Well-Being at Scale Is Not an Initiative – How a government organisation turned declining well-being indicators into a year-long engagement journey.
When organisations talk about well-being, their intentions are usually genuine.
The challenge is rarely why they want to invest in it.
The challenge is how to do it in a way that actually changes behaviour, especially at scale.
This became very clear when a government organisation with more than 1,000 civil servants, spread across multiple locations, asked us to support them in designing a year-long well-being program.
They didn’t want another campaign.
They didn’t want symbolic gestures.
They wanted something that could stand up to reality.
A Complex Organisation by Nature
The organisation brought together people of:
- all genders, ages, and backgrounds
- very different roles and responsibilities
- different physical realities and work rhythms
- varying access to facilities and activities
This was not a single workforce with a shared daily routine.
It was a society in miniature.
Any well-being initiative would need to:
- work across locations
- respect different life stages
- avoid a one-size-fits-all approach
- remain fair, accessible, and credible
At this scale, even well-intended programs often fail quietly.
When the Numbers Start Speaking
The context was clear and uncomfortable.
Well-being indicators were moving in the wrong direction:
- burn-out signals were increasing
- absenteeism due to illness was rising
- physical health concerns, including obesity, were becoming more visible
- mental load was accumulating across teams
These were not isolated cases.
They were structural signals.
Leadership understood that:
- a single event would not reverse these trends
- a poster campaign would undermine credibility
- short-term enthusiasm would not lead to long-term change
The ambition was high:
move well-being from intention to action,
from awareness to participation,
from isolated initiatives to a shared journey.
The complexity was equally high.
Starting with Listening, Not Activities
One decision shaped everything that followed.
We did not start with activities.
We started with listening.
A well-being survey was rolled out across the organisation to:
- understand where people actually were
- identify pressure points and energy sources
- create a shared baseline
- build credibility before activation
This step mattered.
It signalled that well-being was not a trend to be imposed, but a topic to be taken seriously.
As our methodology states:
“Sustainable well-being starts with listening. Measurement creates credibility, direction, and shared ownership before action begins.”
Designing a Year-Long Journey
Based on the insights, the question became:
How do you turn intention into sustained participation without pressure?
The answer was not one big program.
It was a structured journey, spread over time.
Using Tornea, we designed a gamified year-long well-being journey that:
- connected hundreds of activities
- allowed people to engage at their own pace
- made participation visible without forcing it
- balanced mind and body
- supported both individual and team engagement
Well-being became something people could step into, rather than something they were told to do.
The Power of an Ecosystem
Technology alone would never have been enough.
What made this program work was the ecosystem around it.
Through our network of experts and facilitators, the organisation could offer:
- cooking workshops
- mental coaching
- movement and sports
- games and team activities
- well-being sessions adapted to different needs
All of this was:
- coordinated through one platform
- aligned around one journey
- connected to one shared narrative
One structure.
Many entry points.
Participation Without Pressure
A key design principle was choice.
People were free to:
- engage with mind or body, or both
- join individually or as a team
- participate intensely or lightly
- step in and out without friction
This mattered at scale.
As our methodology puts it:
“At scale, well-being only works when people can choose how to engage. Participation grows when pressure is removed and accessibility is designed in.”
Well-being became accessible, not demanding.
Ending with Recognition, Not Closure
The year concluded with a large-scale well-being day.
Not as a finale.
But as a moment of recognition.
The “heroes of the year” — people who had actively engaged, inspired others, or showed consistency — were acknowledged and celebrated.
Well-being was no longer anonymous.
It had faces.
What Changed
The program did not claim to solve everything.
But it did create movement.
What shifted:
- well-being stayed present throughout the year
- participation came from many corners of the organisation
- engagement became visible and shared
- people felt seen in how they chose to engage
Well-being moved from initiative to culture signal.
Why This Worked
This worked because well-being was treated as a system, not a campaign.
Because:
- measurement came before activation
- structure enabled choice
- technology provided continuity
- the ecosystem provided richness
- and the organisation kept ownership
Or, as our methodology summarises it:
“Well-being is not an initiative. It is the outcome of many small, repeatable behaviours supported by structure, choice, and continuity.”
The Bigger Picture
Well-being at scale is not about:
- one provider
- one message
- or one moment
It is about:
- listening first
- designing a journey
- enabling participation
- and recognising contribution
That is how well-being becomes sustainable. Even in complex, public-sector environments.
This is how Herculean Alliance approaches engagement:
not as something to roll out, but as something to orchestrate.
We usually start with a conversation.
Not a campaign.