Let’s be honest. Most workplace wellbeing initiatives feel performative. A fruit bowl in the kitchen. A poster about R U OK Day that stays up all year. A monthly email from HR with a link to the EAP that everyone ignores.

But wellbeing check-ins — when done properly — can be genuinely useful. They don’t need to be therapy sessions or awkward forced vulnerability. They just need to be regular, simple, and safe.

Here’s how to set them up in a way that actually works.

Start With the Why (And Be Honest About It)

Before you roll anything out, be clear about what you’re trying to achieve. Are you noticing higher absenteeism? Are people burning out? Has your team been through a rough patch?

Name it. If you introduce wellbeing check-ins with vague corporate language about “fostering a culture of care,” people will see straight through it. Instead, try something like: “I’ve noticed the team’s been under the pump lately. I want to make sure we have a regular space to flag if things are getting too much.”

That honesty sets the tone for everything that follows.

Choose a Format That Fits Your Team

There’s no single right way to do this. Here are three formats I’ve seen work well across different workplaces:

The Quick Pulse Check (2 minutes, start of team meeting)

Go around the room (or Zoom). Everyone rates their week on a scale of 1-5, with a one-sentence explanation if they want. No pressure to elaborate. This normalises talking about how you’re going without turning it into a deep dive.

The Monthly One-on-One Addition (5-10 minutes)

Add a wellbeing section to your existing one-on-ones. Three simple questions work well:

• How are you going, genuinely?
• Is your workload manageable right now?
• Is there anything I can do to make things easier?

The key is that the manager asks these questions and then actually listens. If someone says they’re drowning and nothing changes, you’ve made things worse, not better.

The Anonymous Survey (fortnightly or monthly)

Some teams prefer anonymity, especially larger ones. A short survey — three to five questions — sent out regularly can surface patterns you’d otherwise miss. Tools like Culture Amp or Officevibe are designed for this, but even a simple Google Form works.

Use Technology Thoughtfully

This is where things have shifted in the last year or two. A growing number of Australian businesses are using AI-driven tools to support workplace wellbeing — not to replace human connection, but to fill the gaps.

Some platforms now use sentiment analysis on anonymous check-in responses to flag team-wide trends. Others use AI to suggest personalised resources based on individual responses. It’s not about surveillance — the best tools are designed with privacy at the centre.

If you’re exploring this space, it’s worth talking to specialists who understand both the tech and the human side. Firms like AI consultants Brisbane can help organisations figure out which tools actually fit their culture rather than just bolting on another platform nobody uses.

The technology should make check-ins easier and more useful, not more complicated.

Set Ground Rules Early

Before your first check-in, establish a few non-negotiables:

Confidentiality. What’s shared in check-ins stays in check-ins, unless someone flags a safety concern. Make this explicit.

No forced participation. People should always be able to pass. Making vulnerability mandatory defeats the purpose entirely.

Follow-through. If someone raises an issue, there needs to be a response — even if it’s “I hear you, and here’s what I can realistically do.” Silence after someone has been honest is corrosive.

Consistency. Don’t do check-ins for three weeks and then let them fizzle. If you’re going to start, commit to a rhythm. Inconsistency signals that wellbeing is a nice-to-have, not a priority.

Watch for Common Pitfalls

Making it about productivity. Wellbeing check-ins should not be a backdoor performance review. Keep them separate.

Over-sharing from leadership. Managers can model vulnerability, but dumping your own stress on your team shifts the emotional labour in the wrong direction.

Treating it as a box-ticking exercise. People can tell when you’re going through the motions. If you don’t genuinely care about the answers, don’t ask the questions.

The Realistic Outcome

Wellbeing check-ins won’t fix a toxic workplace. They won’t compensate for chronic understaffing or unreasonable deadlines. But they can create a small, reliable space where people feel seen.

And in my experience — both as someone who’s worked in teams and someone who now teaches mindfulness to workplaces — feeling seen is often the difference between someone struggling in silence and someone asking for help before they hit the wall.

Start small. Keep it simple. Actually listen.

Jess Morley is a Brisbane-based wellness writer and yoga instructor who works with organisations on practical workplace wellbeing.