One of my clients reached out to me earlier this week

One of my clients reached out to me earlier this week and said:

“This Friday is World Mental Health Day 🧘 - and our agency takes the day off to highlight the importance of this. We won’t be working Friday and I would like to ask if we could move our Friday session this week to next week, pls?”

What a fantastic idea.
Of course I said yes.

And I’d encourage other leaders to consider similar initiatives and really invest in the mental health of their team and themselves.

Of course, investing in mental health isn’t something that happens just once a year. It needs to be a continuous focus.

So here are some ideas to help look after the mental health of your people:

·       Normalise conversations: Create safe spaces where people can talk openly without stigma.

·       Model healthy behaviour: Leaders who set boundaries, switch off, and take breaks give permission for others to do the same.

·       Flex where you can: Hybrid working, personal days, and respecting time zones can make a big difference.

·       Prioritise workload balance: Protecting against chronic overwork is often the most effective mental health policy.

·       Bring in expertise: From counselling services to resilience workshops, external support shows seriousness and commitment.

·       Check in one-to-one: A genuine “How are you doing?” from a leader can be more powerful than a big initiative.

Ultimately, it comes down to recognising that people do their best work when they feel safe, supported, and valued. Mental health isn’t a “nice to have”.  It’s a leadership responsibility.