Moving from Awareness to Action: Building positive mental health in and through work

Trigger warning: this blog mentions suicide.

Many years ago, I watched an informative workplace video, much of which I have forgotten but two things remain with me:

1. Employees should feel like skipping into work. The meaning here is that work should be good for workers and they should want to be there.
   
   
2. A manufacturer asked their workers what they could do to improve their working conditions. The answer was ‘more light’. The light levels increased and productivity rose. Until it platformed. So, they asked the question again, ‘what can we do?’. ‘More light’ came the answer and once more productivity rose. This continued for some time until productivity took a nose dive. This time the answer was ‘less light’. This demonstrates the importance of listening to what your employees say and be seen to take action to improve their working conditions.

And the same lessons can be applied as part of your plan to embed effective mental health interventions, which is what I will cover in this blog.

But first … 

Throughout our (very nearly) 10 years of operation, Mates in Mind has always advocated for a proactive approach to mental health in the workplace, preventing people from reaching crisis. We were starting from a place where mental health awareness was low and stigma was high. Now though, things are beginning to shift, and so are we. The emphasis of our campaign messaging is moving from ‘awareness raising’ to empowering organisations to ‘take action and embed effective interventions’ so that mental health becomes everyone’s responsibility.

Therefore, with this in mind, and with World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September) and World Mental Health Day (10 October) coming up, in this blog I’m going to provide an overview of what your organisation can do, and where to access relevant training, resources and programme support in order to create a workplace culture founded on psychosocial safety.

Are you ready to take a stand, to take action and make work good for workers’ mental health?

If so, this blog is for you.

Why you can trust Mates in Mind

I get it, there are a lot of organisations working in the mental health space, each with their own USP. As a charity, at Mates in Mind we focus on prevention. Working in partnership with organisations as a trusted expert is just part of how we help create positive change.

In recent years, we have created lasting impact at organisation and sector level through commissioning research, campaigning for change in policy and procurement, working in partnership with sector bodies, and providing evidence-informed effective interventions. Our work has included:

• Pushing government to create policies that make work good for workers’ mental health: for example, our contribution to the Health and Social Care Committee’s Men’s Health Inquiry. 
  
  
• Improving understanding of what workers need to work well: for example, by commissioning research on Construction SMEs and Sole Traders, Young Construction Workers, and Accidental Counsellors in Agriculture.
  
  
• Developing guidance to help organisations improve their working practices: including working in partnership with the BSI to develop the BS 30480 Suicide and the Workplace Standard, and the Construction Leadership Council to develop the Mental Health in Construction Joint Code of Practice.
  
  
• Collaborating with others to reach those most in need: we were invited to join the National Suicide Prevention Network of The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales as one of their Innovation Partners. 
  
  
• Our work has been recognised with awards, including:
  
  • ‘Leaders in Suicide Prevention for High-Risk Sectors 2026 – UK’ in the GHP Mental Health Awards 2026.
  • ‘Apprenticeship initiative of the year’ runner-up at the London Construction Awards 2024.
  • 'Excellence in Challenging Stigma in the Workplace' award at the 2021 Inspire Workplace Wellbeing Awards.

We’ve achieved a lot in just 9 years. But we know there is so much more we need to do. If you want to be part of that journey, please join our movement by becoming a Member of our community and let’s work together to build positive mental health in and through work, or support us to continue our impactful work.

Discover free mental health resources

When budgets are tight and you have to justify every pound spent, we know you need reassurance that you are getting value for money when investing in mental health and wellbeing training and programmes.

Why not try before you buy, so to speak, and discover our free resources, training and blogs (below) and then discover how working with us we can help you build a culture of prevention.

Free resources

Using our expertise we have developed a range of accessible mental health and wellbeing resources and videos covering everything from how to spot the signs of stress to signposting support, from a mental health quiz to understanding neurodiversity in the workplace, plus infographics, factsheets, guides and more.

To be amongst the first to know when we have published new resources, videos or awareness day campaign materials (for example, for World Suicide Prevention Day, Stress Awareness Month and so much more) please sign up to our newsletter.

