In this article, Michael Beck, Director of L&D, Omny Organisational Performance, explores the key ways business leaders can influence employee mental health in the workplace, offering practical guidance on how healthier leadership behaviours and more open workplace cultures can better support teams.
Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace has become one of the biggest leadership challenges of our time over the last few years – and, finally, one of the most talked about.
I believe that’s a positive step, but if I’m honest, I believe there are many organisations still confusing awareness with action.
They put posters up. Awareness weeks are recognised. Senior leaders talk about wellbeing. Yet behind the scenes, many employees are still overwhelmed, burnt out, disengaged, or simply afraid to say they’re struggling.
The reality is this: people don’t experience workplace culture through company values written on a wall. They experience it through their Line Manager, their workload, and how they’re treated day to day and reflecting on how they feel at the end of each week.
This is where the rubber hits the road and the real mental health support either succeeds or fails.
At Omny, we work with organisations across a range of sectors, and one thing is consistently clear: the businesses getting this right are not necessarily the ones spending the most money on wellbeing initiatives. They’re the ones creating healthier leadership behaviours and more open workplace cultures.
Because supporting mental health at work isn’t about ticking a box. It’s about how people lead.
Why workplace mental health support often falls short
Too many organisations still operate reactively. The support is only offered once somebody reaches crisis point – after the absence, after the burnout, after the resignation.
In my personal view, the best leaders take a different approach. They understand that prevention matters just as much as support.
They create environments where:
- People feel comfortable speaking openly
- Managers regularly check in with their teams
- Workloads and expectations are realistic
- Pressure is recognised before it becomes damaging
How leaders can support mental health at work
Importantly, the best leaders understand that mental health conversations do not need to be complicated.
Sometimes the most effective thing a leader can do is simply ask:
“Are you okay?”
“How are things outside of work?”
“What support do you need from me?”
Not as a scripted exercise, but as a genuine human conversation.
Line managers also have a huge impact on employee wellbeing
One of the biggest mistakes organisations make is assuming mental health sits solely with HR.
It doesn’t. Culture lives with line managers day in, day out.
An employee can work for a company with fantastic wellbeing policies, but if their manager lacks empathy, communication skills, or emotional intelligence, their day-to-day experience will suffer and they will start to feel disillusioned, and potentially not seen or heard.
The organisations where I see the biggest improvements invest in educating and developing their managers properly:
- How to spot early signs of stress or burnout
- How to have supportive conversations confidently
- How to manage performance without damaging wellbeing
- How to create psychologically safe teams
These are no longer “soft skills.” They have become absolute leadership essentials.
Building a workplace culture that supports mental health
One thing we hear time and time again is that employees value honesty more than polished corporate messaging.
People don’t expect leaders to have all the answers. But they do expect authenticity.
If leaders talk about wellbeing while sending emails at midnight, rewarding overwork, and glorifying stress, employees notice this and may not necessarily say something or feel safe to call it out.
The best leaders are role models and lead by example:
- They set boundaries
- They communicate openly
- They normalise taking breaks
- They recognise pressure in themselves as well as others
That creates trust. And trust is the foundation of every mentally healthy workplace.
Mental Health Awareness Week is only the starting point
Mental Health Awareness Week plays an important role in starting conversations.
But meaningful change only happens when organisations move beyond awareness and focus on education, leadership capability, and long-term culture change.
That’s where many businesses are now seeking practical support, not just to “do something” around mental health, but to genuinely equip their leaders and teams with the confidence, understanding, and tools to support one another effectively.
At Omny, this is an area we’re deeply passionate about.
We work with organisations to deliver practical, commercially grounded mental health and wellbeing training that actually resonates with leaders and employees alike, without jargon, tick-box exercises, or unrealistic theory.
Because ultimately, mentally healthy workplaces are not built through one-off campaigns.
They are built through better leadership, better conversations, and cultures where people feel supported to perform at their best.
And the organisations that understand that now will be the ones that retain, engage, and develop the strongest people in the years ahead.
The theme for Mental Awareness Week in 2026 is ‘Action: for yourself, for someone else, for all of us’ – so get in touch with us and book a free consultation call and see how we can help build a more supportive culture in your business.
