News and Posts
All the news, views and useful information from the world of workplace wellbeing and mental health first aid.
What does an ADHD Brain look like?
“Normal” Brain vs ADHD brain How Does Life Look for a Non-ADHD Brain? Alright, picture yourself as a multitasking genius. “Normal brain” can keep your emotions in check, keep you focused, and keep your crazy out of the wilds. Imagine you’re juggling school, work, and texting your mate. A neurotypical brain won’t have a problem […]
Young Minds – Our sons mental health
I spoke to 3 friends on Friday night whose lives are turned upside down because of their sons’ mental health. One son is gambling, one seems terribly depressed & one is struggling with his self-esteem. I have a boy and a girl and I see their struggles but recently I have been worrying more about […]
How the American Election May Affect Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace
This election comes with heightened political tensions, uncertainty, and often, intense emotions. For many employees, the lead-up to, during, and following an election can cause significant stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges—particularly when the stakes feel high. While workplace productivity is often the primary concern for employers, the mental and emotional impact of an […]
NHS Wants your views
Prevention is better than cure. That is why I moved out of health insurance and into workplace wellbeing focusing on prevention. The NHS are asking for your views – Will you share yours? Earlier this week, a consultation was launched to help shape the future of the NHS over the next decade. Wes Streeting’s commitment […]
Mental Health Awareness Week
During #mentalhealthawarenessweek we are talking about all things resilience, stress management and mental health awareness. But we are also honing in on the stressors at work which for one client, is difficult people! When you are already stressed at work, it can be hard to stay calm and in control when unreasonable clients or colleagues […]
Mental Health in Madrid
This week I went to Madrid to deliver a 2 day face to face MHFA training course to 14 wonderful Clifford Chance employees! I keep reflecting on what made this one of the best courses I have delivered. It wasnt just because the sun was shining. Not even because the food was amazing. Not the […]
The Future of Wellbeing Report
Burnout is rife and the great resignation rages on. Bikes & bananas don’t cut it when it comes to wellbeing, according to Deloitte’s new report which says that wellbeing needs investment and a strategy. So why are companies under resourcing their wellbeing strategies. When done properly, engagement rises, attraction rockets so organisations keep the best […]
Have you ever cried in front of a client?
Should you cry in front of clients? It may sound like an obvious ”no.” It’s a common belief in the business world that any display of emotion or vulnerability is a sign of weakness. This week I ran a mental health course and on the 3rd session, I was moved to tears by what a […]
Mental Health costs rise for employers
The total annual cost of poor mental health to employers has increased by 25% since 2019, now totalling between £53-56 billion in 2020-21, according to a new national report published by Deloitte in March 2022. The report is the third in a series on employee mental health. It reviews the impact of the pandemic on […]
Equip Your Line Managers
A recent report by Axa Health called UK Mind Health -Key themes your employee mental wellbeing plans must consider for 2022 and beyond calls for Line Managers to be ready. A panel discussion including some key names in the wellbeing field, discussed the pivotal role of line managers when it comes to creating good working […]
Neurodiversity in the workplace
I often wonder what life will be like for my autistic niece in the workplace. Getting through school has been challenge enough. I stumbled across this CIPD document which is so useful for HR Professionals who want to learn more about neurodiversity, the benefits for their organisation, and how they can support neurodivergent people to […]
Stress vs Burnout
Watch this 3 minute video about the differences between stress and burnout.
Challenges clients face in relation to wellbeing
You can see the panel discussion by following this link https://www.hfmconnect.global/videos/video-supporting-mental-health-and-promoting-wellness-in-the-workplace At about 7 minutes in, I discuss the challenges I have seen from clients I work with in terms of promoting mental health.
Who is your Most Valuable Player (MVP) in your team?
I was listening to a podcast from “The Mid Life Festival” and one of the speakers commented that Generation X women say yes to everything. It’s a massive stereotype but I felt some resonance in the comment. I have learned to say NO more often! Perhaps you are your family’s/team’s MVP and if you don’t […]
Do your Managers create employee stress?
(Photo courtesy of https://isma.org.uk/) In my experience of working with companies, many Managers are just not up to the job of managing employee stress. In fact, many actually create the stress. Every workplace wellbeing specialist I have heard speak at various events, cite poor line management as being a significant problem for companies. Yet, it […]
Top employers focus on employee wellbeing – how do they do it?
You don’t have to be a global brand like DHL to win awards but to be a top employer like them, you have to focus on employee wellbeing. I was fortunate to work with DHL this year on their wellbeing strategy and they are making great strides. Without sharing any top secret information from them […]
Why do women talk more about mental health?
This is a question we often discuss on my training courses. It feels like an uncomfortable stereotype. Of course this isn’t the case for everyone. Employees on my courses tell me that they feel women are more comfortable opening up about their mental health which means they are less likely to turn to unhelpful coping […]
Empathy – what is that?
Empathy doesn’t come naturally to all of us. When I teach mental health first aid, I always show this video as Brene Brown explains what empathy is much better than I can. This clip tells you all you need to know about the difference between Sympathy and Empathy. There really is such a difference.
Your mind speaks your body – my experience of mental health and a cancer diagnosis
My job is to encourage openness about mental health and yet I have been keeping quiet about my recent cancer diagnosis. Why? What’s the difference? I have spent a few weeks mulling this over. I used to think it was much easier to open up about physical health than it was mental health. Perhaps […]
Return to work anxiety
What are employees worried about before they return to work? They need to feel psychologically safe and will need to feel supported by their employer.
Will you miss your home office?
‘When I’m back in the office and my manager wont let me have a 3 hour lunch break to get my eyebrows done’ – There are alot of memes going around about the office return and you might be wondering how on earth you will now find time to tidy your house. I have loved […]
Stress – Taster session
Wellbeing in work teach employees about stress in many of our workshops and training sessions. Debbie Kleiner talks about stress in this short taster video and how people can identify what stress they are able to cope with and choose helpful coping strategies to feel less stressed. This is a quick taster session of what […]
Staying well while working from home
Employees can plan some time in to fill in their WAP and think about the current pressures they are facing when working in this new way,
Working from home efficiently!
Since last year, most of us have been got used to working from home. We are evolving techniques so that it works for us rather than against us.
Is an Employee Assistance Programme enough?
As an ex health insurance broker and now wellbeing consultant, I’ve been known to have a gripe with employee assistance programmes (EAPs). I’d like to tell you why.
An Introduction to Mental Health First Aid
Hear a bit more about what you can expect on the courses that we run at Wellbeing in Work. These are certificated MHFA England course.