Johnson & Johnson is one of the world’s largest healthcare companies, operating across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health. With a global workforce, the organisation has long invested in employee health, performance, and well-being as a strategic priority.
This case study shows how Johnson & Johnson built measurable energy and resilience capabilities at scale, why the evidence still matters today, and how that work evolved into the modern programmes we now deploy globally through Zest for Work.
As the pace of work increased, so did the demands on people. Employees were expected to adapt faster, collaborate more effectively, and sustain high performance under pressure. Over time, the impact began to show, taxing their overall energy, attention, strength, and stamina, leading to fatigue, disengagement, judgement errors, stress, and burnout.
The challenge was not motivation. It was about how to help people improve their energy, focus and sustain performance without burning out. Johnson & Johnson needed more than a one-off intervention. They were looking to build a capability that could boost performance, and improve energy, health, and happiness across a global workforce.
Johnson & Johnson introduced the Corporate Athlete programme, a science-based approach to energy management built on performance psychology, physiology, and behaviour change.
The primary training goal was to improve personal performance and increase quality of life by aligning participants’ direction in life with how and where they spend their energy.
The intervention focused on 2 foundational models:
Yvon Golbach, founder of Zest for Work and former Johnson & Johnson EU leader, led the rollout across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, supporting the implementation across diverse teams and environments.
Many workplace wellbeing programmes are built on good intentions but lack strong evidence, so Johnson and Johnson tracked both business and health outcomes. Between 2009 and 2015, the original Corporate Athlete programme was evaluated across more than 9,500 employees at Johnson & Johnson. Participants showed an 18% higher likelihood of receiving a top performance rating, a 25% higher likelihood of promotion the following year, and significant improvements in vitality, mental health, and overall well-being. The case study also translates retention impact into financial terms, estimating $60 million in reduced turnover costs for 30,000 trained, which equals an ROI of $2,000 per participant [1].
Proving impact on health, they used the validated SF-36 instrument, with follow-ups at 6, 12, and 18 months. Across those follow-ups, they found the most significant and sustained gains in vitality, general health, mental health, and purpose in life, with additional improvements in sleep, mood, physical activity, and blood pressure [2][3].
Today, the original J&J programme is discontinued, and Yvon and her team have, together with Mars Inc., developed an evolution of this programme to meet the demands of the modern workforce.
As the world of work evolves, the need has only increased. And while work has changed fast, our biology has not. In always-on environments, where cognitive overload is the norm, energy management alone is not enough. Continuous uncertainty, disruption and pressure push our brains and nervous system into survival mode, impacting our ability to think clearly and stay focused and sharp while dealing with today's business challenges. To perform in these circumstances, we need more than just being able to manage energy; managing our nervous system and our brain has become increasingly important to stay focused and on purpose.
Zest for Work has therefore built on the proven Corporate Athlete foundation and updated it with the latest science on neuroscience, sleep, brain health, resilience, and performance. We deliver these energy and resilience programmes globally today, with impact measurement embedded in the global Mars rollout. Results are tracking in the same direction as the original long-term evidence base, with 77% reporting sustained behaviour change, improved energy and resilience, and a threefold increase in intent to stay among participants [4]. As the studies mature, Zest for Work and Mars Inc. will publish further findings together.
In Zest for Work’s Resilience-building programmes, leaders, individuals, and teams learn behaviours and habits that help them withstand physiological stress and build the capacity to cope with today’s constant strain. They recognise early signs of stress, manage their energy, recover more quickly, and build mental flexibility under pressure. Leaders learn to spot signals in others and respond early, before performance strain in their teams escalates into health issues.
[1] Brown, N. A. (2017). Resilience in the Workplace: An Evidence Review and Implications for Practices. American Heart Association, 64 p. https://ceoroundtable.heart.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ucm_496856.pdf
[2] Das, S. et al. (2019). Effectiveness of an Energy Management Training Course on Employee Well-Being: A Randomized Controlled Trial. American Journal of Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117118776875
[3] Das, S. et al. (2020). Sustained long-term effectiveness of an energy management training course on employee vitality and purpose in life. American Journal of Health Promotion, 34(2), 177-188. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117119883585
[4] Mars Inc. study results were conducted at our Client on Energy for live participants between March 2019 and January 2022. (N=1715 p<0.5.).
Global Mental Health & Energy Lead | Mars Incorporated
Programmes:
Behavioural Resilience
“Zest for Work delivers high quality Energy Management learning programmes – both face to face and virtual – that supports us to shift behaviours and culture @ MARS to one that breathes and sustains high energy and wellbeing.”
Regional Activity Manager | Mars Incorporated
Programmes:
Emotional Resilience
"The Emotional Resilience programme has nicely explained topics with energisers and real life examples. The 30 day plan will support me in reflecting and recognising my triggers."
Customer Service Representative | Mars Incorporated
Programmes:
Emotional Resilience
"The Emotional Resilience programme helped in getting to know your inner self. Identifying your triggers before you enter the high survival zone and come up with good solutions to restore your energy level. The trainer was good and was very passionate."