Webinar Takeaways: Managing mental health during disrupted times

Employee mental health and wellbeing have never been more important — or more complex to support. We were joined by two exceptional guests for this webinar session who shared their experience and insights on how to address these challenges - and discussed strategies that they've found most effective in building a resilient, supported workforce:

Dani Saadu - Senior People & Culture Leader, NED & Author. Dani, an incredibly experienced People leader, seasoned NED and co-author of best-selling The CAPEX Formula for Learning & Performance, has deep expertise across talent development, DEI, early careers, leadership coaching, organisational development and transformational change.

Dr Nicola Eccles - Mental Health & Wellbeing Expert. Nicola has years of experience as an academic specialising in health psychology research and behaviour change. She has designed, implemented and evaluated health interventions in organisations across the UK, helping them achieve sustained and effective changes to mental health.

1. Hybrid & Remote Work: Complex impacts on mental health

Challenges Identified:

• Cultural Erosion: Hybrid work models dilute day-to-day workplace culture, particularly for new joiners.
• Onboarding Struggles: Building trust and integrating new hires is harder without face-to-face contact.
• Invisible Contributions: Quiet performers working remotely risk being overlooked due to proximity bias.
• Work-Life Blur: Constant access to work tools leads to extended work hours, often without conscious intention.
• Mental Health Effects: Increased risk of burnout, guilt, and self-doubt—particularly among personality types more prone to anxiety or distraction.
• Not everyone has access to a quiet, comfortable, or even internet-connected home environment.
• Socioeconomic disparities impact the quality of hybrid work experiences.
• Neurodivergent employees face additional challenges adapting to traditional remote productivity tools.

Recommendations & Strategies:

• Develop clear hybrid work policies distinguishing which tasks are best suited for home vs. office.
• Conduct hybrid working appraisals to tailor arrangements to individuals’ roles, personalities, and home circumstances.
• Provide remote work training covering practical setups, tech use, communication etiquette, and boundaries.
• Offer budget stipends or equipment grants for home office setup, particularly for apprentices or entry-level hires.
• Encourage flexibility in work styles, not just location e.g., using body doubling or energy-based scheduling for ADHD employees.
• Recognize the diversity of home environments and avoid uniform remote expectations.

2. Global Stressors: Emotional spill over at work

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Key Points:

• Employees are now constantly exposed to global crises via news apps and social media, triggering chronic anxiety.
• Termed “perma-crisis,” this unrelenting stream of stress affects focus, mood, and workplace engagement.
• Organisations can no longer afford to separate world events from workplace mental health.

Actionable Ideas:

• Acknowledge crises empathetically without politicising them.
• Offer signposted resources, not mandatory discussions.
• Provide access to mental health tools that employees can use privately, at their own discretion.

3. Supporting wellbeing on a budget

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Innovative Examples:

• Leverage internal talents (e.g., certified yoga teachers, artists, meditation guides) to host free sessions.
• Organize low-cost community events to build camaraderie and shared purpose.
• Offer financial wellbeing education, especially useful amid economic uncertainty.

Embedding into Culture:

• Normalize mental health check-ins in performance management cycles.
• Train managers to ask wellbeing focused questions and sign post resources.
• Recognize and reward mental health champions within teams through visibility or incentives.

4. Using data responsibly for wellbeing

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Best Practices:

• Use a combination of quantitative surveys and qualitative insights (e.g., listening circles, focus groups).
• Always share back findings and communicate how data is being acted on.
• Give employees the choice to opt-in or remain anonymous in feedback.

Warnings:

• Avoid over reliance on productivity monitoring software, which can lead to stress and reduce trust.
• Understand that data shows patterns, not causes; behavioral insights require conversation not just stats.

5. Inclusive & equitable wellbeing strategies

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Important Distinctions:

• The “worried well” (already health conscious individuals) are more likely to engage with wellness programs.
• Those who are truly struggling may be hard to reach, due to time constraints, stigma or shame.
• Accessibility includes language, timing, privacy and representation in how support is presented.

Tactical Moves:

• Offer wellbeing resources in multiple formats (apps, live workshops, private self-paced options).
• Tailor initiatives to be neurodivergent friendly (e.g.,Grammarly for dyslexia, quiet rooms for sensory needs).
• Use Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to co-design and champion initiatives from within the community.
• Integrate quarterly wellbeing check-ins as part of performance conversations.
• Encourage leaders to model vulnerability, opening the door to psychological safety.
• Shift away from the myth of “work-life balance” toward “resource allocation” a holistic view of each person’s total life load.

6. Redesigning the future of work (bold ideas)

Dr. Nicola Eccles’ Vision:

• Ditch the artificial divide between “work” and “life.”
• Embrace employees as whole people; work is embodied, not compartmentalised.
• Align team resources based on individual life demands, not rigid job descriptions.

Dani Saadu’s Vision:

• Integrate mental wellbeing into performance recognition.
• Reward individuals who champion mental health and inclusion as part of formal appraisal processes.
• Tie organisational success metrics to both commercial outcomes and wellbeing impact.

Final Reflections

• Supporting mental health isn’t about perks, it’s about purpose, clarity and humanity.
• The next frontier is not more resources, but more thoughtful deployment of the ones we already have.
• Build psychological safety, listen regularly, act visibly and reward care.

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