OnDemand: Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace Conference 2026
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2026 Overview
Recent evidence shows that workplace mental health remains one of the most urgent challenges for UK employers. The 2025 CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work survey found that mental ill-health is now the leading cause of long-term absence, with sickness levels rising to their highest rate in over 15 years. Alongside this, new analysis from the Keep Britain Working Review highlights that growing rates of stress, anxiety and burnout are contributing significantly to reduced labour market participation, prompting a national shift towards prevention, early support and stronger employer accountability.
HR and People leaders are therefore facing increasing pressure to strengthen workplace cultures and build effective mechanisms for supporting staff wellbeing. The government’s 2025 three-year partnership with over 60 employers marks a renewed emphasis on evidence-based workplace health approaches, including better data collection, improved leadership capability and investment in early intervention.
The benefits of prioritising wellbeing are now clear: organisations with strong wellbeing cultures report higher morale, improved productivity and better retention. Yet workers continue to report rising stress linked to heavy workloads, return-to-office anxiety, and workplace loneliness. Hybrid working has become increasingly important, with a significant proportion of employees stating that flexibility directly improves their mental health and financial wellbeing.
- Sickness absence is at its highest in more than 15 years, driven by stress, burnout and mental health problems (CIPD, 2025)
- 38% of workers report reduced wellbeing due to fear of being forced back into the office (Hays, 2025)
- 85% of UK workers say they have experienced symptoms of burnout or exhaustion (Reed, 2025)
The Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace Conference explored the latest national developments shaping workplace wellbeing. Senior leaders shared practical insights on transforming workplace cultures, creating psychologically safe environments and tackling the root causes of workplace stress. Sessions and practitioner-led workshops will provide you with practical skills for developing sustainable, whole-organisation approaches to mental health within your workplace.
2026 Agenda
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Fiona Yensen, Former Head of Wellbeing, Home Office
Keynote: Rethinking Workplace Wellbeing
- Challenging the idea that workplace wellbeing is a standalone issue, and exploring why it is often a symptom of wider organisational health.
- Examining how leadership capability, culture, psychological safety, workload, clarity and ways of working shape employee mental health and wellbeing.
- Exploring how organisations can move from reactive wellbeing activity to more proactive, preventative strategies.
- Considering how wellbeing data can provide insight into employee experience, organisational pressure points and root causes.
- Sharing practical steps to strengthen manager capability, create healthier working conditions and build more resilient workplace cultures.
Fiona Yensen, Former Head of Wellbeing, Home Office
Keynote: Supporting Staff Wellbeing During Organisational Restructuring
- Leading structural change in a way that reduces uncertainty and protects trust by being clear about processes and expectations
- Aligning restructuring decisions with the organisations’ values so people maintain a sense of connection during transitions
- Engaging staff through frequent communication that gives them space to express concerns and feel included in transition processes
- Supporting managers and teams with the guidance they need to stay resilient while navigating change
Lisa Davidson, Director of People and Culture, Institute and Faculty of Actuaries
Questions and Answers
Comfort break
Keynote: Building Psychological Safety in Line Management
- Developing psychologically safe management practices to encourage early conversations and prevent escalation into formal disciplinary or grievance procedures
- Equipping line managers with skills to handle difficult conversations and sensitivity to mental health
- Supporting employee wellbeing throughout disciplinary and grievance processes
Ruhel Ahmed, Senior Policy Advisor, Acas
Keynote: Leading with Lived Experience and Openness in the Workplace
- Creating an environment where staff feel confident to disclose health and wellbeing challenges
- Drawing on lived experience to shape leadership approach and inform decision-making
- Encouraging leaders to have open, visible conversations around wellbeing and inclusion
- Ensuring leadership is recognised by staff as approachable, present, and engaged on these issues
Hasan Reza, Strategic Leader in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Interfaith Engagement, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Questions and Answers
Lunch Break
Keynote: Creating Psychologically Safe and Inclusive Workplaces to Support Wellbeing
- Embedding inclusion into workplace culture to improve wellbeing and employee engagement
- Creating psychologically safe spaces where staff feel confident to speak openly about mental health and wellbeing challenges
- Supporting vulnerable employees through inclusive leadership and policy
- Equipping senior leaders and line managers to support belonging and healthy workplace practice
Vickie Carroll, Wellbeing Lead and Joy Hume, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, London Borough of Waltham Forest
Keynote: Taking Your Workplace Wellbeing Strategy to the Next Level
- The latest evidence on what truly improves workplace wellbeing
- How leaders can build strategies that deliver real impact.
Sarah Cunningham, Chair of the WWM Expert Group on Work Wellbeing, World Wellbeing Movement
Questions and Answers
Comfort Break
Case Study: Creating a Successful Wellbeing Strategy
- Considering the wellbeing challenges facing your workforce and where support is needed most
- Engaging leaders and managers in shaping your wellbeing approach
- Developing initiatives that are aligned with your organisation’s values
- Measuring success and use feedback to continually improve your wellbeing offer
Helen Burrowes, Senior HR Professional, Nockolds
Case Study: Supporting Bereaved Staff
- Discussing why a supportive workplace is important when someone has been bereaved, using case study examples.
- Explaining how bereavement affects different people in different ways
- Outlining some things that workplace can do to become more supportive, including: Things that individual managers and HR staff can say and do and ways a workplace as a whole can become more prepared, e.g. through flexible bereavement policies, increased understanding and staff training
Rebecca Patterson, Director of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care
Questions and Answers
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Fiona Yensen, Former Head of Wellbeing, Home Office
Conference Close
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2026 Speakers
Fiona Yensen
Former Head of Wellbeing
Home Office
Ruhel Ahmed
Senior Policy Advisor
Acas
Hasan Reza
Strategic Leader in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Interfaith Engagement
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Vickie Carroll
Wellbeing Lead
London Borough of Waltham
Sarah Cunningham
Chair of the WWM Expert Group on Work Wellbeing
World Wellbeing Movement
Rebecca Patterson
Director of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief
Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care
Testimonials
The mental health in the workplace conference was very informative with lots of ideas and inspiration to take back to my workplace from the engaging and knowledgeable presenters.
Great conference, with speakers who are experts in their fields.
A thought provoking event with very knowledgeable guest speakers and a great chance to network and share best practice.
Walked away inspired to do better in our organisation- and how to do that.
This event was engaging and extremely informative. I was especially pleased it was held online.
An interesting an varied agenda focusing on the importance of health and wellbeing of the workforce.
