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As workforces evolve and employee expectations sharpen, HR leaders across Asia are rethinking how wellbeing should look in 2026. Central Retail's CPO and Pure Storage's Regional HR Director tell Umairah Nasir how their organisations are preparing for the year ahead.
Employee wellbeing has come so far as an organisational imperative – no standing as a defining pillar of how organisations build trust, resilience, and performance. With workforces becoming more diverse, hybrid, and digitally enabled, HR leaders are recognising that traditional wellbeing programmes may no longer be enough. Employees want support that feels personal, relevant and responsive to the realities they face inside and outside of work.
Against this backdrop, Umairah Nasir speaks with two HR leaders to understand the wellbeing trends they believe will shape 2026, and how their teams are preparing. While each organisation operates in a different context, both highlighted a common shift: a move away from broad, one-size-fits-all offerings, towards wellbeing strategies that are more precise, personalised and deeply human.
For Panchalee Weeratammawat, Chief People Officer, Central Retail Corporation, the year ahead is about precision wellbeing, anchored in data, preventive care and digital tools that give employees support tailored to their needs.
Meanwhile, for Nupur Mehta, Regional HR Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, Pure Storage, wellbeing is being reimagined through a life-stage lens, recognising that the needs of a young professional differ from those of a caregiver or someone navigating midlife transitions.
Together, their perspectives shed light on how employers across the region are strengthening their wellbeing ecosystems, making them more adaptive, inclusive and ready for the future of work.
Below, they share their views on the biggest wellbeing trend shaping 2026 and what they are doing today to prepare their workforce for tomorrow.
Panchalee Weeratammawat, Chief People Officer, Central Retail Corporation
Q1: In your view, what is the top wellbeing trend shaping 2026?
Ideally speaking, the most significant wellbeing trend shaping 2026 is the shift toward precision well-being — a more personalised, data-informed approach to supporting the diverse needs of employees across generations, roles, and geographies. As workforces become increasingly hybrid and fast-paced, employees expect well-being solutions that are proactive, integrated, and relevant to their unique situations.
In principles, it includes stronger focus on mental resilience, preventive care, digital health tools, and holistic lifestyle support. Organisations that can anticipate needs, not just respond to them, will be best positioned to build a thriving, future-ready workforce.
Q2 How are you and your team preparing for this trend?
At Central Retail, we are preparing for this shift by strengthening our CRC CARE framework and embedding wellbeing into everyday employee experience. We are expanding data-driven insights from engagement surveys and health programmes to identify segmented needs — whether physical, emotional, or financial.
Our teams are enhancing preventive care initiatives, integrating more digital-health touchpoints, and partnering across business units (BUs) to ensure access at scale for over 50,000 employees. We are also encouraging leaders to support employees’ wellbeing with empathy, recognising that sustainable performance comes from people who feel supported, energised, and cared for.
Nupur Mehta, Regional HR Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, Pure Storage
Q1 In your view, what is the top wellbeing trend shaping 2026?
The most defining wellbeing shift in 2026 is the move toward deeply human-centred wellbeing which is flexible, inclusive, and intentionally designed to meet employees where they are in their life journey. With today’s workforce spanning Gen Z to Gen X, it’s clear that traditional, one-size-fits-all wellbeing programmes no longer resonate. Employees now expect support that is personalised, adaptive, and reflective of the realities they navigate every day.
Wellbeing is increasingly being shaped by age, identity, and key life transitions-whether that’s early-career financial pressures, caregiving responsibilities, hormonal and midlife health, or building long-term resilience. As a result, organisations are shifting toward a truly holistic framework, integrating mental, physical, and financial wellbeing into a cohesive and sustainable strategy.
People thrive when the support around them evolves with their lives. Companies that adopt this life-stage-led approach will not only meet rising expectations but also foster a more engaged, resilient, and future-ready workforce.
Q2 How are you and your team preparing for this trend?
At Pure Storage, we are proactively preparing for this shift by reimagining wellbeing through a life-stage lens. Our commitment is to ensure every employee — whether they are early in their career, navigating parenthood, managing midlife transitions, or planning for the future-feels seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.
We are anchoring our efforts around three priorities:
- Flexible wellbeing offerings that allow employees to choose the support most relevant to them, from mental health resources to financial education, preventive care, and lifestyle-focused tools.
- Inclusive life-stage support, reflecting the realities of our diverse workforce. This includes strengthening programmes around caregiving, fertility, menopause, family-building, and career transitions.
- Wellbeing in the age of AI, where we integrate digital tools, learning resources, AI-driven coaching, and leadership practices that build long-term resilience, not just respond to moments of crisis.
Through this approach, we aim to create a wellbeing ecosystem that grows with our people, enabling them to perform at their best while feeling genuinely cared for at every stage of their personal and professional journey.
ALSO READ: The workplace trends set to redefine businesses in 2026
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