How to improve wellbeing in your workplace

Develop your approach to workplace wellbeing

Improving wellbeing at work involves more than just a few one-off initiatives like gym memberships, or, only engaging staff once a year on national dates.

It’s important to develop a strategy that’s wide-reaching, comprehensive and sustainable. Wellbeing programmes need to be fully integrated into an organisation’s culture and operations to be successful. But where to start?

We’ve developed a resource, together with Mindful Employer Leeds, which can guide you as a local employer, whether big or small, through the steps you can take to improve wellbeing in your workplace.

Join the Mindful Employer Leeds network

Guidance and information in creating a healthy workplace culture is available by joining Mindful Employer Leeds network. Mindful Employer is a national initiative which supports employers to take a positive attitude to mental health at work. In Leeds the network has a strong network of employers across all sectors who are interested in making positive changes in their workplaces to properly support staff experiencing mental health difficulties.

It’s free to join the network. Members can attend free quarterly network events and receive a monthly newsletter. They can also ask the Mindful Employer Leeds Coordinator for support and advice and sign the Mindful Employer Charter which shows a commitment to working towards better practice.

Mindful Employer Plus is a service exclusively for organisations who are Charter signatories. It provides a confidential staff helpline and a confidential managerial advice line for just £1+VAT per person per year.

Email mindfulemployer@leedsmind.org.uk for more information about joining the network.

Get involved: This is Me Yorkshire

This is Me is a nationwide campaign empowering employers of all sizes to collectively change the narrative around mental health in the workplace by encouraging employees to share their stories and experiences. Find out how to get involved in This is Me Yorkshire.

Get involved: ‘Check-in’ campaign

The ‘Check-in‘ campaign aims to reduce staff suicide and promote a wellbeing culture by normalising the conversation around suicide and mental health as well as providing training, resources and signposting to support.

The campaign runs across the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership and is accessible by all colleagues, working and volunteering, in your organisation.

Support staff who are working remotely

With the shift to remote working due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s likely that many people may still be working remotely or flexibly. Whether that’s full time, or for part of their working week. It’s important to support staff to work effectively, look after their mental health and stay connected with colleagues during this time.

Many hybrid workers have also highlighted the benefit of flexible working in helping them to manage the increased cost of living, for instance in reducing the cost of commuting to and from the workplace.

For managers and team leaders, Mind have put together a list of ideas of how to support your team’s wellbeing whilst staff are working from home or remotely. Visit the webpage here: Coronavirus: supporting yourself and your team

Our page Self-care to stay well whilst working from home has tips and resources to help people manage their mental health and set some boundaries for their home working.

Is hybrid working here to stay?

This is the question many businesses, managers and employees are asking as they decide on the ‘right amount’ of time to be in the office. While hybrid works best when you link it to your organisational values and objectives, a 2022 survey conducted by Glassdoor analysing over 527,0000 reviews by UK employees, discovered that hybrid-discussing workers rated their workplace experience far more favourably and applied to fewer jobs than those who did not mention hybrid in their reviews.

Key findings

• Employees discussing hybrid work are significantly more satisfied than their counterparts
• Workers without flexibility are twice as likely to apply for a new job
• Discussion about ‘hybrid’ up 1600% in the last 12 months in employee reviews 
• Hybrid employees have better work-life balance and work autonomy but are at risk of disconnection and career stagnation
• 6 in 10 say hybrid working has helped them to manage the rising cost of living (58%)

Give staff information about MindWell

MindWell has lots of resources to help you promote positive mental health in your organisation.

Sharing and displaying our resources can help to reduce the fear and stigma that can stop people talking about their mental health at work. It’s also especially helpful for line managers and staff who may be concerned about a colleague to have access to these resources.

MindWell plasma screen

MindWell email signature

Staff intranet

Do you have a staff intranet where you can share information about MindWell?

Printed resources

A range of printed resources including MindWell posters and cards, How are you feeling? leaflet and Leeds Crisis Card is available from Leeds Public Health Resource Centre. It can be helpful to leave some of these resources in areas like kitchens and toilets.

Self-help materials

We have a library of self-help resources which can be shared with team members including these self-care sheets. It’s also a great idea to put our wellbeing at work sheet on your staff noticeboards or intranet!