Mental Health at Work

How do we create space for emotions and feelings to be heard in our places of work? So many of us are left feeling isolated or ashamed when we open up about feelings like anxiety, confusion or sadness, even though we all experience them. In turn, we don't often authentically celebrate and share our positive emotions in the way we should. Feelings are with us 24/7. They don’t turn off during working hours, so we need to ensure that work can be a safe space where we can be human and experience normal human feelings. MHFA England® Training can be a huge part of creating safe spaces, as it covers so much more than spotting warning signs and signposting when necessary. 🧠 It creates a deeper understanding of what it is to be human. It’s also a powerful way to promote psychological safety by teaching people vital listening skills that help them better support others in navigating their feelings. Join us for the launch of our in-person open MHFAider training at The Mental Health Foundation on Oct. 21st/22nd. Visit our website to view all programmes on offer through Mental Health at Work https://lnkd.in/d_e_he97

Recent, relevant & in-depth report. Here are headlines to save you time... 📊 Absence and Attendance Average sickness absence: 9.4 days per employee per year (2025) 7.8 days (2023), 5.8 days (2022) 4.1% of working time lost to absence. Causes of absence: Short-term: Minor illness (78%), Mental ill health (29%), Stress (26%) Long-term: Mental ill health (41%), Musculoskeletal injuries (31%), Stress (28%) Sector variation: Public services: 13.3 days average lost Non-profit: 9.1 days Private sector: 6.5 days Organisation size impact: <50 employees: 4.5 days 50–249 employees: 9.1 days 250–999 employees: 13.2 days 1,000+ employees: 10.9 days 🧑🤝🧑 Wellbeing Strategies & Support Organisations with a stand-alone wellbeing strategy: 57% (up from 44% in 2020). Senior leaders with wellbeing on their agenda: 74% (up from 61% in 2020). Line manager buy-in: 75% (up from 58% in 2020). 75% support for working parents/carers. 67% support for bereavement and for chronic health conditions/disabilities. 37% of organisations remain more reactive than proactive. 😰 Stress & Mental Health Organisations reporting stress-related absence: 64% overall. Public sector: 84% Large private sector: 71% Causes of stress: Workloads/volume of work: 41% Non-work personal illness/health: 37% Relationships/family: 34% Pressure to meet targets/deadlines: 20% Management style: 17% Actions to reduce stress: Flexible working options: 61% Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): 52% Staff surveys/focus groups: 48% Training line managers: 39% Actions to support mental health: Counselling services: 43% Phased return/reasonable adjustments: 43% EAPs: 41% Training managers to support mental health: 29% Outcomes: 66% say organisation promotes good mental wellbeing. 65% say staff are well informed about mental health support. 73% of organisations with line manager training report managers confident in handling sensitive discussions (vs 57% without training). 💰 Wellbeing Benefits & Budgets Top benefits offered: Counselling: 71% EAP: 67% Occupational sick pay: 66% 24/7 mental health support: 52% Free eye tests: 57% Paid time off for vaccinations: 56% Access to a virtual GP: 34% Key factors when selecting benefits: Cost-effectiveness: 56% Ease of use: 36% Easy access/preventative: 31% Wellbeing budget expectations (next 12 months): Increase: 29% Decrease: 9% Top challenges: Finding budget under rising costs: 39% Employee engagement in activities: 28% Opportunities from investment: Improve health/wellbeing: 54% Boost engagement: 39% Reduce absence: 39% Improve performance: 38% 🏥 Occupational Health (OH) & Sick Pay OH service provision: 69% overall. Large organisations (250+ employees): 86% SMEs: 39% OH usage: Manage health risks: 31% Develop wellbeing strategy/policies: 29%

Announcement 📢 🧠 Here at Mental Health at Work, we now deliver open MHFA England® training both online and in person. Our face-to-face 2 Day Mental Health First Aid MHFAider courses will be delivered at the Mental Health Foundation offices in London Bridge, starting on October 21st & 22nd. 🗓️ Book today and be trained in time for the first-ever national MHFAider Day. https://lnkd.in/eY75SgKp #MHFAiderDay #WorkplaceWellbeing #MentalHealth

Our Managing Director Neil Laybourn will be speaking to the importance of open conversations and suicide prevention later on this month.