Free training

In August we launched new digital training aiming to increase awareness and reduce suicide amongst sole traders and self-employed construction workers. The two modules (suicide awareness and suicide prevention) were created in partnership with The Baton of Hope and funded by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales. Mates in Mind is a partner of The Royal Foundation’s National Suicide Prevention Network, a four nations initiative launched last year to strengthen access, collaboration and innovation across suicide prevention. 

Free advice and guidance

Over the last three years we have published 28 blogs focusing on optimising your own mental wellbeing and providing guidance on how you can build positive mental health in your workplace. 

Previous blogs (please see ‘further reading’ below) have covered the statistics around mental health, what causes mental ill-health in the workplace, how to address those issues and so much more. Therefore, in this blog I’m going to stick to the theme – how to move from awareness (including putting up awareness day posters and including the link to your EAP in your contracts) to action – implementing effective interventions. 

The list below is just a starter for ten, to find out more, please contact us to start a conversation about how we can help you.

1. Managers: management buy-in is essential for ensuring the organisation is genuinely committed to creating a workplace culture that is built on psychosocial safety and that strategies for supporting mental wellbeing are integrated into all aspect of the business and its day-to-day processes. 
   
   
2. Assessment: an assessment should be made of current working practices, what impact they are having on employees and the effectiveness of the existing mental health interventions in place. The aim is to identify any working practices that are causing mental ill-health so they can be designed out and identify any gaps in provision so the necessary improvements can be implemented. 
   
   
3. Targets: the vision for supporting mental health should be defined in a strategy and a plan should be drawn up for how to achieve it, including making changes (where possible) to working practices as well as to the interventions provided. 
   
   
4. Education: the entire workforce must receive training and information so they have the skills, knowledge, tools and confidence to provide initial and immediate support to colleagues who may be experiencing mental ill-health, know how to refer the person for further help, and know how to check if the individual is willing for the concerns to be reported to management so they can immediately provide appropriate support. 
    
5. Support: employees, contractors and people working in the organisation’s supply chain must know how to access the mental health support if they require it – for example, via the company’s own HR team, an occupational health service contracted by the business to provide confidential mental health support, or external channels, such as NHS services and charities offering free, confidential support. 
   
   
6. Communicate: the workforce must be given relevant, timely and accessible communication materials about the causes of poor mental health, factors that can contribute to suicide risk, actions individuals can seek to improve their mental wellbeing, and internal and external support channels. 
   
   
7. Progress: the effectiveness of the organisation’s mental health strategy should be reviewed annually. 
   
   
8. Mentoring: peer support networks must be created across the organisation, supply chain and/or contractors. 
   
   
9. Diversity, equity and inclusion: it is vital that a diverse workforce understands that their needs are known, understood, respected, valued and integrated by the employer, managers and colleagues – for example, people with disabilities receive adequate support, and steps are taken to ensure discrimination or discriminatory behaviour does not occur at work. 
   
   
10. Policies: a workplace mental health policy must be drawn up, and regularly reviewed and updated as circumstances change. 

In addition, when seeking to support mental health at work, employers should consider: 

• Values: all employees should receive training so they understand and adopt the beliefs, values and actions that will help support everyone’s mental health. This means, for instance, everyone understanding the importance of challenging and (if necessary), reporting inappropriate behaviour that can affect mental health, such as bullying, reinforcing stereotypes, ignoring concerns about a colleague’s mental health, or failing to respond to requests for help from a colleague experiencing poor mental health. 
  
  
• Environment: limiting access to means of suicide at work. This involves carrying out a comprehensive suicide risk assessment for their workplace and workforce, and putting physical suicide prevention controls in place, such as restricting access to harmful chemicals. 

The above provides a list of important actions, but does your organisation have the resources, tools, skills and confidence to implement them all? If no, then the section below will provide you with solutions.

How Mates in Mind can help you

We work collaboratively with organisations of any size to create a culture of prevention by focusing on evidence-informed primary and secondary interventions.

Discover how working with us will help you.

Programmes

If you want to take your organisation to the next level then discover our Membership, Champions and Apprenticeship Programmes.

1.    Become a Member

Empower your People. Strengthen your Organisation. Lead the Way.

