This National Wellness Month, borrow these 6 wellbeing ideas from the world's biggest brands

Every August, National Wellness Month gives organizations a reason to shine a spotlight on employee wellbeing. 

Instead of adding another list of wellness activities to the conversation, we spent some time looking at companies that have become known for thinking differently about employee wellbeing. Their ideas don't just improve the employee experience. They also offer valuable insights for organizations looking to strengthen engagement, productivity, and employee retention through a more thoughtful approach to wellbeing.  

Some ideas are bold. Others are remarkably simple. All of them are worth a closer look. 

Here are eight companies whose approach to employee wellbeing offers lessons any organization can adapt to fit its own people, culture, and priorities. 

1. Nike recognizes that financial confidence supports wellbeing 

Financial worries rarely clock out when employees start work. 

Whether it's figuring out how to stretch a paycheck, save for a home, or prepare for the future, money concerns can quietly drain attention, increase stress, and make it harder to focus throughout the workday. 

That's why Nike offers employees free, unlimited access to financial coaching. Rather than expecting people to navigate complex financial decisions on their own, employees can talk with trained coaches who help them build a plan that fits their goals and circumstances. Sometimes all it takes is a single conversation to replace uncertainty with confidence. 

The takeaway isn't that every employer needs to offer unlimited coaching. It's that financial wellbeing deserves a place in the wellbeing conversation. Even simple resources, whether financial education, access to advisors, or planning tools, can help employees feel more in control of one of life's biggest sources of stress. 

Financial security is a critical pillar of Navigate's employee wellbeing platform. Through our partnership with Your Money Line, participants have access to a dedicated Financial Concierge who can help them navigate everything from everyday financial questions to major life decisions with confidence. 

2. Patagonia trusts employees to know when work and life need to trade places 

One of Patagonia's most famous wellbeing programs is also one of its simplest. 

Patagonia's famous "Let My People Go Surfing" philosophy encourages employees to step away when conditions are right for surfing, hiking, skiing, or simply spending time outdoors, provided their responsibilities are covered. 

It's easy to dismiss that as a quirky perk. In reality, it's an expression of something much bigger. Patagonia has built a culture around the idea that work should fit into people's lives, not the other way around. Employees are trusted to manage their time, meet their responsibilities, and make decisions that support both their wellbeing and their work. 

That philosophy extends well beyond the beach. Flexible schedules, support for parents, and a deep commitment to employee autonomy all reinforce the same belief: people do their best work when they're treated like adults rather than managed by the clock. 

Most organizations aren't going to tell employees to grab a surfboard in the middle of the workday. But they can ask where greater flexibility would help employees better balance the demands of work and life. 

National Wellness Month is a good opportunity to rethink whether wellbeing is something employees have to fit around work, or something work can be designed to support. 

3. Asana protects focus by putting it on the calendar 

A day full of meetings can leave surprisingly little time to actually get work done. 

Even when employees have an hour or two between meetings, it's often not enough time to settle into meaningful work before the next interruption arrives. Important projects get pushed to the end of the day, turning evenings into catch-up sessions. 

Asana's “No Meeting Wednesdays” create a predictable block of uninterrupted time each week for employees to focus. The policy isn't absolute. Interviews, urgent conversations, and other time-sensitive collaboration still happen when they need to. But by making meeting-free time the default, Asana gives employees something many workplaces unintentionally take away: the confidence that there will be space to think, create, and make real progress. 

Protecting time for focused work isn't just a productivity strategy. It's a wellbeing strategy. When people know they'll have uninterrupted time to do their jobs, they're less likely to carry the workday into the evening and weekends. 

4. Apple turns giving back into a wellbeing benefit 

Workplace wellbeing isn't only shaped by what happens between 9 and 5. It's also influenced by employees' connection to the communities around them. 

Apple encourages employees to support the causes they care about by matching eligible charitable donations dollar for dollar. Employees who volunteer their time are supported, too, with Apple contributing $25 for every hour volunteered. Together, those contributions can be matched up to $10,000 each year. 

The program does more than encourage generosity. It recognizes that volunteering and giving can strengthen people's sense of connection, purpose, and belonging, all of which contribute to overall wellbeing. By investing alongside employees, Apple reinforces the idea that the communities they care about matter, too. 

Organizations don’t necessarily need to match donations at Apple's scale. But they can still create opportunities for employees to connect with their communities, whether through volunteer days, local partnerships, or company-supported fundraising efforts. Sometimes supporting wellbeing means helping people strengthen the relationships and communities that exist beyond the office. 

5. Microsoft understands that supporting families supports employees 

For working parents, one of the biggest barriers to wellbeing often begins before the workday starts. Finding reliable childcare can be stressful, expensive, and unpredictable, leaving employees to juggle last-minute schedule changes, backup plans, and constant uncertainty. 

Microsoft addresses that challenge by offering childcare subsidies alongside a Family Concierge service that helps employees find care that fits their family's needs. Whether they're searching for a daycare center, a nanny, or emergency childcare, employees have expert support to help them navigate one of the most significant responsibilities outside of work. 

Not every organization can offer childcare subsidies. But every employer can recognize that employee wellbeing doesn't begin when someone logs in each morning. It begins with giving people the confidence that the people who matter most are being cared for, allowing them to be fully present for both their families and their work. 

Supporting working families is also a key part of Navigate's employee wellbeing philosophy. That's why Navigate partners with Homethrive proudly to help employees find trusted guidance and personalized support for childcare, elder care, and the many caregiving responsibilities that extend beyond the workplace. 

6. Cisco understands that uncertainty can be its own health burden 

Some of life's toughest decisions don't happen at work, but they can have an enormous impact on the people who do. 

A serious diagnosis or complex treatment plan often comes with more questions than answers. When emotions are high and the stakes feel overwhelming, knowing what to do next isn't always clear. 

Cisco gives employees and their family members access to independent second medical opinions from leading physicians, helping them gain clarity and confidence before making important healthcare decisions. 

Not every organization can offer access to specialists around the world. But every employer can recognize that wellbeing isn't only about helping people stay healthy. It's also about supporting them through the moments when uncertainty is at its highest and trusted guidance can make all the difference. 

The takeaway is bigger than the tactic 

If these companies have one thing in common, it's this: none of them treat wellbeing as a standalone program. They build it into the way work happens. Sometimes that means protecting time to focus. Sometimes it's creating stronger connections, reducing financial uncertainty, supporting difficult life decisions, or making the work environment more comfortable. The tactics are different, but the thinking is remarkably consistent. Wellbeing isn't something employees are expected to pursue on their own. It's something the organization actively supports. 

That's what makes these ideas worth borrowing. Not because Patagonia lets people go surfing or Asana blocks off Wednesdays for meetings, but because each company has identified a source of friction, stress, or disconnection and asked a simple question: How could work be designed differently? As you think about National Wellness Month, don't focus on copying someone else's program. Borrow the mindset instead. The best wellbeing strategies rarely start with a benefit. They start with a better understanding of what people need to do their best work. 

If you are an HR or benefits leader looking to expand or improve your wellbeing offerings and would like to learn more about how Navigate is helping organizations create healthier, more engaged workforces, let's talk.