Blog written by: Kat Williams BSc (Hons) Psychology, PGCert LICBT – Senior Workplace Mental Health and Training Officer
Why does this matter now?
The need for proactive mental health support in the workplace has never been greater. Rising stress levels, burnout, and the complexities of hybrid working are challenging how we connect, support, and thrive at work.
It’s important that employers take meaningful action to embed wellbeing in their workplace culture and that employees feel empowered to speak up and seek support.
A Wellbeing Action Plan helps you do just that. It’s about taking proactive steps to build a supportive and reflective environment in the workplace. Whether used individually for self-reflection or as a framework for line management conversations, it’s designed to normalise discussions about mental health and wellbeing, so we can support ourselves and others more effectively.
What is a Wellbeing Action Plan?
A flexible tool that supports mental health and wellbeing, by helping you:
- Identify what is important for your wellbeing
- Recognise potential stressors (inside and outside of work)
- Spot early warning signs of poor mental health
- Outline strategies to manage stress and maintain wellbeing
- Communicate your needs clearly to others
It encourages open, supportive conversations between employees and managers, but it can also be used independently to reflect on your own needs and plan ahead so you feel prepared for busy or challenging times.
What are the benefits of Wellbeing Action Plans?
- Encourages open conversations: Talking about mental health at work can feel uncomfortable or hard. A WAP provides a structured way to hold these conversations and foster trust, whilst focusing on the individual’s needs and preferences.
- Empowers employees: A WAP is a preventative tool that places the emphasis and control on the individual employee.
- Could prevent issues: A WAP encourages a proactive and solution-focused approach which fosters resourcefulness and resilience. By identifying triggers or stressors you are reducing the risk of burnout and/or absenteeism.
- Provides tailored support: Every employee is unique and the WAP identifies clear signs, triggers and approaches the employee has identified themselves. This provides clear guidance for the manager on how best to approach and support the employee.
- Improves productivity: When employees feel supported, they’re more likely to be motivated at work. A WAP supports employees to thrive at work, whilst building a strong trusting relationship with their manager. In turn, this could prevent issues from escalating, such as performance or absenteeism.
- Reduces stigma in the workplace: Normalising conversations around wellbeing and mental health is imperative for people to feel valued and understood. An organisational wide commitment to WAPs sends a clear message that people are cared for and by extension, how employees should treat and respect one another.
Supporting a mentally healthy workplace culture
When used across teams and organisations, WAPs help shift the culture from reactive to proactive. They empower employees to advocate for their own wellbeing and help to provide a framework for supportive conversations in the workplace.
They’re also a key part of a wider strategy moving beyond one-off initiatives to embed mental health into everyday working life.
WAPs are not only for people who live with a mental health condition or experience challenges; they are for everyone. They help to ensure that each employee, including managers, prioritise their mental wellbeing in the workplace.
When should an employee complete a Wellbeing Action Plan?
Company policies can determine when a Wellbeing Action Plan is completed. For some, it might be during an induction phase; with others, it might be as part of the return-to-work procedure. It’s important to ensure everyone is offered the opportunity to complete a WAP because they are beneficial to all. It’s best to complete them before any issues or challenges arise for the individual as it’s a preventative tool, helping managers spot early signs where support might be needed.
When introducing WAPs in the workplace, it’s useful to keep the following points in mind:
- Onboarding: This sets the tone from the beginning that every person is unique and valued in the workplace. It normalises conversations around mental wellbeing and is a useful tool to understand how best to support the learning, development, and support of a new starter. It also discourages stigmatising language in the workplace.
- One-to-ones or reviews: These are often ideal moments for reflection and could help establish an open, constructive and supportive relationship built on understanding and trust. It also ensures that the WAP is reviewed alongside other processes to ensure it’s up-to-date.
- Return to work: A WAP can sometimes be used to support a person when they return from sickness absence to help support their reintegration back into work. Through completion of and discussion about the WAP, it might become apparent there are certain adjustments that could be made beyond those normally considered.
- Significant changes: If there are major changes to the individual’s circumstances at work or personally, it might be useful to revisit a WAP. For example, if an employee has been redeployed or the department has undergone a restructure — both of which involve significant change and adaptation. A WAP would help to acknowledge this major change the employee has undergone and what might be helpful at this stage.
- At the request of employees: Importantly a WAP should always be voluntary. Employees should feel they have a choice as to when to complete a WAP. It’s got to be deemed beneficial to them and not a tick-box exercise. So the opportunity to complete or review it is theirs.
Important things to remember with a WAP
- Confidentiality: Employees must be confident their WAP will only be shared if their manager has consent to do so. WAPs are meant for direct line support tools and if anything is to be shared with more people, you must have consent and explain how and why it is useful for others to know.
- Not performance related: In no way should a WAP be used against an individual. It’s a supportive mechanism and unrelated to performance management. If a WAP is used in this way, it could damage the working relationship and trust.
- Ongoing: A WAP isn’t a one-off and needs to be updated periodically, such as if anything changes at work or personally. It mustn’t feel like a tick-box exercise that isn’t ever reviewed once completed.
- Voluntary: The best approach to a WAP is voluntary; there should be encouragement to complete one, but it is not an obligation. As it’s a supportive tool, it is most effective when someone wants to or feels the need to complete one.
– Gemma“I’ve used Wellbeing Action Plans throughout my career, both as a personal tool with my manager and as a manager of others. Nothing says ‘I care about your wellbeing and ensuring you thrive here’ more than a WAP.
We’re all unique — in our experiences, the challenges we face, and how we present at work. This simple tool can help you understand how to support someone in the way that works best for them. It’s valuable to people completing it— a chance to reflect on their own needs— as well as supporting managers to explore different perspectives and approaches.
In a mental health context, it’s especially helpful because it encourages open and supportive conversations on how best to respond with empathy and confidence. I’ve seen firsthand how WAPs prevent potential issues from escalating and build trust between colleagues long before challenges arise.
I’ve also appreciated the opportunity to let my manager know pressure points for my own mental health and taken time to understand the support I could be offered at times of stress or raised anxiety.”
Want a clear roadmap to helping you thrive at work?
Get the Wellbeing Action Plan
Fill out our new WAP and give yourself the space to reflect on what helps you thrive, while also giving your manager the insight they need to support you when it matters most.
Tailored support for a lasting impact
To create lasting cultural change, contact our Workplace Mental Health and Training team. We’ll work with you to tailor programmes that equip your people to support their own and each other’s mental health — building a workplace where wellbeing is part of everyday working life.
