ESG Topics A-Z
Employee well-being

To PepsiCo:
Promoting the well-being of our employees helps them to lead healthy and balanced lives, and provides the support they need to be more successful at work and at home. A strong support program for employees improves our ability to retain and recruit talented employees.
To the World:
Now, more than ever, people need support—from each other, and from the companies they work for. We believe encouraging healthy practices and providing employees with the help they need will have added benefits for them and their loved ones.
Approach
We believe that with the right support, there’s nothing our employees can’t do. We offer a suite of programs intended to support them in both their personal and professional lives, enabling employees and their families to safeguard their physical, financial and emotional health and bring their best selves to work. Healthy Living, PepsiCo’s employee well-being program, is based on three pillars:
- Be Well—Programs to promote physical health to help participants get moving, eat healthy and be safe.
- Find Balance—Programs to support mental and emotional health to help participants manage stress, build resilience and improve financial well-being and work/life quality.
- Get Involved—Programs to foster community involvement and family and social connections, a critical component to well-being.
PepsiCo’s Total Rewards team manages these employee well-being programs and is continually exploring new ways to meet employee needs, drive cost efficiencies and improve outcomes for all members of the PepsiCo community. In the U.S., Healthy Living offers a variety of wellness programs to all benefits-eligible employees, including:
- A wellness questionnaire and biometric screening to gauge health metrics;
- A stress management and resilience program;
- Access to virtual mental health support;
- A weight management program;
- Fitness and nutrition programs;
- Flu shots;
- A tobacco cessation program; and
- A financial well-being program.
We also offer a number of additional programs to U.S. employees and spouses/partners covered under the PepsiCo medical plan, including:
- A virtual physical therapy program;
- Care management and support programs for chronic conditions (like diabetes); and
- Preventive care coverage, including support, screenings and treatment, at best-in-class facilities for certain conditions.
Through a digital well-being platform, all U.S. employees have the opportunity to earn points by engaging in certain programs. They can redeem points for rewards such as gift cards, Health Savings Account contributions, charitable donations and sweepstakes entries.
Outside the U.S., we offer global programs like the Well-Being Support Line (Employee Assistance Program) and a stress and resilience program through a mobile app to all employees. Many countries also run local events and programs to address their employees’ needs, like biometric screenings, nutrition support, fitness platforms, mindfulness sessions, financial wellness programs, awareness campaigns and many more.
Our focus on fitness and nutrition
Fitness and nutrition programs are among our most popular offerings and support the Be Well pillar of Healthy Living:
- Fitness programs: A number of locations with a large employee base provide onsite fitness centers. In many markets, we provide a fitness allowance. Globally, we offer virtual on-demand fitness classes taught by our PepsiCo fitness center instructors. In the U.S., we provide a fitness app, which includes live-streamed classes, on-demand classes and virtual fitness coaching. Some locations promote physical fitness through discounted gym memberships, and others offer vouchers and incentives for employees who join a gym. In addition, we hold annual events to help employees increase their physical activity, including a global step challenge, which is available to all employees and their family members, as well as company soccer and softball tournaments, ping pong competitions and many more activities.
- Nutrition programs: In many of our larger markets, worksites provide free fruit onsite and healthy food options in cafeterias. Nearly all locations provide nutrition, education, advice seminars or online platforms to employees and track participation in that workforce programming. In the U.S., we launched an app-based nutrition coaching program, which includes access to registered dieticians. This U.S. workforce nutrition program is available to all U.S. employees and their family members.
- Well-being education: We offer monthly webinars featuring health and well-being topics designed to provide education and support and to help employees mitigate health risks. Webinars are hosted by expert partners, and topics are tied to the three Healthy Living pillars and promote our programs where available. Recordings of webinars are also available, extending access to a broader range of employees.
