Mental Health Awareness Week: Community and Psychological Safety

This year, Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 12th to 18th May 2025. It’s a valuable annual marker that gives organisations a connected moment of pause.

Depending on where you are in your mental health strategy development, it can offer space for reflection, honest conversations about mental wellbeing, or a springboard for action.

This year’s theme, ‘Community’, is a powerful reminder that no one thrives in isolation. And that the environments we live and work in have a profound effect on our mental health.

This article offers advice on how to authentically develop a sense of community in your organisation, with practical steps that leaders can take to shift culture in a healthier, more supportive direction.

How ‘community’ affects mental health in organisations

We often talk about ‘community’ as workplace culture – the daily behaviours, values, and norms that shape how people connect, support one another, and feel they belong.

A healthy culture creates psychological safety, encouraging people to speak up, ask for help, and use support systems early. But culture can also be a barrier. In some organisations, it enables toxic behaviours, reinforces stigma, and silences conversations about stress or mental health, eroding safety and stunting growth.

When employees feel respected and supported, they’re more resilient and less stressed. But in cultures driven by fear, exclusion, or unhealthy competition, people often hide their struggles, leading to burnout and disconnection.

Examples of how a poor community can negatively affect mental health include:

• A culture where mistakes are punished or brushed under the rug: Leading employees to hide issues and feel anxious or unsafe.
• Workplaces that reward overwork and constant availability: Making people feel guilty for setting boundaries or prioritising their well-being. In a worst-case scenario, people feel pressure to ‘push through’ exhaustion or personal struggles, eventually leading to breakdown, disengagement, or presenteeism.
• Teams where cliques, gossip, or poor communication create exclusion: Leaving some employees feeling invisible, isolated, or undervalued. This fuels low self-esteem, loneliness, and even depression.

Good psychological safety = good community

By contrast, a strong, supportive workplace community is the foundation of psychological safety – the ability to speak openly, ask for help, and be your full self at work without fear of judgment or financial repercussions.

When psychological safety is missing, it becomes easy for mental health challenges to stay hidden:

• People bottle up stress for fear of being seen as ‘weak’
• Team members avoid asking for help, even when they’re overwhelmed
• Mistakes or concerns go unspoken, escalating into larger issues
• Employees feel isolated, undervalued, or unsupported

A healthy culture says: ‘You matter here. Your voice counts. It’s okay not to be okay.’ That’s the kind of workplace culture where people truly thrive – and where mental health isn’t just a paper policy, but a shared value.

Over time, a poor workplace culture doesn’t just affect individuals – it erodes team cohesion, increases staff turnover, and damages the organisation’s overall resilience.

Signs you need to improve your organisation’s sense of community

Psychological safety isn't always visibly obvious. It doesn’t show up in a policy document or a staff newsletter. It lives in the everyday experiences of your people.

That’s why it’s essential to take a wide-lens view of your workplace culture and ask: ‘How psychologically safe and connected do people really feel here?’

Even in well-intentioned organisations, the sense of community can quietly weaken over time – especially if growth, pressure, or change go unchecked. If you’re not sure whether your organisation is fostering a strong, supportive culture, here are some common warning signs to look out for:

• Team members hesitate to speak up in meetings or shy away from offering new ideas – you’re only hearing the same, usually loudest, voices.
• People avoid asking questions or admitting mistakes, fearing judgment or consequences.
• There’s little peer-to-peer support or collaboration, with people sticking rigidly to their own work.
• Individuals operate in silos, lacking meaningful connection or shared purpose.
• Stress-related absences or presenteeism are high, as people feel unable to take breaks, speak openly about their well-being, or deal with their mental health issues at work.

These signs don’t always mean something is “wrong” – but they’re clear signals that your organisation may benefit from auditing your workplace culture and perhaps looking to rebuild a stronger sense of community.

7 small steps that make a big difference to psychological safety and sense of community (with examples!)

When it comes to building psychological safety in the workplace, big, sweeping policy changes can often be met with resistance. After all, these are deeply personal topics that touch on how we work, communicate, and relate to one another.

Introducing too much change too quickly can feel overwhelming and even confronting. That’s why it’s essential to focus on small steps, taken often. These incremental changes have a compounding effect that transforms your organisation’s culture over time.

The key is to make adjustments that feel natural rather than forced. Quick fixes can trigger suspicion – employees might wonder if the change is just a tactic to get them to sign up for something they’re not ready for, or covering for something else.

Instead, it’s about weaving these steps into the daily fabric of how your team works, communicates, and collaborates. When psychological safety is seen as part of the organisation's overall business strategy, not as an isolated initiative, it becomes a sustainable way of working that helps you perform better, collaborate more effectively, and achieve your business goals.

