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Work-related stress, depression and anxiety are now the largest single cause of work-related ill health in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that 964,000 workers were affected in 2024/25, with 22.1 million working days lost. Figures like these are one reason many employers look at wellbeing training.
It is not an easy market to buy in. Providers range from charities and independent trainers to eLearning platforms and clinical services, and two courses with similar titles can be very different in depth and quality. This guide is for HR, People, Learning and Development (L&D) and health and safety teams. It covers what the law expects of employers, what the evidence says, and how to compare providers on more than price and a course outline.
What wellbeing training covers
Workplace wellbeing training is a broad label. Most of what is on offer falls into a handful of topics, usually in two versions: one for all employees and one for managers.
- Mental health awareness, including how to recognise when someone may be struggling and how to start a conversation
- Mental health first aid, which trains named people to give initial support and guide someone towards help
- Stress and burnout, often linked to workload, change and how teams are managed
- Resilience and mindfulness, focused on individual coping techniques
- Menopause, covering symptoms, adjustments and how managers can support colleagues
- Neurodiversity, such as autism, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and dyslexia, and how to adapt ways of working
- Psychological safety, meaning whether people feel able to speak up, raise concerns or admit mistakes without fear
- Suicide awareness, which needs particularly careful design and experienced facilitation
Some topics overlap with diversity and inclusion work, particularly neurodiversity and menopause. If that is where your need sits, our guide to choosing a diversity and inclusion provider may also help.
What employers must do
There is no law requiring an employer to buy wellbeing training. There are legal duties that training can help you meet, and a good provider should understand them.
- Stress risk assessment. The HSE states that employers must protect workers from stress at work by doing a risk assessment and acting on it. Its Management Standards set out six areas of work design that affect stress: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change.
- First aid needs assessment. The HSE suggests employers consider mental health when assessing their first aid needs. It describes appointing mental health first aiders as one option, and it is not a requirement.
- Reasonable adjustments. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers. Some mental health conditions, neurodivergent conditions and menopause symptoms can meet the legal definition of disability.
For organisations that want a management framework, ISO 45003:2021 sets out international guidelines for managing psychosocial risks as part of an occupational health and safety system. It is voluntary, but some larger employers use it to structure their approach.
What the evidence says
The research on workplace wellbeing deserves more attention than it usually gets in procurement conversations. Three findings are worth knowing.
The first concerns individual-level initiatives. A 2024 study by William Fleming of the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre analysed survey data from 46,336 workers in 233 UK organisations. People who took part in initiatives such as resilience training, mindfulness and wellbeing apps reported no better wellbeing than those who did not. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show cause and effect, but its author argues that organisational changes, such as to scheduling, resources or job design, are more likely to make a difference.
The second concerns mental health first aid. An HSE evidence review in 2018 found consistent evidence that this training raises awareness of mental ill health, but no evidence that it led to sustained action by those trained or improved the wider management of mental health. An updated HSE review in 2023 reached similar conclusions, finding some evidence of improved knowledge and confidence, and limited evidence of sustained improvement in trainees' ability to help colleagues.
The third concerns managers. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline NG212, on mental wellbeing at work, covers how organisations create conditions that support wellbeing, including training and support for managers. It recommends giving managers time to attend training, and covering stigma and the ongoing management of mental wellbeing.
In our view, none of this makes wellbeing training pointless. The practical lesson is that training aimed at individuals works best as one part of a wider plan, and that training for managers is often where the strongest case can be made.
Start with the causes
The HSE identifies workload as the most common cause of work-related stress, along with a lack of managerial support, violence and bullying, organisational change and unclear roles. A course on personal resilience will not do much for a team whose problem is an unmanageable workload.
Before approaching providers, gather what you already know. That might be your stress risk assessment, sickness absence patterns, staff survey results, exit interview themes, and what your occupational health service or Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is telling you in anonymised form. Then decide what the training is meant to change, and for whom.
Types of provider
Most providers fit one or more of the types below. Many organisations use more than one, for example a consultancy for the risk assessment and a specialist trainer for manager sessions.
The main types of wellbeing training provider
| Type | Typically used for | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist wellbeing trainers | Live workshops on topics such as stress, mental health awareness or menopause, often with a manager version | Who designs and delivers the content, and how sessions handle disclosures from participants |
| Accredited course providers | Courses that lead to a certificate, a CPD record or a regulated qualification | Who awards the certificate, and whether it is a regulated qualification or CPD accreditation |
| eLearning and on-demand providers | Reaching a large or dispersed workforce with consistent content | Completion and engagement data, accessibility, and how often content is reviewed |
| Consultancies and auditors | Stress risk assessments, wellbeing strategy, policy reviews and surveys | Whether they work to recognised frameworks such as the HSE Management Standards |
| Clinical and occupational health services | Assessments, therapy or specialist support for individuals | Professional registration of practitioners and clear clinical governance |
Type
Specialist wellbeing trainers
Typically used for
Live workshops on topics such as stress, mental health awareness or menopause, often with a manager version
What to check
Who designs and delivers the content, and how sessions handle disclosures from participants
Type
Accredited course providers
Typically used for
Courses that lead to a certificate, a CPD record or a regulated qualification
What to check
Who awards the certificate, and whether it is a regulated qualification or CPD accreditation
Type
eLearning and on-demand providers
Typically used for
Reaching a large or dispersed workforce with consistent content
What to check
Completion and engagement data, accessibility, and how often content is reviewed
Type
Consultancies and auditors
Typically used for
Stress risk assessments, wellbeing strategy, policy reviews and surveys
What to check
Whether they work to recognised frameworks such as the HSE Management Standards
Type
Clinical and occupational health services
Typically used for
Assessments, therapy or specialist support for individuals
What to check
Professional registration of practitioners and clear clinical governance
Certificates deserve a closer look. A regulated qualification sits on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) and is overseen by a qualifications regulator, such as Ofqual in England. CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accreditation means a course has been reviewed against an accrediting body's standards, which is not the same thing. Our guide to regulated qualifications and CPD accreditation explains the difference.
