Talent shortage has been a major challenge faced by businesses across different industries in Singapore over the past few years. In 2026, around 71% of employers say they’re struggling to fill roles. While this is an improvement from the 83% mark the year before, it still points to a hiring environment that hasn’t quite stabilised.
With employers and HRs barely managing to fill positions with desired candidates, the conversation around employee well-being has increasingly become part of the corporate vocabulary. On paper, most organisations recognise their importance. However, in reality, the experience sometimes feels far less consistent. The disconnect is starting to show.
The Cigna Healthcare International Health Study 2025 found that only 33% of employees in Singapore feel their employer gives them adequate opportunities to look after their personal health. Just 32% believe their organisation actually demonstrates a clear commitment to wellbeing through its actions and communication.
This isn’t an awareness problem but an execution one. When what’s said doesn’t quite match what’s felt day-to-day, wellbeing stops functioning as real support. It becomes something employees read between the lines. Over time, that gap shapes how people show up at work, how invested they feel and whether they see themselves thriving with the organisation.
Why performative wellbeing falls short
One reason for this disconnect is the way wellbeing is often approached. Many initiatives are well-intentioned but isolated. A wellness week, a series of talks or occasional incentives can create moments of visibility, but they rarely address the underlying conditions that contribute to stress or fatigue. When workloads remain unsustainable, flexibility exists only in policy or if managers are not equipped to support their teams, these efforts struggle to deliver lasting impact.
That does not make these initiatives irrelevant. They can play a role in creating awareness and opening conversations. But they cannot carry the full weight of employee wellbeing on their own. What matters more is whether the broader environment reinforces those messages. Employees tend to notice the everyday signals. How decisions are made, how leaders respond under pressure and how consistent support is applied across teams.
This is also where education matters. Employees need to feel empowered to understand the importance of self-care, preventive care and seeking help early, rather than waiting until stress or health concerns become unmanageable. At the same time, organisations need to create safe, appropriate channels for support, including access to professional help where needed. Destigmatising therapy in the workplace is part of this shift. Mental health challenges can often be addressed through early, timely and professional intervention, but employees are more likely to take that step when the environment around them feels safe, confidential and supportive.
Moving from one-off initiatives to integrated systems
Moving beyond performative wellbeing means rethinking how organisations approach it altogether. It is less about adding new programmes and more about examining how existing systems shape the employee experience. Work design, leadership capability and organisational priorities all influence wellbeing outcomes. If these remain unchanged, additional benefits are likely to have a limited effect.
A more holistic approach recognises that wellbeing is multi-dimensional. Physical and mental health are central, but financial stability, social connection and a sense of purpose also play a role. The same Cigna Healthcare study highlights that stress levels remain high, with cost-of-living pressures followed by uncertainty about the future, cited as key drivers.
This points to the need for organisations to think more broadly about what support looks like in the context of their employees’ concerns, rather than relying on a fixed set of solutions. It also reinforces that wellness is a shared responsibility between employers, employees and healthcare providers. Employers can create the right structures, employees need to be supported in taking ownership of their health, and healthcare partners can help connect both sides to timely, practical and preventive care.
The business impact is clear. High-vitality employees are far more enthusiastic about their jobs than their low-vitality counterparts, at 90% compared to 19%. When wellbeing is compromised, the effects extend beyond the individual, showing up in absenteeism, reduced productivity and higher turnover. Around 30% of employees in Singapore have missed work due to physical or mental health challenges, pointing to broader patterns that affect team performance and organisational resilience over time.
Embedding wellbeing into everyday work
In this context, the role of leadership becomes more important. Wellbeing cannot sit solely within HR as a set of programmes. It needs to be reflected in how organisations operate on a daily basis. This includes how goals are set, how performance is measured and how managers are supported in leading their teams. Frontline managers, in particular, are often the first to recognise signs of burnout, yet they may not always have the flexibility or resources to respond effectively.
Equipping frontline and middle managers is therefore an important part of embedding wellbeing into everyday work. This can include training them to identify early signs of stress, respond with empathy, direct employees to the right support channels and manage workloads in a more sustainable way. Organisations also need to give managers enough trust and flexibility to support their teams in ways that reflect the realities on the ground.
Creating space for employee voice is another critical element. Recognition and belonging are also part of the equation. Only 23% of employees in Singapore feel they receive appropriate recognition or rewards for good performance, even as 58% say their job requires all of their attention and 40% feel under frequent time pressure. When employees feel their contributions are acknowledged and valued, they are more likely to stay engaged. But like other aspects of wellbeing, this cannot be addressed through isolated initiatives alone. What works in theory does not always translate into practice.
Regular feedback loops can help organisations understand which benefits are meaningful and which are underutilised. This allows for more targeted investment and reduces the risk of initiatives becoming symbolic rather than impactful.
In practice, this often involves working closely with employers to design health and wellbeing solutions that reflect the realities of everyday work, rather than being limited to traditional insurance coverage. Alongside core health plans, services such as Employee Assistance Programmes, access to care and digital tools can make it easier for employees to engage with their health on a regular basis. The support needed may also differ across workforce segments. For older employees, this could mean stronger support for chronic care, preventive screenings or ongoing condition management. For younger employees, it may involve easier access to mental health support, including affordable pathways to therapy or professional help when needed. The focus should be on helping employers create conditions where rest, flexibility, early intervention and development are not treated as afterthoughts.
Why wellbeing is a leadership issue
Ultimately, the conversation around wellbeing is shifting. It is no longer enough to demonstrate intent.
Employees are increasingly attentive to how organisations follow through. In a more transparent and connected labour market, credibility is shaped by lived experience rather than messaging.
For organisations across Southeast Asia, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Those that are able to align their internal practices with their external commitments are more likely to build trust and retain talent over the long term. Those who do not may find that the cost is not only disengagement, but a gradual erosion of confidence that is harder to rebuild.
Wellbeing, in this sense, is not a standalone initiative but a reflection of how an organisation actually operates. The intention should now be to help organisations build systems where wellbeing is consistently reinforced, employees feel safe to seek help early, and support is shared across employers, employees and healthcare providers.
About the author
Carol Tan is the head of human resources, Singapore & Australia, Cigna Healthcare, where she leads the workplace and talent agenda in support of business growth and organisational transformation.
She has two decades of HR leadership in banking, reinsurance, and professional services. Carol is recognised for aligning people strategies with enterprise priorities to cultivate high‑performing, purpose‑driven workplaces where employees thrive.
