As Mental Health Awareness Week shines a spotlight on the theme of “Take action”, Make a Difference asked our LinkedIn network a simple but important question:
What ONE action is really moving the dial in your workplace when it comes to supporting employees’ good mental health?
The responses reinforced something we hear time and again across the workplace culture, employee health and wellbeing landscape: supporting mental health at work is no longer about surface-level perks or token gestures – like bikes and bananas. Employers are increasingly recognising that meaningful impact comes from addressing how work is designed, managed and experienced every day.
From leadership visibility and psychological safety to stress risk assessments and measurable wellbeing strategies, the conversation revealed a growing shift towards more systemic, preventative and evidence-based approaches to workplace mental health.
Consistent leadership sets the tone
One of the strongest themes emerging from the discussion was the critical role senior leaders play in shaping workplace culture.
Sarah Restall, Culture & Wellbeing Strategic Consultant, argued that while individual actions matter, the biggest differentiator is leaders consistently championing mental health through visible action and authentic behaviour.
She said:
“If you have a senior leader who shows up, all the time, actively championing mental health in the workplace it can measurably change how people feel.”
Importantly, Sarah highlighted that this is not simply about leaders giving employees permission to speak openly about mental health. It is about creating a culture where support, trust and healthy behaviours are demonstrated consistently over time.
This perspective echoes insights shared by Will Lankston, Managing Director of Timpson Direct, at the recent Manchester Make a Difference Leaders’ Lunch.
Although discussing workplace culture more broadly rather than mental health specifically, Lankston emphasised how much employees value consistency in how they are treated – something that inevitably impacts wellbeing, trust and psychological safety.
Psychological safety matters more than wellbeing slogans
Consultant Davina Jenkins argued that one of the most important actions organisations can take is making it genuinely safe for employees to admit when workloads or pressure have become unsustainable.
Too often, she suggested, workplaces still quietly reward behaviours that undermine good mental health, including constant availability, silent coping and pushing through exhaustion.
“The organisations I see making the biggest difference,” she explained, “are often focusing less on wellbeing initiatives and more on how work actually feels day to day.”
Davina pointed to several workplace factors that have the greatest impact on employee wellbeing:
- Clear expectations and role clarity
- Manageable workloads
- Consistent leadership
- Psychological safety
- Healthy boundaries
- High-quality conversations
- Human-centred line management that looks beyond policies
Her comments reflect a broader evolution in workplace wellbeing strategy. Increasingly, employers are moving away from standalone wellbeing initiatives and towards embedding mental health into leadership capability, organisational design and management practice.
As Davina succinctly put it:
“We don’t experience work and wellbeing separately. Work is one of the environments that shapes wellbeing.”
Stress risk assessments are moving up the agenda
Another significant theme was the growing focus on stress risk assessments and preventative approaches to work-related stress.
Elliot Foster from SuperWellness highlighted that many organisations still use stress risk assessments primarily as a reactive “return to work” tool. However, following recent investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), there is increasing recognition that employers need a more robust and proactive framework.
He explained that helping organisations understand their legal responsibilities and implement effective processes can play a major role in preventing work-related stress before it escalates into more serious mental health conditions.
This preventative approach was echoed by Sadie Restorick from Phoenix Horizon Group, who shared how organisations are seeing promising results through risk profiling training for leaders and managers, combined with team-based discussions focused on identifying “reds, ambers and greens”.
These conversations allow teams to collectively agree practical controls and adjustments that help employees thrive at work.
Sadie explained that while the HSE Management Standards provide a strong foundation, organisations are also looking at how different workplace risk factors intersect and influence one another.
Importantly, she noted that organisations are starting to gather both short-term and longitudinal wellbeing data to assess whether interventions deliver sustainable organisational impact over time.
Measuring wellbeing – but measuring the right things
Measurement itself emerged as another key issue.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategist Glen Ridgway argued that organisations must measure wellbeing if they want to improve it – but warned against focusing on the wrong metrics.
Referencing the famous management phrase often paraphrased as “what gets measured gets managed”, Glen pointed out that the original thinking behind the concept was actually a warning about unintended consequences.
If organisations measure the wrong things, they risk driving the wrong behaviours. Glen’s argument is that there needs to be a standard, auditable way of measuring wellbeing. That way shareholders and stakeholders can have confidence in where to invest their time and money. Once it becomes part of accepted business reporting only then it will truly gain the prominence it deserves.
This is particularly relevant as employers increasingly invest in workplace wellbeing analytics, employee listening tools and AI-driven insight platforms. Data can provide valuable insight into workforce health, but only when combined with meaningful action and human-centred leadership.
Innovation, inclusion and long-term impact
Several contributors also highlighted the growing importance of innovation and inclusion in workplace mental health strategies.
Professor Jim Morgan drew attention to the development of modular stress-management tools, including the rollout of Performance Edge VR across multiple sectors. This is an immersive, evidence-based virtual reality training programme, designed to help individuals manage stress, build mental resilience, and improve focus under pressure. His interest lies in interventions that have been robustly evaluated and demonstrate measurable impact.
Meanwhile, Vanessa Juby highlighted the positive impact of women’s mentoring programmes and volunteer days.
Drawing on research including the Oxford Saïd wellbeing meta study on volunteering, she noted that initiatives supporting mentoring, sponsorship and social contribution can positively influence belonging, burnout prevention and mental health outcomes – particularly for women.
These comments reinforce a growing understanding that mental health is influenced not only by workload and stress management, but also by inclusion, connection, purpose and opportunities for growth.
The future of workplace mental health is systemic, not superficial
Taken together, the discussion paints a clear picture of where workplace mental health strategies are heading.
Employers are increasingly recognising that sustainable improvements in employee mental health are unlikely to come from isolated wellbeing initiatives alone. Instead, the organisations making the greatest progress appear to be those focusing on culture, leadership, workload management, psychological safety and preventative action.
Mental Health Awareness Week’s “Take action” theme feels particularly timely in this context.
Because the actions making the biggest difference are often not the loudest or most performative. They are the consistent, systemic and human actions that shape how work feels every day.
You can read the full LinkedIn thread that generated this content here.
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