<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1244923805528197&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Skip to content
CASE STUDY

Less Burnout, More Buy-In: How Exos Reimagined Work
Lock-up with Exos logo and Wharton School of Business logo, representing their partnership in the future of work.
Smiling remote employee in casual clothes works on a laptop at home, representing Exos’s approach to sustaining culture and capacity in distributed teams.
THE CHALLENGE

Preserving Culture & Capacity in a Distributed Workforce

Despite strong business performance, Exos noticed something troubling amidst the transition to remote/hybrid work: Our employees were running on empty.

Less face time with leadership created pressure on employees to “hustle harder” to prove their presence and impact. This led to increased burnout, emotional exhaustion, and a declining sense of community. The result? Eroding well-being and diminishing productivity.

The remedy had to go beyond one-off employee engagement solutions. We had to make serious changes to maintain a culture of high performance without burning out our workforce.
gettyimages-1237011854
THE STORY

Redesigning Work From the Inside Out

At Exos, we’ve always coached others to perform at their best. It was time to coach ourselves.

We introduced the Readiness Culture Code, a company-wide framework built on one simple principle: Work + Rest = Success.

Exos leadership set out to systematically and sustainably redesign the way we work while supporting business outcomes. So, we piloted a six-month internal experiment built on strategic recovery. Wharton School of Business organizational psychologist Adam Grant and doctoral candidate Marissa Shandell analyzed and verified the results. The hypothesis: When recovery is built into the culture, both employees and businesses can thrive.
Cover and inside pages of the Exos Readiness Culture Code, a framework for building sustainable business performance through human performance coaching.

A Custom-Built, Scalable Model

Exos doesn’t do cookie-cutter employee engagement solutions. Each of our programs is personalized to our clients’ unique needs, and they go far beyond just the fitness center. 
anglephoto1

Standardized Wellness Programs

Through rapidly changing eras including COVID-19, Exos consistently rolled out group fitness, nutritional support, mental well-being, and virtual employee engagement solutions to meet the evolving needs of employees. During Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccination program, Exos teams supported operations by checking in employees and leading movement sessions in line.

Strategic Design & Build Services

Our world-class space design and development team designed and built six new facilities and renovated six existing ones across the U.S. This included redeploying $300,000 in exercise equipment assets, obtained through acquisitions, to generate significant cost savings and upgrade Pfizer’s portfolio of workplace amenities.

Service Request Platform

Exos implemented an online service request system to support streamlined coordination of Recharge Breaks and other wellness offerings. This platform has supported global program delivery across Pfizer's workforce.

Global Hybrid Expansion

Exos virtual coaching gave Pfizer employees across the globe access to wellness programming, regardless of location or remote status.

Centralized Management

Exos implemented a unified standard operating model across 14 locations to ensure a consistent member experience. This included revenue/expense management, programming, staffing, and data tracking.

Recharge Breaks Deployment

As of January 2025, Exos officially deployed the three standard Recharge Break formats (for energy, creativity, or calm) across Pfizer. These sessions are delivered by both on-site and virtual coaches. To date, the team has completed 198 sessions with a total attendance of 8,255.

Data-Driven Efficiencies

Our team implemented Net Promoter Score (NPS) tracking, utilization data, and outcome monitoring to continually measure impact and improve how we serve each member.
logo-svg-dark
THE SOLUTION

Work + Rest = Success

We rolled out a series of intentional shifts designed to restore balance and reclaim performance.
Create a Culture of Daily Recovery With Microbreaks
Drive Better Collaboration With Fewer, Purposeful Meetings
Minimize Task-Switching With Smarter Scheduling Habits
Foster Autonomy and Recovery With Weekly “You Do You” Wellness Days

CAPABILITIES DEPLOYED
THE RESULTS

When People Thrive, Performance Follows

Adam Grant and Marissa Shandell of Wharton School of Business both analyzed and verified the pilot’s impact. Across both employee surveys and manager appraisals, we saw clear improvements in well-being, time use, and business performance.

211

YoY increase in incremental sales pipeline (July–Dec)

71

45 pts above the industry benchmark

38

turnover decreased by 38% year over year

91

said they were productive at work (+24pp improvement)

91

said they used time effectively (+27pp improvement)

87

said Exos supports their recovery (+33pp improvement)

fitness-center-1

Fitness Center Management

people-group

Centralized Operations

programming

Hybrid Programming

headset

Virtual Coaching

group-work

Group Exercise

nutrition

Nutrition & Wellness Integration

space-design

Space Design & Renovation

training

Personal Training

massage

Massage Therapy

recreation

Recreation Management

nutrition-plan

Nutrition Consults

meal-plan

Meal Planning

coaching

One-on-one Coaching

app

Exos App

Results

Consistent quality, scaled delivery, and versatile impact.

63 NPS

vs. industry average of 26

14

centrally-operated fitness centers, expanded from 3 since 2000.

71,000+

global Pfizer employees served by Exos virtual coaching across 45 countries

8,200+

employees engaged through Recharge Breaks alone

11,000+

skin cancer screenings completed

26

melanoma cases detected

“When employers fail to give people the option to exercise that autonomy, they may struggle to attract and retain superstars.”

Adam Grant
Organizational Psychologist
“The data is clear: Designing for recovery is a strategic lever, not a luxury. The Readiness Culture Code proved that people perform better when they’re empowered to recover. And when employees thrive, so does the business.”
Amanda Phillips
Chief Performance Innovation Officer, Exos
“The accumulating evidence suggests that spending less time working doesn’t mean less work gets done.”
Marissa Shandell
Doctoral Candidate, Wharton School of Business
Chart showing improved well-being scores after Exos program: burnout, exhaustion, and rumination dropped, while focus and engagement rose.
Bar chart showing decreases in exhaustion, burnout, demands, and rumination, with increases in time use, focus, and support after Exos intervention.

What This Means for You

Exos proved firsthand that you don’t need to sacrifice employee well-being for business performance. In fact, sustainable workforce efficiency comes from sustainable workforce well-being.

You don’t need to implement a four-day work week to make real improvements to your company culture. It starts with the intention to help your employees thrive.

If burnout is silently eroding your productivity, it might be time to rethink how you do things. We can help you build your own Readiness Culture Code: one grounded in resilient systems, human-first principles, and elevated performance.
Results from 138 Exos corporate employees with complete baseline and conclusion data who participated in “You Do You Fridays” (May–October 2023).

Build a Culture That Performs Without Burning Out

If burnout, turnover, or disengagement are slowing your workforce down, we can help. Reach out to explore how your employees can thrive while delivering on their goals.