Top 5 Employee Wellbeing Tips: Creating a Healthier and Happier Workplace
Apr 06, 2025
I once had a manager who checked in with us every Friday—not about deadlines or numbers, but about how we were feeling. It started with a simple question: “What’s one thing that lifted your mood this week?” No spreadsheets. No stress. Just space to breathe.
That tiny ritual did something unexpected. It made us feel seen. And as it turns out, feeling seen is one of the most underrated strategies to promote wellbeing at work.
So, what does it actually take to create a workplace where people feel healthy, happy, and human?
Why Employee Mental Health Matters More Than Ever
Mental health isn’t a ‘good to have’ anymore—it's core to how teams function and thrive.
Recent statistics highlight the urgency:
- Work-Related Stress: In 2022/23, an estimated 875,000 UK workers suffered from work-related stress, depression, or anxiety, leading to 17.1 million lost working days.
- Productivity Impact: Companies implementing effective health and wellbeing programmes can see a productivity increase of up to 20%.
- Younger Workforce Challenges: Nearly one-third of workers aged 18 to 24 took time off for poor mental health in the past year, compared to one in ten workers aged 55 and above.
Here’s the disconnect: companies want to support their teams, but many don’t know where to start. And employees? They’re quietly burning out behind Zoom calls, assembly lines, forklift dashboards, checkout counters, and unread emails.
Knowing how to improve mental health in the workplace isn’t about gimmicks or perks—it’s about building a culture of care through effective strategies that actually promote employee wellbeing. Here are five steps that any organisation, whether you're managing an office team, a factory floor, or a retail crew, can use to support mental wellbeing at work.
1. Make Room for Meaningful Connection
Humans aren’t designed to work in isolation. Loneliness at work is real—and it’s on the rise.
Regular one-on-ones, team check-ins, or even low-pressure social time (virtual or in-person) go a long way in helping with employee wellbeing. Research from the Red Cross shows that meaningful social connections significantly improve mental wellbeing.
Try this:
- Introduce “connection rituals” like gratitude rounds or mental health check-ins: These moments of reflection help normalise emotional awareness and encourage employees to recognise the good, even in a tough week.
- Create Slack channels for non-work banter: Informal spaces for shared interests or humour can break down silos, foster relationships across departments, and help people feel more like individuals than job titles.
- Host monthly “coffee roulette” sessions that randomly pair employees for casual chats: This promotes cross-team bonding, reduces feelings of isolation, and can surface unexpected synergies or support systems.
Why it works: Feeling connected gives employees a sense of belonging—a core pillar of wellbeing. When people feel part of a community, they're more likely to be engaged, motivated, and resilient in the face of stress. It also helps reduce feelings of isolation, especially in hybrid or shift-based environments, where interactions may be limited.
2. Prioritise Psychological Safety
You can’t promote mental health if people don’t feel safe to speak up.
Psychological safety—where employees feel they can share concerns without fear of judgment—is foundational to mental wellbeing at work. And it has business benefits too. Teams that feel safe are more innovative, collaborative, and resilient.
Try this:
- Train managers in active listening and mental health first aid: This ensures that they not only hear what their teams are saying but truly understand and respond with empathy. It equips them to recognise early signs of distress and step in with support before things escalate.
- Make space for anonymous feedback: Anonymous channels allow employees to voice concerns they may be hesitant to raise openly, providing leadership with honest insight into workplace dynamics and unspoken stressors.
- Publicly model vulnerability from leadership (e.g. “I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately too”): When leaders open up about their own challenges, it sets the tone for authenticity and normalises mental health conversations across the organisation.
Why it works: Safe spaces reduce stress and encourage authenticity—two critical components of emotional health. When employees know they won’t be penalised for sharing struggles or suggesting change, they’re more likely to engage, speak up, and trust their team. This trust forms the backbone of a mentally healthy workplace and leads to stronger collaboration, lower turnover, and higher morale.
3. Make Wellbeing a Part of the Workflow
If your only nod to mental health is a poster in the breakroom, it's not going to cut it.
Wellbeing shouldn’t live in HR decks—it should live in daily rhythms. Think flexible hours, built-in breaks, and realistic expectations.
Try this:
- Block "meeting-free" focus hours: These designated times give employees uninterrupted space to concentrate, boosting productivity and reducing the cognitive strain of constant context switching.
