Work-life balance assumes work and life exist on opposite ends of a scale—one draining, the other fulfilling. It’s a flawed concept that highlights work as the problem when, in reality, meaningless work is. If what you do every day feels empty, no amount of “balance” will fix it. That’s why we need to rethink the way we design work and build well-being-driven organizations that make work meaningful.
In this article, Teresa Roche, Chair of the Learning Innovation Laboratory at Harvard and CHRO at the City of Fort Collins, breaks down the key elements that shape a well-being-driven organization where people don’t just work—they flourish.
“Individual knowledge is simply insufficient—things are moving too fast, too complexly. Unless we collaborate and co-create, we’ll sub-optimize the system.”
– Ashish Kothari
Why does work have to be something we escape from? Why do we accept meaningless work as just a way to survive? Work and life aren’t separate. It’s all just life. And if we integrate purpose into what we do every day, work stops being something that depletes us and starts being something that fuels us. But to integrate purpose, leaders must first be self-aware.
Self-Awareness and Its Role in Building a Well-Being-Driven Organization
Great leadership starts with self-awareness—the ability to recognize your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and how they shape the world around you. As a leader, the way you show up directly influences your people, culture, and workplace well-being. With self-awareness, you can put your purpose into action and intentionally shape work that empowers employees to bring their full selves in.
So, if you want to create a well-being-driven organization, start with yourself. Cultivate your self-awareness:
- Be present – Stop leading on autopilot. Pay attention to what’s happening at the moment—your team’s energy, the culture, and your own leadership tendencies. Your presence creates psychological safety.
- Stay conscious – Know how your actions impact your people. Every decision, reaction, and even your tone shapes the work environment. Are you fueling well-being or draining it?
- Act compassionately – Leadership isn’t about control; it’s about care. A thriving workplace is built by leaders who prioritize people, not just performance.
“Power doesn’t come from taking it from someone else. Through collaboration and co-creation, you can move things forward.”
– Teresa Roche
Why Organizations Need The Systemic Shift to Well-being
The biggest mistake organizations make is treating well-being as an individual responsibility rather than an organizational priority. True well-being isn’t just about personal habits like eating well and managing stress. In the organizational context, it’s about how work itself is designed.
72% of well-being is shaped by systemic factors like job design, leadership, and culture. When well-being initiatives fail, it’s often because they are:
- Siloed – Treated as disconnected perks (like gym memberships) rather than integrated into the way people work.
- Misaligned – Focused on individual self-care without addressing the organizational environment that may be causing stress.
- Lacking ROI Connection – Leaders fail to tie well-being to measurable outcomes, making it an afterthought instead of a strategic priority.
How Leaders Can Build a Well-Being-Driven Organization
Well-being is a big leadership responsibility. Leaders must prioritize it not just as a corporate value but as a system that allows individuals to flourish, teams to collaborate better, and organizations to create a positive ripple effect in the world. Here are tips you can start with to build a well-being-driven organization:
- Integrate Well-Being into Work – Instead of one-off wellness initiatives, embed well-being into benefits, compensation, professional development, and leadership training.
- Create Accessible Support Systems – Fort Collins introduced on-site clinics, Well Days, and digital wellness programs like Wellbeats to meet employees where they are—whether in an office or out in the field.
- Remove the Stigma – Leaders must talk openly about well-being, normalize conversations around stress and mental health, and create an environment where employees feel safe to ask for help.
True well-being is not just an individual pursuit or an organizational initiative. It must flow from individuals to teams, from teams to the organization, and from the organization to the broader community.
Conclusion
Work isn’t just a place to get things done—it’s a space where people either flourish or fade. Leaders who treat well-being as an afterthought create cultures of burnout. But those who embed well-being into the fabric of work don’t just build better organizations—they create a ripple effect that transforms teams, businesses, and entire communities. The question isn’t whether well-being matters—it’s whether you’re designing your workplace to make it inevitable. Are you?
Work shouldn’t drain people—it should fuel them. But that only happens when we design well-being-driven organizations. In this Happiness Squad Podcast episode, Ashish Kothari & Teresa Roche, CHRO of the City of Fort Collins, share how to redesign work so your people flourish.
Learn more about Teresa at her LinkedIn.
Listen to the podcast with Ashish and Teresa below.
Access and subscribe to all of the episodes of the Happiness Squad Podcast here.
Visit the REWIRE Program powered up by the HAPPINESS SQUAD Community and experience your shift within your 30-day risk-free trial today. Cultivate your Self-Awareness, Gratitude, Purpose, Community, and personal growth more through the 9 Hardwired for Happiness practices. Integrate simple and proven micro-practices grounded in the science of happiness and neuroscience of habit formation in 5 minutes a day.
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