Our survey found that:

• Almost 70 per cent of respondents said that their line managers do not know how to undertake stress risk assessments or understand when they may be necessary.
  
  
• Over 46 per cent do not have mental health policies in place.
  
  
• 61 per cent said they have not provided all employees with general mental health awareness training in the last two years.
  
  
• However, almost 78 per cent said they do record the reason for absence being related to stress or common mental health conditions.

Employers have a legal duty of care to ensure the health (including mental health) and safety of their employees. This includes protecting workers from stress at work by doing a risk assessment and acting on it.

Your organisation’s success depends on the wellbeing of your people. When your teams feel supported, informed, and safe to speak openly about mental health, they perform better, collaborate more effectively, and stay with you longer.

Becoming a Mates in Mind Member is your first step towards building a safer, healthier, more resilient workplace, one where mental health is understood, championed and meaningfully supported at every level.

Membership starts with an annual organisation assessment which identifies gaps and provides a tailored recommendations report which enables you to strengthen your strategy, implement effective interventions and measure progress against both your own plan and against a sector benchmark.

If you work in construction and are looking to address the five hazards as identified in the CLC’s Mental Health in Construction Joint Code of Practice, our programme can support you on that journey. 

2.    Become a Champion

Research has found that almost a third of SME construction workers and sole traders had experienced ‘severe’ anxiety, a further third ‘moderate’ anxiety and the remainder ‘mild’ anxiety. And yet, ‘Only 21 per cent of SMEs provide training for line managers on ways to improve employees’ health and wellbeing’ and cost was identified as a primary hurdle impacting 33 per cent of small and medium sized firms, whilst for 18 per cent a lack of internal resources and time was a more challenging barrier.

This is why we ask medium and large sized organisations to support the small organisations and sole traders within their supply chains.

Supporting your supply chain to become mentally resilient is important as it benefits the employees, their employer, and the wider local community. It also benefits your organisation.

3.    Support your Apprentices

Our survey of apprentices found that:

• 73 per cent had felt stressed at least once in the previous week.
  
  
• Only 33 per cent said their employer/colleague would notice signs of mental ill-health in others (the rest said no or unsure).
  
  
• 70 per cent had NEVER taken part in any mental health training and yet 91% said they thought training would help them to manage their own mental health.
  
  
• Only 55 per cent said they would reach out to someone if they were experiencing stress, depression or anxiety.

When young apprentices enter the workplace, there is awareness that they are at a heightened risk in terms of their own safety. But often, the risk in regard to their mental health is not considered. 

This is why we created our Let’s Talk Mental Wellbeing Programme for apprentices which aims to increase awareness of mental health and wellbeing, to instil a confidence amongst apprentices in knowing where to seek support themselves, and how to start and manage the conversation about mental health in order to break down the stigma that surrounds it.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Training

If you want to start taking action but are not yet ready to join a comprehensive programme, we offer a range of mental health and wellbeing training options, including Mental Health First Aid, Start the Conversation (for all staff), Manage the Conversation (for line managers) and much more.

When to take action to build positive mental health

The time to take action is now.

By action, I do not mean fixing employees or putting the onus on them to ‘heal themselves’.  

This is about organisations embedding psychosocial safety in their culture in the same way that physical safety is. It’s about Board’s taking responsibility for building positive mental health in and through work. It’s about instilling a workplace culture in which every employee feels safe to talk about their mental health and seek support if needed. It’s about championing mental health and wellbeing.

If you’re ready to stand up and be the catalyst for change, then speak to our team today.

Further reading

Our blogs can help you find practical tips and guidance on suicide prevention, as well as how to improve mental health and manage stress in the workplace, create a culture of prevention at work, eradicate the culture of silence and address the stigma around mental health in the workplace.

The series also provides guidance on more specific issues, for example, encouraging honest conversations and keeping workplace banter healthy, supporting neurodiversity in the workplace, understanding grief and bereavement, understanding PTSD and psychological trauma at work, and working in isolation.

Finally, you can discover our ‘how to optimise your own mental wellbeing’ series.

Final comment

If you want to see your employees’ skipping into work and are prepared to actively listen to them, then you’re ready to start a conversation.