A new vision for mental health in the workplace
One in four people will experience mental health challenges at some point in their lives. It is the single largest cause of disability in the UK - the crisis is undeniable. Despite this, mental health research remains vastly underfunded compared to other health conditions (receiving just £9 per person affected compared to £228 for cancer research). This imbalance underscores the urgent need for greater investment and innovative solutions.
To help drive this transformation, 100% Human at Work and Virgin Unite are working in partnership with leading mental health research charity, MQ Mental Health Research, to develop a Leadership Playbook - one that will provide actionable, evidence-based insights, to help users reimagine how to build and lead mentally healthy organisations.
To help create this playbook you are invited to take a short, completely anonymous survey and share your perspectives about which strategies you consider most effective to protect people’s mental health in the workplace. In doing so you’ll be helping to co-create a future where wellbeing is embedded in the way we work.
The world of work is constantly changing and a shift in perspective is needed if we’re to move beyond treating mental health as an individual issue and instead recognising it as a structural and cultural challenge. The workplace itself needs an overhaul and this means rethinking everything from job design, leadership expectations, workplace relationships, and structural policies.
Leaders across many different industries have expressed the importance of mental health and many companies have taken positive steps forward, yet workplace mental health challenges persist. This is because most approaches focus on helping employees cope rather than addressing the underlying causes that harm their wellbeing in the first place. While resources like mindfulness apps, resilience training, and helplines provide invaluable individual support, they do not address the root causes of workplace stress, burnout, and poor mental health.
The Time to Act is Now
This is not just an opportunity, it’s a responsibility. The way we design work has a profound impact on people’s mental health, and if we don’t act now, we risk losing a generation of talent to burnout and disengagement.
Too often the response to workplace mental health has been well intentioned but it has failed to address the root causes that lead to poor mental health. We believe that every organisation has the potential to lead in this space and those that take meaningful steps to build mentally healthy workplaces will set a new standard - one that others will follow.
By filling in this survey you're supporting efforts to help change the world of work. And what’s more, everyone who fills out the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win one of three cash prizes.