iscover
Let’s be honest. If a breathing app and a 30-minute resilience workshop were enough to fix workplace burnout, we’d all be thriving right now. But we’re not, writes Dr Kaitlin Harkess.
Instead, many employees are exhausted and anxious. Employers are noticing, and to their credit, many are doing what they can. Wellness budgets, meditation app subscriptions, webinars, step challenges, resilience workshops, and even therapy dog days have become offerings in a lot of workplaces.
While some of these so-called solutions might bring short-term engagement or a moment of joy, we need to ask: do they meaningfully reduce stress, improve connection, or increase emotional safety at work? Or are they unintentionally shifting the responsibility back onto employees to manage their own stress, without changing the conditions that create it? Put simply: if your workplace is stressful, no amount of sleep bonuses (yes, really, some employers are tracking their employees’ sleep) or team step challenges will fix it.
As a clinical psychologist who works closely with individuals and organisations, I want to be clear: most workplace wellbeing initiatives are created with care. But it’s time we looked at what actually works – and what just looks like it does.
What the research is telling us
A large UK study involving over 46,000 workers found that commonly recommended wellbeing initiatives, including resilience training, mindfulness workshops, and wellbeing apps, didn’t improve mental health outcomes. In fact, participants who took part in these programs reported slightly lower wellbeing than those who didn’t.
That doesn’t mean mindfulness or resilience training are inherently bad. In fact, meta-analyses have shown these tools can support wellbeing when delivered well, particularly in high-stress environments like healthcare. But context matters. When these interventions are offered in isolation, without addressing workload, culture, or leadership, they risk feeling performative at best, and invalidating at worst.
What actually works
Cut unnecessary stress at the source
The best mental health strategy isn’t another program; it’s removing the chronic stressors. Simplify processes. Reduce unnecessary meetings. Give people more autonomy where possible. Structured workplace interventions like these are far more effective than reactive add-ons. Research shows that multi-component approaches, embedded in daily work, tailored to team needs, yield the greatest and most lasting impact.
Train managers to build psychological safety
No amount of mindfulness will undo the stress of working under a manager who avoids tricky conversations, communicates poorly, or doesn’t make their team feel seen. The Mental Health Commission has shown that when managers are trained to support their teams emotionally (not just logistically), job satisfaction rises, resilience increases, and risk factors for poor mental health go down. Culture lives and dies in teams. And how a team feels, functions, and supports each other is heavily influenced by how their leader leads.
Support emotional awareness, not just regulation
Breathwork and mindfulness can help regulate the nervous system, but only when people are taught how to listen to their emotions in the first place. Emotional regulation isn’t about staying calm at all costs. It’s about recognising what you’re feeling, tolerating discomfort, and responding intentionally. This kind of psychological flexibility is one of the strongest predictors of long-term wellbeing, and it starts with awareness, not suppression.
Address overwork and digital fatigue
With hybrid work and constant connectivity, the lines between work and life have never been blurrier. Our nervous systems are under increasing pressure to withstand long hours, sedentary days, and social isolation. It’s not just about burnout, it’s about boundaries. Workplaces must create cultures where switching off isn’t seen as slacking off. That includes modelling it from the top down.
Encourage time outdoors or bring the outdoors in
Time in nature supports nervous system regulation, improves focus, and reduces stress. Walking meetings, outdoor breaks, and green office design all have measurable benefits. Even small additions, like indoor plants or access to natural light, can improve how employees feel and function at work.
Stack tiny habits that actually stick
Wellbeing doesn’t have to be big or complicated. Some of the most effective changes are tiny: two-minute breathing pauses, micro-breaks between meetings, walking to debrief a difficult conversation. These nervous system resets are far more sustainable than one-off workshops. Encourage teams to pair habits together so wellbeing becomes part of how they work, not another thing to tick off.
And yes, individual tools still matter
To be clear, tools like CBT-based resilience training, mindfulness-based interventions, structured exercise programs, and peer support networks can improve wellbeing, especially when offered consistently and integrated into broader workplace culture. Research supports this. But the key is in how they’re offered:
They need to be embedded, not bolted on.
They need to be led from the top, not buried in HR.
And they need to happen during work hours – not after hours, when your employees are already stretched.
Your people don’t need another challenge, bonus, or breathing app. They need space. They need safety. They need to feel seen. And yes, they might also need a leafy corner to breathe in for two minutes between meetings.
Dr Kaitlin Harkess, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, yoga instructor, meditation instructor, academic researcher, and author of The Somatic Workbook for Nervous System Regulation and Anxiety Management: 85+ Body-Based Practices for Deepening Awareness, Navigating Emotions, and Building Resilience.
