Creating healthy workplaces for Mental Health Awareness Week

13 May 2026

Mental health and wellbeing is a core business concern; not just a “people issue.”

Lorna Feeney, Mental Health & Wellbeing Practice Leader at Marsh Risk, spoke to us about healthy workplaces, the pressures faced by insolvency and restructuring professionals, and how organisations can strengthen support.

Why does workplace mental health matter?

Lorna Feeney: 'A healthy workplace has performance advantages. When people feel safe, supported and clear on priorities, you’ll typically see lower rates of absence and turnover, better collaboration, and stronger decision-making.

By contrast, chronic overload, low control, poor role clarity and cultures that reward ‘pushing through’ can lead to presenteeism, burnout and attrition. Operationally, that increases the likelihood of errors, conflict and poor outcomes. Legally and reputationally, it can also create significant exposure, especially where harm is foreseeable and not actively managed.

For example, the High Court recently awarded a former Jockey Club Racecourses employee £990,000 after ruling the organisation breached its duty of care in a case of foreseeable work-related stress and psychiatric injury. The judgment pointed to a series of practical failures including not reviewing workload or seeking occupational health advice.'

What does a healthy workplace look like?

'It’s not about eliminating pressure but managing it through good job design, good leadership and clear escalation routes.

It’s creating an environment where people feel psychologically safe to speak up early about capacity, concerns or mistakes and where workload and priorities are realistic and reviewed, not left to individuals. Support is visible and accessible with Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP), occupational health, manager capability and clear signposting. Disagreements should be handled respectfully and focused on ideas, so teams can challenge them constructively. And leave and recovery are treated as part of performance, not an anomaly.'

How would you assess the scale of the mental health challenge facing UK organisations?

'It’s a significant and persistent combination of sustained workload pressure, skills shortages, constant change, financial uncertainty and an ‘always-on’ culture. Mental health is increasingly recognised as an operational risk and a governance issue, not just a wellbeing initiative.

Certain sectors have higher rates of mental health problems because of the nature of the job. What workplace stresses particularly affect insolvency and restructuring?

A mix of high-stakes decision-making with imperfect information, compressed timelines, and stakeholder tension. You may be dealing with distressed directors, anxious employees, frustrated creditors, and sometimes conflict between parties.

There’s also the effect of scrutiny, being worried about challenge, complaint, or being second-guessed later. Add volatile workload, long hours during live cases, and the emotional load of redundancy conversations or business closures, and you can see why strong support systems matter.'

Practical actions 

What three things can organisations do to improve mental health support?

'First, treat work-related stress as a manageable risk, not individual weakness. If workload isn’t visible and actively managed, you’re relying on individual resilience so capacity planning, clear caseload allocation and escalation triggers matter. 

Second, build manager capability and psychological safety. Train leaders and managers to spot warning signs, have consistent conversations, and respond supportively. People need to feel safe to say ‘I’m at capacity’ before it leads to illness or resignation.

Third, make support routes obvious and credible. Clear signposting to EAP and occupational health, easy access pathways, and debriefing after difficult cases makes a difference. You want support to be used early, not at crisis point.

The Jockey Club case shows that workload review, stress risk assessment and occupational health involvement are not ‘nice-to-haves’ once risk is foreseeable.'

In distressed businesses: red flags and practical support

Financial difficulties are a significant factor in mental health crises—what red flags do IPs need to be aware of when they are called into businesses in distress?

'You’re looking for patterns and escalation. Behaviorally, you may see withdrawal, tearfulness, irritability, agitation or loss of clarity. Operationally, you might see increased absence or presenteeism, rising errors, near misses, conflict, sudden resignations and grievances.

Always take acute cues seriously, such as expressions of hopelessness, inability to cope, or signs of substance misuse. If you notice when pressure is tipping into harm, you can ensure signposting and safeguarding routes are activated.'

How can IPs support staff within struggling businesses who are worried about redundancy?

'Dignity matters. Surprises and silence create distress and distrust, but consistent honest communication reduces rumour and disruption which helps people cope. 

Practical steps include setting a predictable update rhythm, using plain language, briefing managers so messages stay consistent, providing safe routes for questions, and signposting support where possible.'

A free psychological assessment tool for organisations

Marsh Risk offers a free psychological assessment that helps organisations benchmark their approach to psychosocial risk and workplace mental health. The assessment includes 28 questions spanning recognised frameworks and guidance.

Find out more about the assessment here.

About Lorna Feeney

Lorna is a Mental Health & Wellbeing Practice Leader at Marsh Risk based in Leeds. She supports organisations to create healthier, safer workplaces through practical approaches to psychosocial risk management, leadership capability and workplace wellbeing, helping clients align with UK health and safety standards and good practice.