Here are the seven small but powerful steps that can have a big impact on psychological safety and wellbeing of everyone at work:

1. Encourage open conversations

Creating a culture where open conversations are the norm is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to build psychological safety. When leaders and team members openly talk about challenges, mistakes, and ideas, it normalises vulnerability and helps reduce the fear of judgment.

If a leader shares a personal struggle at work or admits to a mistake, it sends the message that it's okay not to be (or pretend to be) perfect. This vulnerability encourages others to be open and honest about their own experiences. Over time, teams will begin to feel safer discussing sensitive topics without fear of repercussions.

For example, your marketing manager regularly admits when they don’t know the answer to a question, encouraging others to share their uncertainties. This leads to more collaborative problem-solving and fosters a culture where asking for help is seen as a strength, not a weakness.

2. Really listen

Listening is one of the most powerful tools for creating psychological safety. It’s not enough to simply hear someone’s words – you need to listen without jumping to judgment or offering quick fixes.

Take the time to understand someone’s feelings and perspective before responding. When employees feel heard and understood, they’re more likely to speak up in the future.

For example, in a team meeting, rather than quickly jumping in with solutions when someone mentions a challenge, a manager might respond with, "Tell me more about what's going on", or "How can I support you?" This shows genuine care and respect for the employee’s experience, which encourages them to be more open.

3. Recognise and appreciate

One of the simplest ways to make employees feel valued is by recognising and appreciating their contributions. Recognising efforts – not just final outcomes – helps employees feel that their work is seen, even when it’s still in progress. Celebrating small wins can go a long way in boosting morale and reinforcing a positive culture.

For example, after a project team met a tough deadline with impressive results, the manager took time to thank individuals for their dedication. This highlighted their extra effort, strong collaboration, and creative problem-solving, which boosted morale and reinforced team pride and belonging.

4. Mental health awareness training

Mental health awareness training equips managers and teams to spot signs of distress, handle sensitive conversations, and guide colleagues to the right support. Investing in training reduces stigma, encourages a proactive, supportive culture, and shows genuine commitment – proving it's more than just a tick-box exercise.

For example, a manager who has undergone mental health first aid training recognises when an employee is showing signs of burnout. Instead of brushing it off, they initiate a conversation with the employee, expressing concern and offering flexibility, while also suggesting resources like counselling or mental health support programs.

5. Foster inclusive spaces

For psychological safety to thrive, everyone in the organisation needs to feel included - whatever their role, background, or personality. Actively fostering inclusive spaces means giving everyone the chance to speak up, participate, and contribute. This not only helps to build trust but also shows that all voices are valued, not just the loudest or most senior.

Example: In meetings, a leader intentionally asks for input from quieter team members or those from underrepresented groups, ensuring that every perspective is heard. This fosters a sense of belonging and helps prevent people from feeling sidelined or invisible.

6. Check in regularly

Sometimes, the best support starts with a simple, “How are you really doing?”

Regular check-ins, formal or informal, create safe spaces for honest conversations and help flag issues early. Even brief chats show employees their well-being matters.

For example, adding this question to one-on-one reviews will keep performance discussions intact while making care for mental health explicit. It normalises open dialogue, reinforces the link between well-being and success at work, and encourages people to seek help when needed.

7. Assign wellbeing champions

Creating a network of wellbeing champions across different departments helps embed mental health initiatives across the organisation. These committed individuals promote positive practices, offer peer support, and keep wellbeing on the agenda.

For example, the HR wellbeing champion runs monthly “Mental Health Check-In” sessions and gathers feedback from teams to help the organisation improve its mental health support and build a stronger, more connected culture.

By focusing on these small but impactful steps, you can begin to shift the culture in your organisation towards greater psychological safety. The key is consistency – taking the time to nurture an environment of trust, openness, and support, one step at a time.

Remind employees all year round that they’re not alone at work

Mental Health Awareness Week is a valuable opportunity to start conversations and shine a light on employee well-being. But we all know that meaningful change doesn’t happen in a week. Real impact comes from weaving mental health into the everyday fabric of your workplace.

That means focusing on it consistently with small, intentional actions that build trust, psychological safety, and a positive workplace culture.

At Resilient People, we know that creating a culture where everyone feels psychologically safe is full of nuance. That’s why we take a holistic, expert-led approach, offering a wide range of training, workshops, and development programmes that meet your organisation where it’s at.

Whether you’re just starting to have these conversations or ready to embed deeper mental health strategies, we’re here to support you at every stage. Give us a call and let’s see what steps we can take together.