Looking Back: From Taboo to Tentative Conversations
When I first began my career in HR and Talent Acquisition more than 20 years ago, mental health was rarely, if ever, spoken about in the workplace. If it was mentioned, it was usually whispered, wrapped in embarrassment, or treated with quiet judgement. Employees were expected to “leave their problems at the door,” and managers often felt ill-equipped or even unwilling to talk about what was happening behind the professional mask.
Back then, stress, burnout, or anxiety were often hidden for fear of being labelled “weak” or “not cut out for the job.” I remember how much secrecy and shame surrounded even the smallest disclosure. Looking back now, it’s striking how far we’ve come.
The Generational Shift in Talking About Mental Health
One of the biggest drivers of change has been the multiple generations now co-existing in the workplace. Baby Boomers and many Gen X professionals grew up in a world where you simply didn’t talk about mental health at work. To admit you were struggling was often to risk being judged, overlooked, or left behind.
Millennials helped to open the door a little wider, pushing for balance, flexibility, and wellbeing initiatives alongside their careers. But it’s Gen Z who have truly changed the game. They are far more open about sharing how they feel and asking for support. They talk about therapy, anxiety, and burnout in everyday conversation and in doing so, they are breaking down the stigma for everyone.
This generational openness has forced organisations to catch up. From mental health first aiders to employee assistance programmes and apps, to flexible working and wellbeing days; workplaces are slowly learning that supporting mental health is not a “perk.” It’s a necessity.
Where We Are Today
The good news is that today’s workplaces are much more aware. Mental health and wellbeing are part of the HR agenda, leadership conversations, and even boardroom discussions.
At Wirex, we’ve worked hard to make wellbeing more than just a talking point. Some of the initiatives we’ve introduced include:
• Awareness training so managers can better spot and support challenges.
• Proactive employee surveys and monthly mood and wellbeing pulse checks to listen in real time.
• Flexible and remote working, recognising the realities of modern life.
• Wellbeing programmes throughout the year, from step challenges to hints and tips to support consistency.
• Short Wellbeing Fridays (3:30pm summer finishes) to encourage rest and recovery.
• And, for the first time this year, a summer wellbeing allowance so Wirexers could invest in something that boosted their personal wellbeing.
• Three-month sabbatical leave, which many Wirexers use for recovery and renewal, with people often returning recharged instead of leaving altogether.
We also look beyond programmes to embed wellbeing more deeply. We monitor sick leave and time-off balances to spot deviations and risks early, while our engagement survey includes predictive elements on wellbeing, workload, and autonomy. And in our leadership competency model, providing psychological safety is a core mindset expectation, a non-negotiable for creating a healthy and supportive work environment.
Of course, it’s also important to recognise that work itself can sometimes be the main source of stress. That’s why at Wirex we take work-related risks seriously, embedding checks and balances to reduce distress caused by workload, role clarity, or lack of flexibility.
And we know we’re not perfect. One area we continue to challenge ourselves on is ensuring boundaries are respected, particularly when it comes to the right to disconnect. For a global, always-on business, this is tough, but it’s an area we know matters deeply to our people.
Don’t get me wrong, these actions do not “solve” mental health, but they do make a difference. They send a clear message: you are seen, you are valued, and your wellbeing matters here.
Looking Ahead: What the Future Holds
So where do we go from here? I believe the future of mental health in the workplace will move from reactive support to proactive culture. That means:
• Normalising conversations about mental health in the same way we do about physical health.
• Embedding wellbeing into leadership expectations, not just HR policies.
• Using technology carefully - predictive tools, pulse surveys, and AI insights to identify early signs of stress and intervene before issues escalate.
• Building manager capability into leadership curricula as a non-negotiable, equipping leaders to notice, to listen, and to act.
• Codifying right-to-disconnect norms, especially for global, distributed teams.
• Treating psychological safety as a KPI, measured alongside performance.
• And looking further ahead, experimenting with job design and working time models, from smarter schedules to shorter weeks, that balance productivity with wellbeing.
Ultimately, the future of work is one where mental health isn’t an afterthought, it’s seen as central to performance, trust, and long-term success.
A Call to Reflect
As World Mental Health Day approaches on 10th October, I’d encourage every leader to pause and reflect. What conversations are you having with your people? What signals are you sending that it’s safe to talk and safe to ask for help?
Because when we strip away the stigma, what we’re left with is the truth: talking about mental health at work isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of progress. And its progress worth building on.