This year’s World Mental Health Day theme, “Access to services: mental health in catastrophes and emergencies”, highlights a vital truth: in times of crisis, timely support can change everything.
Globally, it’s a call to ensure no one is left behind when disaster strikes. But for leaders, it also invites a broader reflection, because crises don’t just happen on the world stage. They unfold quietly every day in workplaces: when pressure peaks, when financial strain grows, when teams face conflict, or when individuals feel overwhelmed and unseen.
True access means more than having services in place, it’s about creating a culture where every person, at every level, feels safe, supported and able to ask for help before challenges reach breaking point.
The Leadership Challenge: Are We Truly Accessible?
In many organisations, the intention to support mental health is strong, yet genuine access remains uneven. While most employers now have wellbeing activity in place, research shows that only around half rate their line managers as confident in supporting wellbeing, with capability, stigma and workload still among the biggest barriers (CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work Report, 2025).
Frontline teams may have clear pathways to help, but leaders often feel they should “cope” alone. Remote employees can struggle to access services built around office-based routines. And despite progress, stigma still prevents people from reaching out early.
Our work with clients shows that even where strong frameworks exist, the challenge often lies in confidence and culture. The question for leaders isn’t only “Do we have support?” but also “Who might still find it hardest to use?”
Rethinking What ‘Access’ Really Means
When we talk about access, it’s easy to think about availability, but the real barriers are often psychological and cultural.
Access is built on three dimensions:
- Practical access – ensuring people know where to turn and can reach support easily, regardless of role or location.
- Psychological access – creating trust and safety so employees feel permission to use that support.
- Cultural access – embedding wellbeing into everyday leadership, so it’s seen as part of how work gets done, not an add-on.
These align with what we see across Oakwood’s wellbeing and leadership programmes: real access happens when strategy, skills and culture work together.
Leadership in Action: Building Inclusive Access
Creating inclusive access doesn’t mean doing more, it means doing what matters, consistently.
- Lead by example: When leaders talk openly about their own challenges or use wellbeing resources, it sets a powerful tone of permission.
- Equip managers: Confidence and early conversations prevent small issues from becoming crises. Managers need practical tools and clear signposting routes.
- Design for everyone: Make sure support reaches hybrid, shift-based and customer-facing teams, the people often under the most strain.
- Join up wellbeing and performance: Integrate wellbeing into leadership expectations and success measures, so it becomes part of how the organisation defines and sustains performance.
Turning Awareness into Action
This World Mental Health Day is a chance to look deeper at what “access” really means in your organisation.
- Who feels most confident using the support available and who might not?
- Do your leaders model openness, or mask pressure?
- Is wellbeing woven into how you lead, or still treated as a separate agenda?
Real access isn’t built through policies, it’s shaped by leadership. When leaders show openness and compassion, they turn support from something available into something used.
