Integrated support and navigation tools emerge as key drivers of employee wellbeing, Alight study shows

Integrated support and navigation tools emerge as key drivers of employee wellbeing, Alight study shows

Nashville, TN. Sep 29, 2025 |

Unveiled at the Nashville Healthcare Sessions conference, Alight's 2025 Employee Mindset Study spotlights employees' rising demand for healthcare navigation and digital tools that connect them to care and increase wellbeing

Alight, Inc., a leading cloud-based human capital and technology-enabled services provider, today released new data from its 2025 Employee Mindset Study, highlighting the critical role of integrated support systems in helping employees navigate healthcare needs and benefits.

The data underscores both the challenges employees face in understanding and accessing care, and the advantages that employers stand to gain by providing their employees with connected and comprehensive wellbeing support.

Employees are leveraging their benefits more as personal healthcare challenges increase

Despite broad access to healthcare, many employees continue to encounter obstacles. More than half (56%) reported needing a healthcare service they ultimately did not receive, citing cost as the primary barrier. Affordability challenges are also contributing to uncertainty, with 61% of surveyed employees regretting a healthcare decision, up from 58% in the prior year.

Meanwhile, 42% of employees have taken a leave of absence in the past two years, underscoring the pressing need for comprehensive support systems in today's workplaces. Healthcare navigation support is thus becoming an essential employee benefit, offering services such as provider recommendations, cost estimates, prescription reviews, billing advocacy, program referrals and help with appointment scheduling. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of workers with electronic navigation assistance report using it in 2025, a 12-percentage-point increase from 2024. Similarly, 59% of workers with face-to-face services used them, a five-percentage-point increase.

Despite these obstacles and increasing leaves of absence, there are signs of progress in employees' outlook and engagement toward their available benefits and healthcare programs with 66% of employees expressing confidence in their benefit selections, up from 63% in the prior year.

The data also reveals employees are gravitating toward key areas of care and wellbeing, with nearly one-third of employees (32%) reporting they received a prescription for GLP-1, reflecting the growing interest in emerging treatments. When asked which programs they valued most after use, 89% cited men's health, 87% heart health and 84% diabetes prevention and support.

Fully supported employees demonstrate increased wellbeing

A 'fully supported employee' enjoys comprehensive workplace benefits, such as medical insurance-either provided by their own or their partner's employer-and access to personalized support along with a full range of health, retirement and wellbeing benefits through a single platform. Employees with this level of support demonstrate markedly better outcomes:

• 62% rate their overall wellbeing highly (+17 points over the rest).
• 53% have not regretted a healthcare decision (+16 points over the rest).
• 62% effectively manage their stress levels (+11 points over the rest).
• 49% rarely experience feelings of loneliness (+17 points over the rest).
• 45% report no symptoms of burnout (+9 points over the rest).

The study findings highlight that investment in integrated support systems is not just a benefit enhancement-it is a strategic imperative. Organizations that enable employees to navigate healthcare confidently, access wellbeing programs and manage benefits comprehensively are better positioned to strengthen employee wellbeing, increased benefit engagement and utilization and improve overall business outcomes. View the full report here.

About the study

The 2025 Employee Mindset Study marks Alight's 15th annual report focused on the U.S. workforce, delving into key areas such as employee wellbeing, workplace culture, total rewards and technology. Conducted between May and June 2025, the study gathered responses from 2,500 U.S. employees-both full-time and part-time-working for organizations with a minimum of 1,000 employees. The diverse sample reflects a wide range of age groups, races, genders and tenures. Participants represent various industries and work arrangements, including remote, onsite and hybrid.