The Director of Policy and Influencing at the Mental Health Foundation, Alexa Knight, has urged businesses to take concrete steps to support employee mental health for improved productivity. He described the 2026 edition of Mental Health Awareness Week as an opportunity for organisations to reflect on how they care for their workforce.
She argued that supporting employee mental health was fundamental to running a healthy, high-performing organisation. According to her, employers that take this seriously create cultures where people feel heard, valued and supported. She said that often meaningful change begins with simple steps: creating space for honest conversation, checking in regularly with staff and colleagues, and embedding supportive practices into everyday working life.
She said implementing policies and initiatives that support good communication and foster honesty and trust are the building blocks of a mentally healthy workplace. Doing this, she stated, could have a widespread impact on the well-being of staff, productivity, retention, and reducing mental health-related absences.
She stressed that there are many actions workplaces could take to encourage and support their employees and colleagues, helping them empower themselves to protect their mental health and wellbeing. Part of this, Knight said, was active listening as an important skill that strengthens relationships, builds trust, and ensures colleagues feel safe enough to share how they are really doing. She said taking the time to listen with empathy, patience and openness could make all the difference.
“Done well, it can help to diffuse a tense situation, provide clarity and avoid misunderstandings and redress any perceived power imbalances, leaving staff feeling protected and reassured. “This can also make people more comfortable talking about their feelings. Making space for managers to ask their direct reports how they are doing during supervision sessions can help people feel safe opening up. Role modelling this as leaders and managers by sharing lived experience can be beneficial,” she said.
According to her, mental health and well-being should be valued as core assets within an organisation. Knight said businesses should commit to developing an approach to mental health at work that protects and improves mental health for everyone, while supporting those who experience distress. This, Knight said, could be achieved through designating mental health champions across the board, senior management, and leaders, and making them responsible and accountable for implementing mental health programmes.
Noting that authentic representation was vital, the mental health expert said establishing a robust infrastructure for mentoring and peer-to-peer support ensures that employees with lived experience of mental health issues are properly championed and supported within the workforce. According to her, having conversations, maintaining good working relationships with staff and listening to their needs all contribute to a healthier, thriving workplace and community, where people want to come to work.
“Providing support doesn’t come easy for some – after all, we all have mental health that can fluctuate. But through training and access to human resources (HR) support, managers can develop their knowledge and learn how to signpost staff to the appropriate help,” she said.
