What we are about to say might seem a little controversial – but bear with us.
We don’t “do” anything for World Mental Health Day.
Now, of course, we are certainly supportive of any initiative that reduces the stigma around mental health and that offers support those that need it, and it definitely doesn’t mean that we “shut up shop” or that we don’t support our members on that day – because we absolutely do. We applaud the attention on mental health that WMHD will create and we support organisations that are running events or delivering other activity around the day, but would encourage that to be part of a programme that runs throughout the year, and as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on all that other activity, rather than being seen as an initiative in its own right
To truly make a difference to the mental health of our friends, colleagues, organisations and society, we need to be making sustainable, systemic changes that are having impacts every day, and a single day of activity simply cannot deliver that, and in some cases, one off activity can actually make things worse.
We therefore applaud the attention on mental health that WMHD will create and we support organisations that are running events or delivering other activity around the day, but would encourage that to be part of a programme that runs throughout the year, and as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on all that other activity, rather than being seen as an initiative in its own right.
We aren’t the only ones to think along these lines. Research has shown that employees can become dissatisfied with organisations that they see as “box ticking” – where awareness days get recognition with webinars and short-term initiatives, but this doesn’t actually translate into meaningful change within the organisation. (Barbosa and Olivera, 2025) This “lip service” can lead to a loss of trust in the leadership and “this erosion of trust is worse than not doing anything at all. A heightened level of cynicism in employees can seed disengagement, burnout and turnover.” (Dr J.Chan – Infinite Potential, 2024)
There is also the issue of “well-washing” where organisation’s are more focused on appearing to outsiders as caring, informed and active in promoting wellbeing through social media posts and charity fundraising events, but don’t actually take any steps to provide support for their employees. Research by the Society of Occupational Medicine found that while seven in 10 workplaces publicly acknowledge mental health awareness days, less than half of business offered practical support such as helplines or access to counsellors, with only a third of organisation's mental health support being classed as “good” or “outstanding” by their employees.
Which brings us to another reason we don’t organise events on World Mental Health Day anymore. We used to aim for our Annual Event to be on or as close to WMHD as possible. However, we know that a lot of the people we work with most closely in our member organisations will be incredibly busy around World Mental Health Day, organising, producing attending and often speaking at their own events and conferences, and learning from the myriads of webinars, resources and important discussions that happen around that day.
Our aim as an organisation is to “reduce unnecessary stress to create healthier, more productive workplaces” so we feel we can do our bit by not putting an extra demand or expectation on people who are already experiencing a busy time, and instead, continue to provide support, resources, talks and much more throughout the year.
If you would like to find out more about how we can help you and your organisation make sustainable, impactful change all year round, email us – info@mindfulbusinesscharter.com
Leading modern workplaces understand that effective wellbeing strategies involve looking at the causes of unnecessary stress, and removing them, to build healthier, more productive workplaces. Join us to be one of them.