This week marks 25 years of Mental Health Awareness Week, an important campaign that works towards improving mental health across the UK. This year's theme is community, celebrating the power of having strong and supportive connections that ensure that no one feels alone. Without a sense of trust and connection at work, people stay silent, and silence is dangerous.
At COMET, we work with organisations where decisions can mean life or death. These are places where pressure is high, mistakes are costly, and resilience is expected. But let’s be honest. The culture in many of these environments still tells people to keep their heads down and crack on, no matter what’s going on behind the scenes.
That’s not sustainable. It increases exposure. And it’s not safe.
If people don’t feel safe to speak up, risk goes up
Mental health is still often seen as a wellbeing “add-on”, not as part of the safety conversation. But when it’s left out, leaders miss key warning signs. People hide fatigue. They stay quiet about close calls. They keep going to work when they’re not fit to do so. And that’s when small issues turn into big failures.
In the latest episode of The Risk Factor, COMET’s Craig Smith speaks with Jim Grimmer, founder of P3 Business Care. Jim shares a story about a well-respected colleague he once had, someone seen as successful and dependable, who took his own life during a lunch break…
No signs. No conversation. Just a tragic outcome.
By the time a problem reaches HR or senior leadership, it’s often too late to do anything but react.
That’s exactly why proactive support and open communication matter.
The gap between what leaders say and what employees believe
A recent survey by the CIPD found that 8 out of 10 UK workers don’t believe their employer when it comes to wellbeing support.
Plenty of companies run awareness campaigns and post about mental health on social media. But inside the business, the reality is different.
A strong safety culture should not only be about rules, compliance, or PPE. It should also be about how people treat each other. This can include how they respond when someone speaks up and whether individuals feel as though they have a safe space to speak up when they need to.
When people feel supported and not judged, they may be more likely to share their concerns, report mistakes, and ask for help.
The long-term impact of incidents on mental health in high-risk industries
In high-risk environments, the physical consequences of incidents are often visible, but the psychological impact can be far less obvious. Stressful or traumatic events can leave individuals carrying emotional strain long after they have physically recovered. Without real mental health support, the pressure after a traumatic or stressful event can build, it can affect confidence, judgement and long-term wellbeing.
While mental health resources might exist, in most cases they aren’t accessed, either because people don’t feel comfortable using them, don’t believe they’ll be taken seriously or fear potential repercussions from their employer, who may not think they can continue working if they aren’t well.
Leaders in high-risk industries can support mental health by focusing on these five actions:
1. Get out from behind the desk
Real support doesn’t come from HR policies or posters in the breakroom. It comes from face-to-face conversations. Senior leaders and managers should be visible and available, and ask how people are doing before performance drops or incidents happen.
2. Treat stress like any other safety hazard
Fatigue, burnout, and poor concentration all increase the chance of error. If your mental health support isn’t proactive, you’re just managing the fallout, not the cause.
3. Support after critical incidents can’t be optional
You wouldn’t send someone back to work with a broken arm. But we regularly see people return after serious events with no mental health follow-up. That’s not resilience. That’s neglect.
4. Stop guessing what people need
Mental health initiatives fail when they’re generic. Ask your teams what works, and don’t assume yoga or webinars are the answer. Respect their input and acton it.
5. Lead by example
People take their cues from leadership. If leaders model healthy boundaries, make time for people, and talk honestly about pressure, others feel they can do the same. What you walk past, you accept, so make sure the example you’re setting is one worth following.
Five questions every leadership team should be asking itself
- Would someone on your team feel safe admitting they’re struggling?
- After a serious incident, do you check in emotionally, or just operationally?
- Are your managers trained to spot early signs of burnout or presenteeism?
- When did you last review your mental health support based on employee input?
- Do people trust your messaging, or does it feel like a tick-box exercise?
If any of these give you pause, you have a starting point for change.
Why community matters and how to build it at work
Community at work means knowing someone’s there for you, especially on the tough days. It’s a colleague who checks in. A manager who notices when you’re not yourself. A crew that looks out for one another without needing to be asked.
Team lunches and social events are great, but real connections often happen in the quieter, everyday moments: a quick chat at the start of the day, a message to say, “I’ve got you," or a bit of honesty when things feel heavy.
Five practical ways to build real community at work
- Check in with our colleagues: Ask how people are doing, not just what they’re doing.
- Encourage peer support: Give teams space to look out for each other, not just report up the chain.
- Create space to learn about each other: Encourage teams to share their backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. It builds trust and helps people feel seen.
- Pair experienced staff with new starters: Buddy systems build trust and reduce early stress.
- Make space for conversations that aren’t task-related: Breakrooms and informal chat matter more than you think.
🎧 Don’t miss our upcoming podcast!
Watch the teaser
If you think your organisation’s mental health initiatives are “doing enough,” this episode might change your mind.
Get notified when the episode goes live
Where to find workplace mental health support
If you or someone you know works in a high-risk industry and is finding things difficult, it’s important to know you’re not alone. Support is available, and reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Here are some incredible resources that can make a real difference, and focus on helping people who work in high stress industries:
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