Workforce healthcare firm Lime Health has launched WoW Elite, an industry group that looks to address issues affecting workforce health, including lost productivity, ‘pleasanteeism’ and health stigma.
Founding members of the group include representatives from Howden, WTW , Mercer, Aon, and Ink Group.
Lime Health defines this latest neologism, pleasanteeism, as the “pressure to put on a brave face”. Its recent Pleasanteeism report, which examined the pressure on UK employees feel to appear “fine” at work despite physical or mental ill-health, showed a rise in UK workers hiding their illnesses, up to 69 per cent in 2025, from 51 per cent in 2021. Estimates suggest that ill health and lost productivity cost the UK economy £85bn each year, with ‘pleasanteeism’ alone accounting for an estimated £21bn in lost output.
WoW Elite has already held two member sessions in 2025, with further meetings planned with the intent to explore shared challenges and develop practical approaches that can raise standards across the industry.
“This initiative should help to foster collaboration with the end goal being more open and honest dialogue within the industry, leading to real innovation and solutions for UK employers,” says Steve Hope, employee benefits director at Adler Fairways.
According to Lime Health data, over half of finance workers said their expectations of their employer to support their mental health are higher now than before the pandemic, but they don’t expect this support to be extended to all employees