Search

What employees need to stay resilient

Women meditating on a pillow

Employees made one thing clear in our recent survey: well-being programs matter, and resiliency grows even stronger when those programs are supported by the right workplace conditions. 

More than 55% of employees say employer-provided resources help improve their resiliency. At the same time, they also identified several core conditions that enable them to rest, recover, and stay strong. 

What employees say would improve their resiliency most

Employees pointed to three structural supports, not as replacements for well-being programs, but as the conditions that make those programs even more effective: 

  1. More paid time off / vacation days (41%) 
  2. Better work/life balance policies (37%) 
  3. More flexible work arrangements (31%) 

These give employees the time and space they need to use their well-being resources, prevent overload, and rebuild their capacity to bounce back. 

What’s currently undermining employee resiliency?

Employees shared that their ability to recover is regularly impacted by: 

  • Stress or anxiety 72%
  • Sleep problems or fatigue 60%
  • Difficulty relaxing 49%
  • Low job satisfaction 44%

These challenges don’t just affect how employees feel, they limit performance, focus, adaptability, and long-term engagement. 

And while well-being programs are effective, fewer than 43% of employees actually expect their employer to help with resiliency. 

This expectation gap creates a powerful opportunity for employers to step up in a way that employees genuinely appreciate. 

What this means for employers

Employees don’t expect employers to solve everything, but they do look for work environments that help them recover from life’s challenges and maintain resiliency. 

That includes: 

  • Clear and consistent communication 
  • Supportive managers who check in after high-stress periods 
  • Accessible and flexible leave 
  • Time and space to rest 
  • Autonomy to reset and manage their workload 

When benefits + workplace conditions work together, well-being stabilizes and resiliency grows, which strengthens performance, engagement, and retention. 

Key takeaways for employers

  1. Continue to listen and respond. Employees will tell you exactly what they need. 
  2. Build resiliency into workplace policies, not just programs alone. 
  3. Review PTO, flexibility, and work/life balance policies as expectations evolve. 
  4. Treat resiliency as essential to performance and retention and enable it through a combination of the right resources and the right workplace support. 

Source: New York Life Group Benefit Solutions survey conducted by Morning Consult between November 21 – December 3, 2025 among a sample of 2002 U.S. employees and 400 employers in the private sector or government. The interviews were conducted online and the data was weighted to approximate a target sample based on gender. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

© 2026, New York Life Insurance Company, New York, NY. All rights reserved. NEW YORK LIFE and the New York Life box logo are registered trademarks of New York Life Insurance Company.

New York Life Group Benefit Solutions products and services are provided by Life Insurance Company of North America, New York Life Group Insurance Company of NY, and New York Life Insurance and Annuity Corporation, subsidiaries of New York Life Insurance Company. Life Insurance Company of North America is not authorized in NY and does not conduct business in NY.

SMRU 8713363 Exp. 1/15/2029