To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week, BACB hosted an event to spotlight the importance of mental wellbeing in the workplace. Louise Nicolaou, founder and principal of The Training Huts, joined us in our London office to share her insights about how effectiveness in the workplace and strong mental health go hand in hand. She also provided fascinating insight into the foundational blocks of mental health and several techniques that individuals can deploy to build mental resilience.
A concerning disparity between corporate policy and employee experience
There is a clear distance between employers’ and employees' perspectives on workplace mental health – 96% of CEOs believe they are doing a good job of promoting mental health and well-being in their companies, while only 65% of employees agree. One-third of employees say they can't strike a good work-life balance, and many believe they can't handle their workload. This disparity reflects a broader issue across industries, in which good intentions from employers do not always result in the desired outcomes.
With work-related stress and mental ill-health accounting for 50% of sick leave cases and costing UK businesses £51 billion per year (and rising), ensuring wellness in the workplace is a pressing concern for both employees and business leaders.
On 14 May 2025, Louise delivered an engaging talk that combined personal anecdotes with scientific analysis, emphasising the importance of caring for one's mental health as well as some strategies for dealing with difficult times and ensuring mental resilience.
Louise, who has had an extensive career in the banking sector, witnessed firsthand the impact of strong leadership on mental wellbeing. She spoke candidly about balancing a demanding career with family responsibilities as a single parent. It led her to realise that ignoring mental health issues harms both individuals and businesses.
The foundations of maintaining mental health
The sessions included an examination of the components of mental health. Understanding its foundations is critical because the responsibility for maintaining it does not fall solely on HR. While managers play an important role in creating supportive environments, individuals are also called to take responsibility for self-care.
According to Louise, well-being encompasses more than just the absence of illness. It is the presence of emotional, physical, and mental harmony. It is about feeling connected, supported, and confident in our everyday lives. Proper maintenance improves life satisfaction, slows disease progression, and increases tolerance to stress and pain. Louise used an interactive session to demonstrate various techniques for managing one's mental health.
Exercising emotional fitness by being present, expressing gratitude, and overcoming the brain's hardwiring to look for bad things are all examples of self-reflection that can help us stay emotionally balanced and determine whether negative feelings are valid or out of proportion. She emphasised the importance of pushing away self-limiting thoughts, citing the example of overcoming her fear of public speaking by reframing her inner dialogue.
Moving from internal reflection to external action, Louise encouraged listeners to make genuine connections at work, take active breaks away from screens, and be open about mental health issues. It is critical that businesses create an environment that promotes these behaviours.
Finally, she discussed the significance of understanding ultradian rhythms. These 90-120-minute periods manage our bodies' cycles of energy production, output, and recovery, which has a significant impact on our mental fatigue. Research encourages people to take regular active breaks that correspond to these rhythms, which promotes a happier and more productive work environment.
Our ethos
Employee well-being is not a nice-to-have at BACB; it is an essential component of how we do business. Louise's insights served as a powerful reminder of the importance of providing knowledge and tools to both leaders and individuals in order to foster supportive working environments and promote strong mental health. We remain committed to creating a working environment in which wellbeing is prioritised and supported at all levels of the organisation, as resilience, performance, and wellbeing are all inextricably linked.
