From free breakfasts to gym memberships and wellness apps, employers across the events industry are investing more time, budget, and attention into employee wellbeing than ever before. What was once considered a “nice-to-have” has quickly become a core part of employer branding, workplace wellbeing strategies, and long-term retention planning.
On the surface, this shift is overwhelmingly positive. Businesses are recognising that employees who feel supported in their mental health and wellbeing at work are more engaged, productive, and likely to remain in their roles long-term. However, as these initiatives become more common, a more complex question is starting to emerge: are wellbeing perks truly solving the problem, or simply softening the impact of a much deeper issue within the events industry working environment?
As Laura Kelly, Managing Director of Live Recruitment explains, “There’s been a real rise in wellbeing benefits, which is great to see - but the industry still needs to address the root causes. If people are consistently overworked or roles are stretched too far, no amount of perks will fully solve that.”
The rise of “wellbeing perks”
Across the industry, employers are introducing a wide range of benefits designed to support both mental and physical health. These include gym memberships, wellbeing allowances, duvet days, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), and access to mental health platforms such as Thrive or Calm. Many offices are also investing in day-to-day comforts - fancy coffee machines, free meals, and more social or collaborative working environments to sweeten the office environment.
These initiatives absolutely have value. They can improve morale, create a more positive working culture, and demonstrate that employers are thinking about their people beyond just output.
However, for many event professionals, these benefits don’t always outweigh the realities of the role itself - particularly during busy periods or peak event seasons.
The root causes of stress in events
The events industry is uniquely demanding, with pressures that go beyond what is typically seen in more traditional office-based roles. Many professionals are managing multiple projects at once, balancing the planning of future events while delivering live ones and reconciling those that have just finished.
Long hours, high client expectations, tight deadlines, and lean team structures can all contribute to increased stress levels. In some cases, roles evolve quickly, with employees taking on responsibilities that extend beyond their original job scope due to changing business needs.
Laura Sidhu, Senior Account Manager at Live Recruitment highlights this challenge: “We often see candidates join a role expecting one thing, and then the reality shifts quite quickly. Sometimes that’s down to how the role was initially mis-sold, but often it’s just business needs changing and that can add a lot of unexpected pressure.”
Why perks alone aren’t enough
While wellbeing initiatives are valuable, they cannot replace structural change within a business. A free breakfast or wellness allowance can enhance the employee experience, but it won’t reduce burnout if workloads remain consistently high or expectations are unclear.
For wellbeing strategies to be truly effective, they need to address both the visible symptoms of stress and the underlying causes. This means looking beyond surface-level benefits and focusing on how roles are structured, how teams are resourced, and how expectations are communicated.
Flexibility: benefit or baseline?
One of the most important and often debated aspects of wellbeing in today’s workplace is flexibility. While many organisations still position flexible or hybrid working as a benefit, employees increasingly see it as a basic expectation.
In the events industry, flexibility doesn’t necessarily mean working fewer hours. Instead, it’s about having the autonomy to structure those hours in a way that fits around personal responsibilities and lifestyle whilst still meeting client demands.
As Laura Kelly puts it, “People are looking for a level of flexibility that meets their wellness needs as well as the business needs which can be achieved in a variety of models such as full time in office, hybrid working, short/longer days, flexitime etc.”
Final thoughts
Wellbeing in the events industry can’t be treated as an add-on. It needs to be embedded into the way businesses operate, from role design through to leadership and culture.
Perks can enhance the experience, but they shouldn’t be used to compensate for unsustainable workloads or unclear expectations. If the industry wants to retain talent long-term, the focus must shift from surface-level benefits to meaningful, structural change.