Thriving or languishing? Fostering Mental Well-being in the Corporate Workplace

27 February 2025

This blog examines strategies for fostering mental well-being in the workplace, emphasizing the roles of corporate employers and employees, the impact of work on mental health, and various models and interventions designed to create supportive and thriving environments.

Susan is feeling completely overwhelmed - constant headaches, sleepless nights, and the dreaded struggle to get out of bed each morning. It’s all become too much. After a visit to her doctor, she’s been signed off work with ‘stress.’ Now, HR is involved, and her line manager has been informed.

Over the years, numerous approaches have been employed to understand and support mental health in the workplace. This blog briefly describes the evolution of these approaches, drawing on interdisciplinary research to highlight key developments and their implications.

Creating a culture of wellbeing is essential in preventing cases like Susan's. By fostering an environment that limits the occurrence of burnout, workplaces can proactively support employees and prevent them from reaching critical burnout stages. This blog investigates evidence-based interventions aimed at mitigating burnout and promoting a healthier, more supportive work environment.

According to the World Health Organization in 2022, mental health is defined as "a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community". In the UK, mental health statistics for 2024 reveal that young people aged 16-24 are the most negatively affected, with nearly a quarter (23.5%) describing their mental health as either bad or the worst it’s ever been.

Elements of Mental Well-being

Mental well-being consists of two key elements:

Feeling Good: This includes feeling confident, expressing a range of emotions, and feeling engaged with the world around us
Functioning Well: This involves living and working productively, coping with daily stresses, and managing change and uncertainty.

What are the roles of Employers and Employees regarding mental health?

Maintaining mentally healthy workplaces is a shared responsibility between employers and employees. Employers must positively manage staff and support employees' wellbeing by creating a supportive environment, providing mental health resources, and fostering open communication. Employees, on the other hand, need to take care of their own mental health by seeking support when needed and practicing selfcare.

Does work fuel our well-being or drain our peace?

Work can have both positive and negative impacts on mental health. Positively, work provides a source of income, a sense of identity, contact and friendship, a steady routine, and opportunities to achieve and contribute. Negatively, work can lead to stress, poor relations with colleagues, challenges related to the type of work, stigma, issues with disclosure, and difficulties returning to work after poor mental health.

Mental health models

Traditional Medical Model

Overview: Mental health is seen as biological, with treatment focusing on the patient and the doctor as the expert. Assessment: Through questionnaires, clinical interviews, and diagnoses using the DSM-5-TR (APA, 2022) or ICD-11 (WHO, 2022) (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis). Treatment: Medication such as antidepressants, anxiolytics, and mood stabilizers (e.g., benzodiazepines, SSRIs). Strengths: Highly effective for severe mental health issues that impact functioning and stabilize conditions. Limitations: Medication can have side effects and underlying psychological or environmental factors may not be treated, often requiring combination with therapy.

BioPsychoSocial Model

Overview: A holistic model that acknowledges the complex interplay of genetics, psychology and the social environment Treatment: a combination of psychotherapies such as CBT, medication and psycho educational workshops. Strengths: Can treat complex mental health issues by considering biological, psychological, and social factors. Limitations: Requires a multidisciplinary team, which can be resource-intensive.

Humanistic Model

Viewpoint: Embedded in positive psychology, focusing on personal growth, self-awareness, and a high view of human potential. Approaches: Psychoeducational courses, skills training, building resilience, relapse prevention, and self-care. Strengths: Empowers individuals to self-help and can be incorporated into workplaces to raise awareness. Limitations: May not be effective for chronic conditions and assumes the answer lies within the individual.

Third Wave Behavioural Therapies

Viewpoint: Moves into mindfulness, self-care strategies and away from traditional CBT, focusing on acceptance and integrating into the self. Therapies: Include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), currently being trialled in the NHS. Strengths: Promotes self-compassion and is effective for long term depression and treatment resistant conditions. Limitations: Lacks empirical evidence, can be seen as oversimplified, and may not relieve all symptoms.

What about ‘Authentic Happiness’?

Professor Martin Seligman’s PERMA model (2011) expands the concept of well-being beyond happiness to include Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. In Flourish, (2011) he emphasised developing strengths, fostering deep relationships, and finding purpose, aligning with a humanistic approach to mental health.

Reviving Susan: Potential corporate strategies to support Susan back to work

Mindfulness and Resilience Training

Access to online courses through an employee assistance program, could support employees like Susan to manage stress and build resilience.

Supportive Policies

Susan’s employer could implement policies that promote mental health awareness and provide resources for support. For example, flexible working arrangements and technology to assist with mundane tasks that can elevate low mood.

Open Communication

Encouraging open discussions about mental health can reduce stigma and create a more supportive environment. Susan’s manager can ringfence regular catch ups or book one to one time to discuss Susan’s workload and priorities.

Creating a mentally healthy workplace is a shared responsibility that requires commitment from both employers and employees. By working together, Susan and her employer can foster environments where everyone can thrive and contribute to their fullest potential.