Employers and employees

Looking for new ways to support your employees’ wellbeing? We've created an employer toolkit to support you in raising awareness of the free, personalised advice, and NHS-approved apps and resources available through Good Thinking to help promote positive mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

Stress, anxiety and burnout are common problems in the workplace. The mental health charity, Mind, reports that 1 in 6 UK workers are experiencing mental health problems and, with current pressures from the cost of living crisis, the need to provide support for employees is now more critical than ever.

We know it can be time-consuming to find good quality free resources that support your employee wellbeing strategy, so as London’s digital mental wellbeing service, Good Thinking have created a free employer toolkit to help employers create a safe and supportive workplace in these challenging times.

The toolkit is free to use and is available to all London organisations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, no matter the size.

We recommend that you share this web page and the toolkit with anyone in your organisation who is involved in health and wellbeing, including HR teams, wellbeing leads, line managers and Mental Health First Aiders.

Good Thinking is a digital service that helps Londoners look after their mental health and wellbeing in a way that works for them. We provide personalised advice, support and resources to help people struggling with:

Stress
Anxiety
Low Mood
Sleep
Other mental health concerns such as trauma, bereavement and the impact of the rising cost of living

Good Thinking provides a range of resources to help Londoners improve their mental wellbeing, including:

Free wellbeing apps (NHS-approved and independently assessed)
Printable workbooks and guides
Advice articles with tips to boost mental health
Blogs and personal stories
Podcasts, videos and webinars

Our service is free of charge, NHS-approved and available 24/7 on any device and completely anonymous.

Find out more about the Good Thinking service and how to use the website to access the support you need.

We’ve developed a range of physical and digital assets and resources that you can use to share the free NHS-approved Good Thinking tools and support with your employees.

Printable posters, flyers and guides that can be displayed in communal areas

Graphics

These graphics can be used on social media, in newsletters and in other internal communications channels.

Videos

Download and share short videos of experts talking about the Good Thinking service:

Professor Kevin Fenton CBE – Public Health Director for London
Dr Chris Streather - Regional Medical Director for London
Dr Phil Moore – Mental Health Clinical Co-Director for London
Dr Chantelle Fatania – Consultant in Public Health at Haringey Council

The videos are also available in portrait format for Instagram reels.

Workplace Wellbeing videos

We've also launched a series of workplace wellbeing training videos for organisations to use, discussing four common mental health concerns that affect the workforce across London - anxiety, low mood, sleep problems and stress. The videos are available to access through the Good Thinking YouTube channel - links below:

There are lots of ways you can share the Good Thinking resources within your organisation. You could:

Include information about Good Thinking and links to our website in your induction packs for new starters
Link to Good Thinking from your intranet and in any newsletter/bulletin articles about mental health and wellbeing
Provide your Mental Health First Aiders and line managers with information about Good Thinking
Share our guide to Looking out for friends and colleagues at work with all your employees
Print our Good Thinking wellbeing guides, posters and flyers for use at wellbeing events and display them in communal areas
Use our promotional tools to support mental health awareness campaigns (e.g. World Mental Health Day) – check out Good Thinking’s calendar of mental health awareness days in the 'More useful resources for employers and employees' section below for ideas and inspiration
Tag and refer to Good Thinking in wellbeing-related tweets and LinkedIn posts
Invite a member of the Good Thinking team to join a staff meeting and share information about the service (contact us via info@good-thinking.uk)

It can be difficult to know if a colleague is struggling with their mental health, and opening up a conversation about mental health can feel difficult for a number of reasons; many people are uncomfortable talking about their feelings, and mental health issues are often stigmatised so people are worried that they may be judged for talking about their concerns. Sometimes we simply don’t know where to signpost people to for help.

Here at Good Thinking, we have created this practical guide with three simple steps to help you check in with your colleagues and friends at work on a regular basis and see how they are – the more open everyone can be about their feelings, the better.

There are lots more useful resources available for employers and employees on the Good Thinking website. The NHS, mental health charities and business groups also provide advice and support – you can find links to some of these websites below.

Five ways to wellbeing guide – five steps to take in your daily life to help you feel more positive and boost your wellbeing
Faith and belief communities – tailored wellbeing resources and support for faith and belief communities
Advice for parents and carers – guidance for parents and carers supporting a child with their mental health and wellbeing
Bereavement resources – advice on how to cope with grief and how to support someone else, as well as a range of faith-based bereavement resources
Free NHS-approved mental wellbeing apps

There is lots of help available for people who have a mental health concern. Here are a few useful websites (please note: Good Thinking is not responsible for the content on these websites):

Business in the Community (BITC) - mental health for employers toolkit
Business Disability Forum - mental health toolkit
Chartered Institute for Professional Development (CIPD) - guide for managers to supporting those experiencing mental health issues
Heads Together - online resources and training for employees and employers
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - advice for managers on mental health conditions
Maximus - Access to Work Mental Health Support Service - a free service for those at work who need support with mental health, coping skills and workplace adjustments
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England - training in mental health awareness and skills development
Mind - advice for looking after your mental health at work
Samaritans - a range of programmes available to support organisations with workplace wellbeing
We Are Undefeatable - supporting people with long-term health conditions to build physical activity into their lives

NHS Talking Therapies

If one of your employees needs greater support than can be offered through Good Thinking, they can access additional support in their local area.

NHS Talking Therapy services support people with mental and emotional issues, such as stress, trauma, anxiety and depression.

There are 32 Talking Therapy services in London delivering psychological treatments – one for each borough. Your employees can access the service by a referral from their GP or by self-referral from their local Talking Therapy service.

Find out more about NHS Talking Therapies on Good Thinking.

Urgent support

If one of your employees feels very distressed or unable to keep themselves safe, urgent support is available.

If someone is concerned about their mental health, their GP is always a good place to start. If they feel very distressed and can’t wait, or feel unable to keep themselves safe, they can text SHOUT to 85258 or call Samaritans on 116 123.

If they need help urgently but are not at risk of harm or serious illness, they should call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option from the menu to speak to a mental health professional.

For immediate support, they should go to their local A&E or call 999 for an ambulance.

Find out more about urgent support.