How to evaluate a provider
Once you know what you need, these checks tend to separate the stronger providers from the rest.
Signs of a strong provider
Lived experience can make wellbeing training more credible and relatable, particularly on topics such as menopause or neurodiversity. It works best alongside facilitation skill and accurate, current content. Ask who wrote the material, when it was last reviewed, and whether any clinical or specialist input was involved.
Safety, signposting and data
Wellbeing sessions can bring difficult experiences to the surface. A participant may disclose a mental health crisis, a bereavement or thoughts of suicide, and the facilitator needs to know what to do. A good provider will agree this with you in advance: who the facilitator contacts, which internal services people are referred to, and which external helplines are shared.
Where a provider offers clinical support, such as therapy or assessments, check that practitioners hold appropriate professional registration and that there is proper clinical governance. Training and clinical care are different services and should be described as such.
Data needs the same care. Health information is special category data under UK data protection law, which means it carries extra protection. Agree what a provider will collect, whether survey results will be anonymised or aggregated, where data is stored and when it will be deleted. Involve your data protection officer, if you have one, early on.
What drives the cost
Prices vary widely and depend on the format as much as the topic. A figure from one provider says little about another, so it is more useful to know what moves the price:
- Format: live workshops, eLearning licences, accredited courses or consultancy
- The number of participants and sessions, and whether they run in person or online
- Whether a course leads to a regulated qualification or CPD certificate
- How much the content is adapted to your sector and workforce
- The depth of any risk assessment, survey or data analysis
- Follow-up support, such as refresher sessions or manager clinics
- Clinical input, which typically costs more than training alone
When comparing quotes, check they cover the same scope. Measurement, follow-up and manager support are often the first things missing from a cheaper proposal. Our guide to measuring training ROI covers how to decide what success will look like before you buy.
Red flags
- A standard package recommended before they have asked about your organisation
- Claims that training alone will reduce absence or fix a stressful culture
- No plan for handling disclosures or signposting people to support
- Medical claims or diagnoses from people who are not qualified to make them
- Content on menopause, neurodiversity or the law that does not match official guidance
- Certificates described as "accredited" with no clear body behind them
- Vague answers about how employee data will be handled
Questions to ask providers
Questions for your shortlist
FAQs
Is wellbeing training a legal requirement?
There is no general legal requirement to buy wellbeing training. Employers do have a legal duty to protect workers from stress at work by assessing the risk and acting on it. Training can be one of the measures that comes out of a risk assessment, but it is not a substitute for one.
Do we need mental health first aiders?
There is no legal requirement to have them. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says that, following a first aid needs assessment, an employer might decide it would be beneficial to have people trained to recognise and support someone experiencing a mental health issue. HSE evidence reviews in 2018 and 2023 found that this training improves knowledge and awareness, but found limited evidence of sustained improvement in how trained people help colleagues.
Does resilience or mindfulness training work?
Evidence on individual-level initiatives is mixed. A 2024 study of more than 46,000 UK workers in 233 organisations found that people who took part in initiatives such as resilience training, mindfulness and wellbeing apps reported no better wellbeing than those who did not. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot prove cause and effect, but it supports the view that individual support works best alongside changes to how work is organised.
Should managers be trained separately from employees?
In most cases, yes. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that managers have time to attend relevant training, and that it covers stigma and the ongoing management of mental wellbeing at work. Managers need different skills from their teams, such as adjusting workload and knowing when to refer someone to occupational health.
Can menopause count as a disability?
It can. The Equality and Human Rights Commission's 2024 guidance explains that where menopause symptoms have a long-term and substantial effect on a woman's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, they may amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010. The employer must then make reasonable adjustments. Training providers on this topic should reflect that guidance accurately.
Sources and further reading
- Work-related stress and how to manage it, Health and Safety Executive
- What are the Management Standards?, Health and Safety Executive
- Work-related stress, depression or anxiety statistics in Great Britain, 2025, Health and Safety Executive (November 2025)
- First aid at work: what employers need to do, Health and Safety Executive
- Summary of the evidence on the effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid training in the workplace (RR1135), with 2023 update, Health and Safety Executive, via the UK Government Web Archive
- Mental wellbeing at work (NG212), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2022)
- Employee well-being outcomes from individual-level mental health interventions: cross-sectional evidence from the United Kingdom, William Fleming, Industrial Relations Journal (2024), via the Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford
- Menopause in the workplace: guidance for employers, Equality and Human Rights Commission (February 2024)
- ISO 45003:2021 Psychological health and safety at work, International Organization for Standardization
- Reasonable adjustments for workers with disabilities or health conditions, GOV.UK
- What is special category data?, Information Commissioner's Office
This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice. Take advice on how the law applies to your organisation. If you are worried about someone's immediate safety, contact the emergency services.