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How can employers support employees during Mental Health Awareness Week?

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 took place on 12th May 2025 – 18th May 2025.

Introduction

Mental Health Awareness Week, held annually across the UK, is a timely reminder to assess how well an organisation continues to support employee mental wellbeing. As the importance of mental health continues to be at the forefront of workplace agenda, employers should ensure they are not only compliant with legal obligations but also proactive in promoting a culture of inclusiveness.

This article provides practical, actionable steps employers can take to support mental health in the workplace.

1. Review and Update Policies

Employers should regularly review and update their staff handbook, policies and procedures to ensure that staff members with mental health issues feel supported. Policies should be inclusive, supportive, and clearly communicated to all staff.

2. Train Line Managers

Managers are the first line of defence in spotting early signs of poor mental health. It is recommended that managers are trained to recognise mental health and how to manage those with poor mental health.

Employers could also consider introducing Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training across their leadership teams or nominating mental health champions within the workplace.

3. Promote Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)

If the organisation has introduced any EAPs, employers should make sure that they are well-promoted and accessible. Employers may consider using Mental Health Awareness Week as an opportunity to run webinars or internal campaigns highlighting available resources. However, any campaigns should ideally be ongoing rather than just an annual event.

4. Encourage a Culture of Openness

Create safe environments where staff feel they can speak up without fear of stigma. This could include:

  • senior leaders sharing their own experiences;
  • peer support networks or wellbeing champions; and
  • regular check-ins (either virtually or in-person) and anonymous feedback tools.

5. Manage Workload and Expectations

Employers may want to conduct stress risk assessments and engage with staff to understand workload pressures or whether alternative working hours are suitable.

Employers should encourage work-life balance by:

  • Discouraging out-of-hours emails (some organisations use email signatures to set appropriate boundaries by including an individual’s working hours and reminding any recipients that their working hours may not be the same);
  • Monitoring overtime trends; and
  • Encouraging the full utilisation of annual leave by employees.

6. Empower employees to work autonomously

Where practicable, an organisation may want to consider whether they could implement a hybrid working model. However, it is still crucial to arrange check ins with staff, even if they are working remotely on certain days, to ensure that they don’t feel isolated.

7. Track and Measure Staff Behaviour

Employers can use HR metrics to monitor:

  • Absence due to stress or mental health;
  • Uptake of wellbeing services; and
  • Staff survey data.

This helps identify trends, assess the effectiveness of interventions, and justify budget allocations for future wellbeing initiatives.

Implementing the above will help employers achieve an inclusive workplace culture that ensures mental health is dealt with appropriately.

Please contact us if you would like more information about the issues raised in this article or any other aspect of employment law at 02920 345 511 or employment@berrysmith.com