Our focus on reducing stress and finding balance
Supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of our associates during times of stress, both personal and professional, is a key business issue. We offer a number of programs to support the Find Balance pillar of Healthy Living:
- Building resilience program: All associates globally have access to a stress management app, which is designed to help employees and family members discover simple techniques to build their resilience and shift their response to stressful thoughts and situations. This programming is intended to provide resources to help associates build empathy, ignite purpose and positivity and manage burnout.
- Mental health services: In the U.S., all associates have access to real-time virtual mental and behavioral health services, in addition to the in-person mental health care services available through our U.S. medical plans. Outside the U.S., we ensure all our associates as well as their family members have access to high quality therapists and mental health support through our global Well-Being Support Line (i.e., Employee Assistance Program).
- Financial well-being program: We know financial stress impacts both the physical and emotional well-being of our employees. Our financial well-being program, called Healthy Money, addresses this stress by building financial literacy for our employees, their families and the communities where we operate. Healthy Money provides support for a variety of financial situations, including managing day-to-day finances (budgeting, debt management and savings), establishing good money habits for family finances and preparing for retirement. In the U.S., our employees and their dependents have free, unlimited and confidential access to education resources and counselors to help them manage their money today and plan for a more secure financial future.
- Support for caregivers: We offer onsite child care at our Purchase, New York headquarters and near-site childcare for employees at our Frito-Lay North America headquarters in Plano, Texas. Care at these centers is provided by highly-trained and reputable third party providers. Back-up child and elder care services are available through third party providers when a regular care provider is unavailable for all benefits-eligible employees in the U.S. Outside the U.S., PepsiCo operations in many countries offer daycare allowances, discounts with nearby care facilities or access to onsite or near-site childcare. Additionally, in certain locations, we also provide facilities for nursing mothers, including dedicated parents’ rooms and wellness rooms. Finally, PepsiCo provides a minimum 16 weeks of parental maternity leave to employees in the U.S. to allow parents time to bond with their child. The short-term disability plan covers 10 full weeks and the final six weeks are paid under the parental leave policy.
Our focus on fostering community
Programs that support our employees during times of stress and help build resilience support the Get Involved pillar of Healthy Living:
- Move for Good: Move for Good is our global well-being challenge. Sponsored by the Healthy Living and PepsiCo Foundation Food for Good teams, this program provides our employees with an opportunity to get healthier while giving back. Employees globally record their daily physical activity and steps over a six-week period. At the end of the challenge, the PepsiCo Foundation converts tracked steps into a donation to the selected charitable organizations to help feed those in need.
- Employee resource groups (ERGs): ERGs are volunteer-based groups that are critical in helping to drive a culture of diversity, inclusion and engagement. Our ERGs regularly sponsor well-being programming throughout the year to connect with their members. This includes general well-being topics as well as curated content to address specific needs of the membership.
- One Smile at a Time: One Smile at a Time is PepsiCo’s global volunteering platform. It enables employees to discover local volunteer opportunities that fit their passion and their schedule. When it comes to volunteering, we are united in our desire to help those around us. Volunteering can also be a positive step toward improving health by reducing stress and boosting happiness.
Progress
Through PepsiCo’s Wellness Certification Program, we annually evaluate the maturity of our health and well-being initiatives in all countries where we operate. This evaluation program was developed and managed by an external, third-party global human resources consulting firm. The factors we consider include eligibility, engagement rates, communication channels and frequency and the ability to measure impact and behavioral changes over time.
Healthy Living programs are available in all countries where PepsiCo operates. Based on the 2022 wellness certification process, the vast majority of countries currently offer market leading wellness programming.
PepsiCo’s health and well-being programs have received numerous awards recognizing the comprehensive and innovative program design as well as the effective communication and branding of PepsiCo’s benefits programs, including the Business Group on Health’s 2023 Best Employers: Excellence in Health & Wellbeing award.
What's next?
We will continue to review our offerings to ensure we are supporting employees’ physical, emotional and financial well-being. In the near future, we will continue to promote the many programs available to support our employees, with a focus on mental health and building resiliency.
Related topics
Employee engagement, Employee learning and development, Employee recruitment