WMHD: Empower employees to take responsibility for their own mental health

News
Joanne Swann
A woman in a bandana and lace top stands on a bridge, empowered and confident, as she overlooks a canal in a city with historic buildings.

With the theme of this World Mental Health Day (Thursday 10 October 2024) being ‘It’s time to prioritise mental health in the workplace’, Towergate Health & Protection is making a bold move and calling on employers to empower employees with the tools and skills necessary to take responsibility for their own mental health.

Debra Clark, head of wellbeing for Towergate Health & Protection, says:

Mental health needs to be prioritised in the workplace but this does not need to be a dictatorial approach. Employees should instead be supported by being given the means to take responsibility for their own mental health.

Debra Clark, head of wellbeing for Towergate Health & Protection

Providing the building blocks

The workplace provides a great opportunity to put the building blocks in place for employees to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. The employer can empower employees through a variety of wellbeing initiatives that cover the mental, physical, social and financial aspects of health and wellbeing, which together support overall good mental health.

Resilience

Courses and webinars are available that specifically aim to train employees to improve their resilience. These equip employees to cope better mentally and emotionally in a crisis, be able to recover more quickly from setbacks, and have the capacity to withstand challenging situations.

Good mental health

Apps for mindfulness, good sleep hygiene, and stress reduction are now widely available. While some of these can incur a cost, they are now often included in workplace wellbeing packages. Headspace, for example, is available within some healthcare offerings and includes guided meditation, sleep casts, and podcasts on everything impacting mental health, from money matters to fertility.

Joint responsibility

While it is the employee’s own responsibility to look after themselves – not smoke, not drink too much, exercise regularly, eat well, and so forth, the employer can also support them in all of these areas. This can be by providing smoking cessation support, guidance on alcohol consumption, gym membership, fitness apps and nutrition advice.

Debra Clark says: 

Good mental health in the workplace can and should be a mutually beneficial partnership. If the employer provides the right tools for the job, then this can help the employee to take greater responsibility for their own mental health. Improving mental health behaviours will result in less absenteeism, less presenteeism and so greater productivity and more profitable outcomes.

Joanne Swann, Content Manager, WorkWellPro
Editor at Workplace Wellbeing Professional | Website |  + posts

Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.

Share

Latest News

Latest Analysis

Related Articles

World Cup Absences ‘Could Impact Workplace Productivity as Fans Plan Sick Days’

Millions of UK workers are considering taking time off after World Cup matches, raising concerns about workplace productivity during the tournament.

Nearly Half Of UK Workers Now Use AI Weekly as Research Links Technology to Lower Stress

Research found that workers who regularly use AI report higher levels of workplace engagement and lower levels of stress compared to those who do not.

Amie Meslohi: Carers Week 2026 – the Hidden Cost of Being a Carer

I've known I'm a carer for a while now. But working on content for Talking Talent this week about carers in the workplace, something just clicked.

UK Employers Urged To Spot Signs of Gambling Harms as World Cup Fever Hits

UK employers are being urged to learn how to recognise the signs of gambling harms in the workplace as this summer’s World Cup approaches.
Previous article
Oliver Harrison: Reimagining workplace mental health care in a digital age
Next article
NHS wait times are costing businesses as employees go absent