Workplace wellbeing training is only part of the picture
Many organisations invest in workplace wellbeing training because they genuinely want to support their valued people. Managers attend workshops, employees complete awareness sessions and policies are updated. For a short period, conversations around mental health often become more visible.
But gradually, workplace culture returns to normal.
Culture is shaped by everyday behaviours, leadership decisions, communications and the experiences people have at work. Training can provide knowledge and confidence around a topic, but it cannot change what happens once everyone has returned to their desks.
For organisations that want meaningful improvements in employee wellbeing, training should be viewed as the starting point, and the guided hand, rather than a complete and finished solution to every issue.
Workplace culture is created by daily behaviours
Many businesses assume culture comes from company values displayed on the wall, in employee handbooks, or proudly displayed on their website. In reality, employees often judge culture by what they see, hear and experience every day.
Teams notice whether managers make time for conversations. They notice whether workloads are consistently realistic. They notice whether others feel safe admitting they are struggling, without worrying about their careers, or whether they are whispering to their colleagues by the water fountain, or over a boiling kettle.
If those experiences do not match the messages being delivered during training or in meetings, employees quickly lose confidence.
For example, an organisation may training every manage to recognise the signs of stress or burnout. However, if those same managers are under constant pressure to meet unrealistic deadlines, they may never have the opportunity to use the valuable lessons they have learned. The culture then remains unchanged because the working environment has stayed exactly as it was.
Leadership has the biggest influence on workplace wellbeing
One of the strongest drivers of workplace culture is leadership. Employees watch what their leaders do, far more closely than what they may say. If senior leaders openly discuss wellbeing, encourage healthy boundaries and demonstrate good working habits, those behaviours become accepted and celebrated throughout the organisation.
However, if leaders are regularly working excessive hours, avoiding conversations about mental health or rewarding unhealthy working patterns, like consistently staying late, employees receive a very different message.
Training cannot overcome inconsistent leadership. This is why successful workplace wellbeing strategies involve senior leaders from the beginning, rather than focusing only on line managers.
Wellbeing policies should support behaviour
Many organisations have excellent wellbeing policies, but they are rarely used. The policy itself is not usually the problem. Employee may not feel confident accessing available support, or manager may not know how to apply policies consistently.
Effective workplace wellbeing training should always connect with practical processes that employees understand. For example, good manager should know:
- How to start supportive conversations
- Where to signpost employees for additional help and support
- When adjustments to working may be appropriate
- How to record wellbeing concerns appropriately
- Ongoing support needs to continue after the initial conversation
Managers need ongoing support and training
Many managers receive mental health training once and are expected to deal confidently with difficult situations for years afterwards, but this is unfair and unrealistic.
Managing people is a constantly changing ability. Every employee presents difference challenges, unique personalities and individual circumstances. Allowances must be made for generations with different viewpoints and standards, who are entering the workspace for the first time.
Regular refresher sessions, coaching opportunities and access to expert advice helps managers to continue developing their confidence, abilities and understanding. This ongoing support also allows organisations to discuss new challenges as they emerge, rather than relying on knowledge gained several years earlier.
Employees need to have trust in the organisation
One of the biggest barriers to improving workplace wellbeing is trust. Employees are unlikely to speak openly if they feel nothing will change, or they will be judged for speaking out.
Trust develops naturally when organisations consistently demonstrate that wellbeing matters through their actions. This may include regularly reviewing workloads, improving internal communication, involving employees in decision making or acting on feedback from staff surveys. When people see genuine improvements, they become more willing to engage in conversations about mental health.
Measuring success goes beyond training attendance
Many organisations will measure the success of workplace wellbeing training by how many people attended the training. But attendance tells you very little about success.
More meaningful measures include whether managers feel more confident having conversations, whether sickness absence patterns change, if employee engagement improves and whether teams feel psychologically safe whilst at work.
Gathering regular feedback also helps organisations understand if further support is needed, through refresher training, ongoing conversations or physical changes in the workplace.
Building a healthier workplace doesn’t happen overnight
There is no single training session that transforms workplace culture permanently overnight. Positive cultures develop through consistent leadership, supportive management, clear communication and an openness and willingness to keep improving.
Workplace wellbeing training provides an important foundation, but it works best when combined with a wider organisational change – that everyone is a part of. Businesses that invest in their people and culture are far more likely to create positive workplaces where employees feel supported, valued and able to consistently perform at their best.
If your organisation wants lasting change, start by viewing workplace wellbeing training as one important part of a much bigger wellbeing strategy. To find out more about how MHIB can help support you and your workplace to positively change culture for the better, get in touch with our team.