- Allow flexible start and end times: Flexibility helps people manage personal responsibilities, like school runs or medical appointments, without guilt, reducing stress and making it easier to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
- Encourage true lunch breaks (away from screens): Stepping away from the desk helps prevent burnout, improves digestion and posture, and can reset the brain for better focus in the afternoon.
Why it works: Micro-adjustments to schedules can have macro effects on mental clarity and stress reduction, and overall employee wellbeing. Even small changes like shifting start times or building in recovery moments during a shift can help reduce cognitive overload, improve emotional regulation, and make the workday feel more manageable, and act as effective strategies to promote wellbeing at work. This kind of autonomy boosts a sense of control—something that's deeply linked to lower stress levels and better mental health outcomes.
4. Build Self-Care into the Culture
The NHS outlines five key actions to boost mental wellbeing: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning, and give. Integrating these into your workplace can be both straightforward and impactful.
Try this:
- Encourage short stretch breaks during shifts or set aside five minutes for guided breathing exercises as part of morning meetings: These practices can reduce physical tension and promote mental relaxation.
- Launch a personal growth fund for learning something new: Supporting employees in acquiring new skills can boost self-esteem and foster a sense of purpose.
- Celebrate small wins and acts of kindness internally: Recognizing achievements and promoting a culture of giving can enhance overall morale and strengthen team bonds.
Why it works: Embedding these habits into the workplace can help regulate emotions, improve mood, and build long-term resilience. They promote a sense of autonomy, self-worth, and emotional balance—all vital for sustaining mental wellbeing at work.
5. Support from the Top (and in Writing)
The best strategies to promote wellbeing have one thing in common: leadership buy-in. When senior leaders talk openly about mental health, take their own breaks, and set boundaries, it sends a powerful message: “It’s okay for you to do this too.”
But talk alone won’t do it—support needs to be backed by policy and practice.
Try this:
- Offer mental health days in addition to sick leave: These validate mental rest as a legitimate need, helping employees reset before small issues become big problems. A 2023 report by Deloitte found that poor mental health costs UK employers up to £56 billion a year, much of which is preventable with early intervention. (Deloitte UK)
- Include therapy access or self-guided support in benefits packages: This can include free sessions with counsellors, app subscriptions like Calm or Headspace, or on-site mental health clinics for larger employers. These resources help normalise mental health care and reduce barriers to getting help.
- Train managers to spot burnout early: Equip your people leaders to identify red flags like withdrawal, irritability, or uncharacteristic underperformance—especially among shift workers or those in high-pressure roles. Catching this early often leads to quick, low-cost solutions rather than long-term leave.
Why it works: Formal policies create psychological permission for people to prioritise their wellbeing. They remove ambiguity and signal to employees that support isn’t just lip service—it’s operationalised.
Final Thoughts
Workplaces today can no longer afford to treat mental health as a luxury. It’s a core business lever—impacting productivity, retention, innovation, and overall culture. Organisations investing in the best strategies to promote well will see compounding returns in the near future.
And here’s the good news: creating a mentally healthier environment doesn’t always require grand gestures. It starts with small, intentional shifts in mindset, routine, and communication.
Build spaces where people can be human. Where a tough day is met with empathy, not silence. Where breaks are seen as wise, not weak.
Because the ROI on mental wellbeing isn’t just found in spreadsheets. It’s in trust. Loyalty. And the kind of team that shows up, not because they have to, but because they want to.
FAQs
What are five simple ways to boost mental wellbeing at work?
- Start your day with a 5-minute check-in—solo or with a teammate.
- Take stretch or walking breaks every 90 minutes.
- Keep a gratitude log—what went well today
- Unplug completely during lunch (no scrolling).
- Celebrate small wins with your team.
How can organisations create a culture that promotes mental wellbeing?
By embedding wellbeing into daily rhythms, not just annual reports. That includes flexible schedules, mental health-friendly policies, leadership modelling balance, and routine check-ins to see how people are actually doing, not just how work is progressing.
How can employees take care of their own mental health at work?
Set boundaries and stick to them. Talk to someone when things feel off. Take micro-breaks. Use company-provided resources if they exist. And if they don’t? Start the conversation. Mental health is a shared responsibility.
What workplace policies can help improve overall employee wellbeing?
- Flexible hours and remote/hybrid options
- Mental health days are separate from sick leave
- Access to therapy, helplines, or wellbeing apps
- Anonymous feedback systems
- Burnout prevention training for managers