MHaW were delighted to attend this inspiring event along with other Mental Health Awareness 2025 partners Pinterest, BT Group, ISS A/S, JCDecaux and Royal Mail

Our managing director Neil Laybourn regularly visits SME and large employers to speak and help plan workshops around the UK in his own time, it's all very 'off-piste' in his own words - this keeps our insights as a company fresh and current and he really loves meeting those passionately leading people teams.

Download your company's Personal Action Plan https://lnkd.in/efz2TQeS In time to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 we have co-created a simple and effective tool alongside the Mental Health Foundation. The Personal Action Plan is simply and effectivly designed to capture how your colleague may interpret their own state of mental health at work and how to navigate this together. https://lnkd.in/eBjbKZei

Partnership Announcement 💥 Mental Health at Work are delighted to announce we are supporting the Mental Health Foundation once again as an official partner in 2025 for Mental Health Awareness Week. We join the other 2025 partners Pinterest, BT Group, ISS A/S, JCDecaux and Royal Mail to celebrate and promote this vitally important event for workplaces to get behind. The History ⌛ Since 2001, the Mental Health Foundation has been leading Mental Health Awareness Week - bringing together the UK to focus on getting good mental health. Each May, millions of people from every part of society take part. They include people in schools and further education; private, public and charity sectors; families and individuals. This Years Dates and Theme 🗓️ This year, Mental Health Awareness Week will take place from 12 to 18 May 2025.  The theme for 2025 is 'Community', and we can all use Mental Health Awareness Week to celebrate the power and importance of community within our work environment   Being part of a safe, positive community is vital for our mental health and wellbeing. We thrive when we have strong connections with other people and supportive communities that remind us, we are not alone. Communities can provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and give us a sense purpose.   There are lots of resources and information provided by the Mental Health Foundation on their website so your workplace can take part this year. Visit their website today!

It’s time Schedule and Celebrate your 2025 Mental Health Awareness Week Activity. Our curated webinars are designed to coincide with the 2025 Mental Health Awareness Week theme being 'Community’ and how the power of community in the workplace can make a big difference. A typical Webinar will cover: 💫 Understand your own workplace culture and encouraging a sense of belonging 💫 Using our own work community to support us through noticing change and enabling conversations. 💫 Skills to identify and mange stress, preventing a burnout scenario 💫 Explore our own state of mental health, boundaries and roles within our communities 💫 Opportunity for Q&A from audience to instructor.  Why use Mental Health at Work? We cover all areas of workplace expertise with CPD accredited and registered trademarked programmes making us the go to experts you can trust. 🌟 MHaW Understand half day programme 🌟 MHaW Manage® 1 day programme 🌟 MHaW Allies® 2 day programme 🌟 MHaW Workhops and Seminars 60 - 90 minutes 🌟 MHaW E-learning - ‘Mental Health & Wellbeing in the Modern Workplace’ 🌟 MHFA England® MHFAider® 2 day course 🌟 MHFA England® Champion 1 day course  🌟 MHFA England® Refresher half day course

Watch our helpful video guide; Understanding stress and pressure  Viewing link in the Comments Section 👇 A Free and informative guide to share with your team 🤷♂️ What is Stress? Stress is a response that we as a species have evolved to enhance our performance, however stress can sometimes have the opposite effect. Too much stress can lead to distress, which can be defined as a time when a person is not coping. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that stress might affect a person’s behaviour and performance at work. What this concise video cover off in less than 60 seconds: (Get the link to watch in the comments section 👇) - What is stress and pressure  - How people experience stress  - Impact of pressure on health - The importance of relieving stress 📺 📖 It is a great resource to share with your employees and also we will share some additional blog resources and toolkit for use around managing stress when you access this video today. Access the link to watch, read and learn more in the comments section below 👇