosting and left it at that.

But if your people are drowning in unrealistic deadlines, dealing with a manager who can’t listen, or quietly panicking about their rent, no amount of free fruit is going to fix that.

These “perks” often serve as a shiny distraction from deeper organisational issues.

How well-being initiatives can be misleading

Just as brands can be accused of “greenwashing” their environmental claims, workplaces can engage in “wellness washing” - marketing themselves as caring and supportive while ignoring systemic issues that harm staff. For example:

• Hosting mindfulness workshops while tolerating a toxic manager.

• Talking about “work-life balance” but measuring commitment by hours logged online.

When well-being perks are used to mask poor workplace culture, they breed cynicism and distrust.

What real workplace wellbeing looks like

If you’re in a leadership role—or even influencing your team’s culture—real wellbeing starts with listening. Ask people:

• What makes your work easier?

• What gets in the way of doing your best work?

• What would help you feel more supported day-to-day?

You’ll likely find that people want:

• Workloads that don’t burn people out

• Leaders who communicate clearly (and often)

• Psychological safety—being able to speak up without it ending badly

• Fair pay and conditions

• Trust and autonomy to do their job without someone breathing down their neck.

Once you have that feedback, look at changes that will make a tangible, long-term difference. That might be:

• adjusting workloads

• developing flexible work policies that are clear and that are adhered to by employers

• clarifying expectations

• developing reasonable base salaries that are not reliant on bonuses or commissions

• investing in leadership training

• developing clear pathways for career development and progression

• creating clearer pathways for feedback and concerns, either in group situations or one-on-one

Then embed those changes in wellbeing policies to ensure each new employee benefits too.

There’s nothing wrong with fruit bowls, fun social events, or free yoga. They can be great ways to build community and show appreciation. But they should be the garnish, not the main meal.

If your workplace offers real flexibility, fair pay, open communication, and respect for boundaries, those extras can genuinely feel like a bonus. Without those foundations? It’s just a banana in a very tired hand.