Let’s Talk About It: How to Educate Leaders, Managers & Wellbeing Champions to Normalise Mental Health Conversations at Work
Let’s be real—mental health conversations at work still feel awkward for a lot of people. We’re comfortable talking about deadlines, metrics, and the latest team-building activity. But when someone’s not okay? Silence. Avoidance. Awkward pauses.
That silence isn’t just uncomfortable. It’s damaging. It chips away at trust, fuels burnout, and creates a culture where people feel like they have to pretend to be fine—even when they’re struggling.
The solution isn’t a fancy app or another one-off mental health webinar. It starts with real culture change—and that begins with education. Leaders, managers, and wellbeing champions need to be equipped with the awareness, tools, and confidence to create a workplace where mental health conversations are not only accepted, but expected.
Here’s how we get there.
1. Shift the Mindset from “Fixing” to “Holding Space”
Leaders often feel pressure to solve problems. But mental health isn’t something to fix—it’s something to support.
When we train managers and leaders, we need to help them understand that their role isn’t to diagnose or give advice. It’s to listen. To check in. To validate. To create the kind of psychological safety where someone can say, “I’m not doing great right now,” and know they won’t be judged or penalised.
Training should include mindset shifts like:
From “What’s wrong?” to “What support do you need?”
From “Let’s get this resolved quickly” to “Take your time—how can I help lighten the load?”
2. Teach the Language of Support
The way leaders and managers speak about mental health matters more than they think.
Dismissing language—like “We all have tough days” or “You’ll get over it”—can make someone shut down. On the flip side, supportive language opens doors. Saying, “Thank you for sharing this with me” or “I’m really glad you told me” creates space for honest conversation.
Training should focus on:
Helpful vs. unhelpful language
How to respond when someone shares a mental health concern
Practising real-life scenarios through roleplay or guided discussions
3. Make Mental Health Training a Core Leadership Skill
If mental health awareness is treated as optional, that’s the message your workplace culture absorbs. It becomes “nice to have” instead of “non-negotiable.”
All people leaders should receive mandatory, practical mental health training—just like they do for performance management or compliance. Not once a year. Not just during Mental Health Awareness Month. This training should be embedded in onboarding, leadership development, and manager check-ins.
The message should be clear: if you manage people, mental health is part of your job.
4. Model Vulnerability at the Top
The fastest way to normalise mental health conversations at work? Leaders going first.
When senior leaders speak openly about their own experiences—whether it’s therapy, burnout, anxiety, or simply needing a break—it sends a powerful message. It says, “You don’t have to hide here. You don’t have to pretend.”
This doesn’t mean oversharing or turning meetings into therapy sessions. It means showing up as a human being. It means saying, “I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately too” or “I’ve needed to prioritise my mental health this week.”
Real culture change starts when vulnerability is modelled from the top.
5. Give Wellbeing Champions the Right Tools
Too often, wellbeing champions are given the title without the training. They’re passionate and willing—but unsupported. That sets them (and their colleagues) up for frustration.
If you’re serious about mental health in your workplace, wellbeing champions need real resources:
Conversation guides and listening tools
Clear escalation pathways
Regular training and connection with HR or mental health leads
Time in their schedules to actually be a wellbeing champion
They don’t need to be experts—but they do need to be equipped.
6. Measure the Culture (and Celebrate Progress)
You can’t manage what you don’t measure.
Start by including mental health and psychological safety metrics in your employee feedback and engagement surveys. Ask questions like:
“I feel safe talking about my mental health with my manager.”
“My company takes employee wellbeing seriously.”
“I feel supported when I’m struggling at work.”
And when you see improvements? Share those wins. Let people know that the culture is shifting—because of them.
Data isn’t just about tracking problems. It’s also about reinforcing what’s working.
7. Make Conversations Ongoing, Not One-Off
If the only time mental health is mentioned is during a themed month or after a crisis, you’re not building a culture—you’re managing a campaign.
Mental health should be woven into the fabric of how your organisation operates. That means:
Regular check-ins that include wellbeing questions
Space for mental health in team meetings
Encouragement to use mental health days without guilt
Consistent, visible support from all levels of leadership
Sustainable change comes from repetition, not big gestures.
This Is Culture Work—Not a Side Project
Normalising mental health conversations at work isn’t soft, extra, or niche. It’s foundational. It builds trust. It reduces burnout. It makes people want to stay, grow, and contribute.
If you’re a leader, a manager, or someone who simply cares—your role in this work matters. You don’t have to be an expert. You just have to be willing to learn, to show up, and to keep the door open.
Because the more we talk, the more we dismantle the stigma. And the more we listen, the more we build the kind of workplaces we actually want to be part of.