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Highlighting employee wellbeing this National Wellness Month

National Wellness Month is a reminder of how vital wellness is, for individuals and organisations. From mental and emotional health to financial stability and social resilience, wellbeing touches every part of working life.

For employers, that means building a culture where people feel valued, supported and able to thrive, increasing performance, reducing sickness absence, empowering managers to have difficult conversations, reducing employee burnout, and improving employee engagement.

Find out how we can help

Watch our on-demand webinar
Beat burnout: Hidden wellbeing risks HR can’t ignore

Webinar

Workplace wellbeing risks often hide in everyday pressures, processes and manager capability, driving absence, burnout, disengagement and employee relations risk.

Join Empowering People Group CEO and practising employment lawyer, Rena Christou, and personal trainer, wellbeing advocate, familiar face from this year’s season of The Traitors UK, and 'squat whilst the kettle boils' champion, Jack Butler, to explore the five hidden risks affecting workplace wellbeing and the practical steps organisations can take to reduce risk, support managers and create healthier, more resilient workplaces.

Beat burnout Hidden wellbeing risks HR can’t ignore - on-demand rectangle v2

Wellness is an organisational issue

CIPD research found that the absence levels have increased to record highs of 9.4 per employee per year. With the Employment Rights Act reducing the unfair dismissal qualifying period to six months from January 2027, sickness absence and capability processes will come under earlier scrutiny - making a proactive wellbeing strategy a legal as well as commercial priority.

Employee wellbeing is declining

Almost 15% of working-age adults now report having a long-term mental health condition.

Mental ill health is now biggest cause of long-term absence and the second most common cause of short-term absence (41%). When wellbeing declines, so does performance, motivation and retention.

Managers aren’t fully equipped

Only 38% of UK leaders talk openly about mental health, and just 45% of managers are trained to have mental health conversations.

Yet training increases managers' confidence by 53% and can halve employees' intention to quit (35% to 18%).

Poor wellbeing is costly

Presenteeism costs employers two to three times more than sickness absence, while unplanned absences can account for up to 8% of annual payroll.

Prioritising wellbeing isn't just the right thing to do; it's a strategic investment.

Four ways to strengthen
wellbeing in your organisation

HR policies

Enhance wellbeing policies

People policies set the tone for culture. A strong policy framework should make that commitment clear in three practical ways:

Ensure all policies support employee health, safety, inclusion and stress prevention
Go beyond compliance with more progressive policies, such as menopause, fertility and pregnancy loss support
Make it easy for employees to access help

We can help review and update your policies to ensure they’re legally sound, consistent, and focused on employee wellbeing.

Digital training & coaching

Regular wellbeing training

Our digital training and expert-led workshops build a shared understanding of mental health, develop confidence across teams, and drive lasting cultural change. Through the digital training, people can:

Recognise early warning signs
Have better wellbeing conversations
Build inclusive, psychologically safe teams
Understand the role of mental health first aiders and where to direct colleagues for support

Our coaching and learning experts also deliver practical workshops to equip people with the tools they need to thrive - from navigating change and managing pressure to supporting neurodiverse colleagues.

<strong>Coaching and digital learning</strong>

ER technology

Empower your managers

Building manager capability requires the right combination of clear policies, practical guidance and enabling technology. Our employee relations transformation solution combines ER case management technology, empower®, with expert ER advisory support to help managers:

Have the right conversations at the right time
Respond appropriately when employee wellbeing concerns arise
Make fair, informed decisions using guided digital workflows, embedded guidance and expert ER support

empower® also gives HR teams greater visibility of ER activity and people trends, helping them identify capability gaps, target support and identify emerging risks before they escalate.

<strong>Explore <em>empower®</em></strong>

Practical toolkits

Mental health toolkit

Supporting employee wellbeing also means getting the legal side right. Our group employment law experts' Mental Health Toolkit gives managers the knowledge and practical resources they need to handle mental health sensitively and lawfully - from spotting early warning signs to managing absence and making reasonable adjustments.

The toolkit covers everything from wellbeing policies and manager guidance notes to letters, return-to-work plans, and stress risk assessments - all grounded in employment law.

Blog post
National Wellness Month: Why workplace wellbeing matters

Blog

Discover why wellbeing, employee relations and manager capability are becoming increasingly connected in our latest blog, as well as the practical steps organisations can take to reduce risk, and the resources available to help strengthen workplace wellbeing.