Employee Wellbeing in 2025: A Family Matter 

In 2025, one trend is increasingly evident: external pressures—economic, social, geopolitical, environmental—are taking a growing toll on employees’ mental health in the workplace. 

Family life, in particular, is exerting a pronounced influence on employees’ ability to be well at work. 70 percent of working parents are struggling to perform due to challenges related to their child’s wellbeing. 67 percent report feeling burned out, while one in three are considering leaving their jobs—or the workforce altogether—due to mounting stress. 

Thus, what may appear to be a youth mental health crisis dominating the headlines, is, in fact, a broader family wellbeing crisis. When children and adolescents struggle with their emotional or behavioral wellbeing, their parents, guardians, and caregivers suffer, too—and vice versa.  

Addressing this requires a more holistic approach to employee support—one that recognizes the interdependence between work, home, and the external world. As stressors increasingly originate outside the workplace—ranging from family hardships to large-scale disasters—the case for comprehensive, family-inclusive wellbeing support grows stronger. 

By extending care beyond the individual to include children and families, employers can ensure their working parents and caregivers—and, in turn, a significant portion of their workforce—are equipped to manage stress and thrive in today’s VUCA world, both on and off the job. 

The Case for Child and Family Wellbeing Support: What Employers Need to Know 

Across the globe, children and adolescents are facing unprecedented levels of stress, trauma, and emotional disruption. Mental health conditions now affect one in seven young people, with half of all conditions emerging by age 14. 

Global events like the COVID-19 pandemic have only deepened the crisis. In 2021 alone, over 123 million children and teens were diagnosed with mental health conditions, with new research unveiling lasting—or, at least, lingering—effects on their emotional, behavioral, social, and academic wellbeing five years on. 

Despite growing awareness and compelling data, however, access to care remains scant. Up to 80 percent of children in need of support go without. And that’s not for a lack of effort: more than half of working parents (54 percent) have sought professional help for their child’s mental health in recent years, yet often to no avail. 

The organizational consequences of this care gap are significant—and should not be overlooked. The more working parents worry about their child’s wellbeing—as nearly nine in 10 do—the more their own ability to manage stress diminishes. Survey data shows that working parents experience twice the level of stress as their child-free peers—placing them at greater risk of burnout, disengagement, absenteeism, and turnover. 

To avoid such outcomes, employers must recognize that their duty of care extends to any stressors that undermine employee wellbeing—and invest in support for child and family wellbeing.  

Fortunately, that support is within reach: Workplace Options offers a range of services designed to help employees and their families thrive. 

The WPO Child and Family Wellbeing Program: A Holistic, Innovative Approach 

In today’s already fast-changing world, the volatility and complexity of childhood and adolescence can be especially difficult for families to navigate. It’s not just about meeting the basics—making sure children are fed, clothed, healthy, and safe—but also about managing an ever-changing mix of emotional, behavioral, social, and academic needs that often overlap and intensify over time. 

As one issue bleeds into the next, it can become increasingly difficult to pinpoint where a child’s challenges begin—and how to effectively intervene. The more specialists, services, and moving parts involved, the more convoluted the path to support becomes—and the harder it is for families, already time-strapped as they are, to follow through. 

What parents—and their children—need is a single, comprehensive resource that simplifies access to effective, tailored support. The WPO Child and Family Wellbeing Program offers exactly that.  

Blending counseling, coaching, resource support, and case management to deliver seamless, coordinated care, the WPO Child and Family Wellbeing program helps families confidently address common challenges such as: 

• Helping children with anxiety and depression  
• Supporting children through divorce  
• Boosting academic and social confidence  
• Accessing pediatric and parental counseling  
• Locating specialists for behavioral health needs 

How it works is like this: 

• Assessment: A licensed pediatric clinician conducts a comprehensive evaluation to identify the family’s specific needs. 
• Care Planning: A customized plan is developed, incorporating pediatric and parental counseling alongside resource support as needed. 
• Follow-Up: Clinical case managers and care coaches monitor progress, ensuring continuity and effectiveness of care. 

By offering families a single point of contact for their child’s wellbeing needs, the program removes complexity and restores clarity—empowering parents to regain confidence, take meaningful action, and support their child with greater ease and assurance. This, in turn, fosters healthier families—and engaged, resilient employees. 

But That’s Not All… 

In addition to Child and Family Wellbeing, WPO also offers several training sessions designed to support parents and caregivers, including: 

• Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health 
• Raising Resilient Children 
• Parenting + Caregiving and the Digital World: Protecting Your Children 
• Children and the Media 
• Caring for You While Caring for Others 

Recent survey data shows that two-thirds of parents want training to better understand and support their child’s mental health and wellbeing independently. By investing in accessible supports—such as digital resources, on-demand trainings, and practical toolkits—employers can equip parents and caregivers with the knowledge and skills they need to confidently navigate challenges at home. 

Likewise, with WPO’s New Parent Return to Work program, also equips parents with tailored, practical support to address challenges such as parental guilt, poor time management, and childcare demands as they return to work—helping to facilitate a smoother, healthier transition for both parent and child, while ensuring their long-term wellbeing. 

Employee Wellbeing is Family Wellbeing 

Recognizing the intrinsic link between family and employee wellbeing is vital for organizations hoping to thrive in today’s culture-driven, interconnected world. Family challenges don’t stay confined to the home–they ripple into the professional lives of parents and caregivers, and, by extension, into the workplace. Supporting employees, therefore, means supporting the whole family. Employers who prioritize comprehensive family support build stronger foundations for sustained engagement, resilience, and long-term success amid growing complexity and uncertainty. 

Contact us today to learn more about how WPO supports employees and their families—so all can thrive.