Imagine wrapping up a long day of meetings, only to see your phone light up at 10 pm with a “quick update” that demands an immediate response. For nearly half of India’s corporate employees, this is not an occasional inconvenience; it is the daily reality.
The consequences of this ‘always on’ culture are now too significant for companies to ignore. Two new studies – a report titled ‘The Always On Epidemic’ by fitness and wellness platform Cult, and an independent market study by Kantar, offer a sobering look at a workforce struggling under relentless pressure.
Only 1 in 5 Feels Like They Have It Together
The cult report segments India’s corporate workforce into three telling cohorts — each defined not just by how much they work, but by how they’re holding up under it.
While only 19% of respondents felt that they were able to find balance and maintain boundaries, a majority 56% fell short of this privilege. However, a significant number of employees also belonged to the category which was regularly overworked beyond their sustainable limits and headed towards burnout.
Not uncommon, with the added societal expectations, the gender gap was gaping at a staggering deficit. 72% of all the female employees reported an elevated level of tension, in comparison to 54% of men.
The arithmetic is stark. 80% of the country’s corporate workforce is either disengaged or heading toward burnout, pointing towards the advent of workplace trends like quiet quitting. While 60% of employees report having just two to four hours a day to call their own, time is squeezed between long commutes, extended working hours, and the ambient pressure of digital availability.
The Rs 1.1 Lakh Crore Problem
When stress goes unaddressed, it does not stay in the breakroom. It shows up in spreadsheets.
Poor mental health is estimated to cost Indian employers approximately Rs 1.1 lakh crore annually, as per the cult report. These losses are attributed to productivity decline, absenteeism, higher turnover, and mounting healthcare expenses. Nearly half of all employees are already actively exploring other jobs, and 34% say they experience daily anger at work.
For employers, these numbers have reframed the conversation around wellness. What was once treated as a soft HR concern — gym memberships, the occasional yoga class — is increasingly being quantified as a business risk. And the investment response has followed accordingly.
“Building a wellness-oriented culture and normalising time spent on self-care — actively enabled by the corporate — are critical measures when solving employee stress and work-related issues,” Arjit Shukla, Head of Enterprise Business, cult, told financialexpress.com.
Workplace wellness – A trend or necessity?
The Kantar market study conducted across India’s top six metros, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, projects the corporate wellness market will cross Rs 4,000 crore by 2027. Growing at a compound annual rate of 5.6%, Bengaluru leads the way, accounting for 23% of that figure.
For most employees, the entry point into workplace wellness is physical. Yoga has seen particularly strong uptake across corporate campuses, with adoption rates ranging from 73% to 90%. In-campus gym facilities and subsidised gym memberships are among the most widely implemented employer initiatives. GCCs and BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) firms are leading adopters.
But the picture is broadening. Mental health support — including meditation sessions, stress management programmes, therapy access, and work-life integration coaching — is gaining ground in wellness budgets, even as physical fitness still commands the largest share of spending. Around 40% of employees now use fitness as a primary stress management tool, while 30% report less healthy coping patterns: stress eating and excessive screen time.
The 300% ROI that only gives back
The cult report estimates a 300–600% ROI from comprehensive wellness programmes. It is estimated to display improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, stronger talent attraction, and higher employee retention.
“Employees today place significant value on wellness support and community-driven wellness activities that help them feel more energised, connected and supported both at work and outside,” Shukla also told Financial Express Online.
Estimated between 300 to 600%, it is now the primary number driving boardroom buy-in. Yet both studies caution that investment alone is insufficient. The cult report, however, mentions that creating a genuine wellness culture requires companies to normalise the act of stepping away — to treat recovery time not as lost productivity but as a prerequisite for it. That means tackling the structural expectation of being perpetually available, not just offering a subsidised yoga class in its margins.