As mental ill health becomes the leading cause of workplace absence, leadership must redefine its priorities. For World Mental Health Day, experts share practical strategies – from fostering psychological safety and coaching cultures to modelling healthy habits and tackling vaping – showing that wellbeing-centric leadership drives performance, resilience, and sustainable organisational success.
According to the CIPD’s latest Health & Wellbeing at Work Report, mental ill health has now overtaken all other causes of long-term absence. Nearly half of organisations (47%) report a rise in mental-health-related absences, yet fewer than one in three (29%) equip line managers with the training to address the issue.
This gap exposes a critical weakness in leadership capability. Employee wellbeing is no longer optional – it is a core business priority with direct consequences for performance, retention, and resilience.
As World Mental Health Day (10 October) approaches, we asked six leading voices in leadership and organisational wellbeing to share their practical advice. Their message is clear: leaders who put wellbeing at the centre of their agenda will build healthier, more productive, and more sustainable businesses.
Leadership’s Duty of Care
Lord Mark Price, former UK Trade Minister, founder of WorkL, and author of Work Happier, believes wellbeing must be viewed as both a moral duty and a commercial necessity. His Workplace Happiness Survey places global wellbeing at just 73%, with more than one in four employees at risk of low wellbeing. Anxiety and low mood score as low as 66%.
“Employees are clear about what they need,” Price says. “Practical mental health support such as therapy or mental health days, flexible and shorter working hours, and fairer pay structures that match today’s realities.”
When leadership prioritises fair pay, work-life balance, and psychological safety, the benefits are tangible: reduced stress, higher engagement, and what Price calls a “20% productivity lift” associated with high wellbeing. “Creating a respectful, positive workplace isn’t a perk,” he insists. “It’s prevention – and it secures long-term performance gains.”
Practical Actions to Build Safety and Learning
Barbara Salopek, author of Future Fit Innovation and CEO of Vinco Innovation, emphasises that psychological safety is not an abstract ideal but a practical leadership responsibility.
“Too often I have seen workplaces where it’s all about blame, not learning,” she says. “Switching this perspective requires effort from leadership first.”
Her advice is straightforward:
- Replace “Who’s at fault?” with “What did we learn?”
- Celebrate learning, not just results.
- Create regular spaces where employees can speak openly without fear.
“These small, consistent actions reduce stigma, improve wellbeing, and foster innovation,” Salopek explains. “When employees feel safe to speak up, organisations gain twice: healthier teams and stronger performance.”
Glimmers, Grit, and Getting Real
For Gavin Oattes, global speaker and author of Confidently Lost: Finding Joy in the Chaos and Rediscovering What Matters Most in Life, the conversation about wellbeing must go deeper than perks. “The 2025 CIPD report confirms what many of us feel in our bones—work isn’t working for everyone,” he says. “If you’re still viewing wellbeing as a nice-to-have, it’s time to recalibrate.”
Oattes argues that mental health is about creating space for people “to breathe, to belong, and to bring their whole selves, wobbles and all.” In his own experience, what mattered most were not grand gestures but “glimmers—micro-moments of connection, joy, and being seen.”
He urges leaders to model rest, to notice small signs, and to embrace play. “Adults learn best through play. It unlocks new thinking, disarms fear, and builds connection faster than any strategy slide. Mental health is the heart of sustainable leadership. Treat it that way—with compassion, curiosity, and a little creative mischief.”
From Command-and-Control to Coaching
Dominic and Laura Ashley-Timms, CEO and COO of performance consultancy Notion and authors of The Answer is a Question, highlight the cost of outdated management styles.
“Too often, management training focuses on the ‘what’ of management, not the ‘how’ of engaging people,” they note. As a result, managers default to command-and-control, which pressures them to always have the answers while marginalising employees.
Research shows the stakes are high: Gallup estimates that disengagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion. Yet the Ashley-Timms argue that the solution lies not in more mental health training, but in tackling the root cause of disengagement.
Their solution is Operational Coaching®, an enquiry-led approach proven in London School of Economics research to dramatically improve engagement, productivity, and inclusion. “Asking powerful questions rather than providing all the answers gives employees autonomy, confidence, and psychological safety,” they explain. “It’s a management revolution—one that leaders urgently need to embrace.”
Role Modelling Healthy Habits
Leaders are often guilty of neglecting their own wellbeing, warns Nik Kinley, leadership consultant and author of The Power Trap.
“Most leaders, on their way up, work longer than they should, sacrifice personal life, and look after themselves less well than they ought to,” he explains. “Then one day they’re at the top—and what they do becomes more visible. If they cut corners with their health, it sends a message that such behaviour is normal, even expected, if you want to succeed.”
The challenge, Kinley admits, is that changing entrenched habits can be hard. But World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to reflect. “Senior leaders should take a moment to identify one area where they can send a different message—by role modelling healthier choices. Even small changes in behaviour can ripple across an organisation.”
Building Psychological Safety Through Trust
Fay Niewiadomski, award-winning change strategist, leadership coach, and author of Decisions That Matter points out that data alone can mislead. She recalls seeing a dysfunctional team reporting fewer incidents than a high-performing one. “The numbers told a statistical lie,” she explains, “because incidents were left unreported out of fear of punishment and lack of trust.”
For Niewiadomski, psychological safety is not a myth but a function of corporate culture: “Culture equals leadership’s beliefs, thoughts, values, feelings, and resulting behaviours—and how these are communicated to the workforce.”
She recommends three steps to build trust:
- Make it safe to speak up and find collaborative solutions.
- Be consistent in how behaviours are rewarded.
- Use accountability as a tool for problem solving and growth.
“Psychological safety isn’t soft,” she argues. “It’s the foundation of high-performing, resilient teams.”
Tackling Vaping to Protect Wellbeing
Finally, Dr Marc Picot, GP, vaping expert, and author of The Last Puff, highlights how nicotine dependence undermines both health and workplace performance.
“Employees who vape often struggle with focus, productivity, and stress,” he explains. “Sustained vaping is linked with anxiety and mental health challenges, which contribute to absenteeism.” For employers, the costs include higher insurance premiums, reduced efficiency, and lower retention.
Picot recommends simple steps:
- Share information about the risks of vaping.
- Encourage wellbeing initiatives, such as coaching or group support.
- Create an open culture where employees can discuss challenges without judgement.
“Supporting employees to quit vaping is a tangible way for leaders to prove their commitment to wellbeing—while also improving performance,” he adds.
From Intention to Impact
Taken together, these expert insights highlight one truth: wellbeing must move from the margins to the core of leadership and strategy. Whether it’s building trust, modelling healthy behaviours, shifting from blame to learning, creating micro-moments of joy, empowering through coaching, or tackling health risks like vaping, leaders have practical levers they can pull today.
World Mental Health Day is not about token gestures. It is a reminder that leaders have a duty of care – and an opportunity. Prioritising wellbeing not only protects mental health but strengthens productivity, creativity, and resilience.
