For Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, The Printing Charity shares simple actions to support workplace wellbeing and highlights its new free Wellbeing Community.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 takes place from 11 to 17 May, with this year’s theme, set by the Mental Health Foundation, focusing on the power of taking action. The annual campaign serves as a timely reminder for businesses to review their workplace mental health strategies, emphasizing that supportive initiatives do not need to be costly or complex to make a meaningful difference. Instead, the focus is on straightforward, daily habits that promote a supportive working culture.
Drawing inspiration from the NHS’s “Five steps to mental wellbeing,” there are several practical habits that employers and colleagues can easily integrate into the average working day:
Give to others: Show appreciation by saying thank you, acknowledging effort, or offering practical support to a colleague who is managing a heavy workload.
Connect with others: Set aside time for quick, informal catch-ups over lunch or coffee. When working with remote colleagues, utilize video calls to maintain a personal connection and ask open questions about their wellbeing.
Learn new skills: Encourage the sharing of knowledge, whether that involves training a colleague on a new software tool or mastering a new workflow system, which can boost confidence and job satisfaction.
Be physically active: Promote regular movement throughout the day, such as taking the stairs, incorporating desk stretches, or organizing walking meetings where practical.
Be mindful: Encourage staff to take short, regular pauses to breathe and reset during intense periods, focusing on one task at a time to reduce cognitive strain.
To further assist sector businesses in embedding these practices, The Printing Charity recently launched its free Wellbeing Community. Created for HR professionals, business owners, and mental health first aiders, the platform provides ready-to-use resources, expert-led webinars, and topic-specific toolkits designed to simplify the implementation of staff support programmes.
Neil Lovell, CEO of The Printing Charity, said, “Individual actions make a real difference, and the impact when people work together can make positive changes at scale. That’s one of the reasons why The Printing Charity has recently launched the free Wellbeing Community, where anyone involved in workplace wellbeing in the print industry can find resources, support and guidance on how to help their whole organisation build the best support for their employees.”
The business case for proactive mental health support is well-documented. Academic research, including studies from the London School of Economics, indicates that a meaningful increase in employee wellbeing yields an average productivity rise of approximately 10%. By providing structured, free resources, the charity aims to help companies of all sizes cultivate a healthier, more engaged workforce.
For people requiring immediate, confidential support, the Printing Charity continues to operate its 24/7 helpline on 0333 212 3534, offering round-the-clock emotional assistance to anyone working within the print, packaging, and graphic communication sectors.
The Printing Charity introduces new workplace Wellbeing Resource