On October 10, World Mental Health Day mobilizes organizations around the globe. In 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) campaign highlights the importance of listening to people with lived experience and enabling their voices to shape policies, services, and decision-making.

In the corporate environment, this message is especially relevant. Well-being campaigns, lectures, and communications are positive initiatives that help open space for the topic. The real challenge, however, begins afterward: how to transform one-off actions into continuous practices of listening, prevention, and care once the date has passed?

Listening to employees does not mean soliciting personal stories in meetings, encouraging the public disclosure of medical diagnoses, or shifting the responsibility onto each individual to find solutions. It means creating the conditions for employees and leadership to identify work-related signals and risks, manage these situations within their roles and boundaries, communicate difficulties safely, and escalate them for responsible evaluation and concrete improvements.

Mental health at work requires continuity.

Promoting workplace mental health requires continuity and is directly linked to workload distribution, leadership behaviors, relationship quality, role clarity, and the safety to ask for help or report a problem.

World Mental Health Day 2026: The Role of Companies

The 2026 WHO campaign advocates for a shift from passive listening to active participation. For companies, this means incorporating employee experiences when setting priorities, reviewing practices, and building solutions—as well as communicating the results and changes implemented. In this way, listening directly influences policies, priorities, and practices, always on a voluntary basis with protected confidentiality. Companies must not treat employees as a source of clinical diagnosis nor turn personal experiences into institutional content without free, informed consent.

Responsible listening can occur through various channels:

• Anonymous or confidential surveys;

• Voluntary, facilitated focus groups;

• Ethics and support channels;

• One-on-one conversations conducted by trained professionals;

• Analysis of work situations and risk factors;

• Involvement of team representatives in designing action plans;

• Evaluation of the effectiveness of implemented measures.

If an organization asks questions but fails to explain what will be done with employee responses, the initiative can breed frustration and erode trust.

One-Off Campaigns Do Not Replace a Continuous Strategy

A single lecture can start a conversation. However, an isolated event does not guarantee universal participation, content comprehension, or behavior change. Nor does it replace continuous training, workplace condition analysis, leadership preparation, or risk monitoring.

The 2026 National Campaign for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents, organized by the Labor Inspection Authority, focuses specifically on preventing psychosocial risks. This movement underscores the need to address factors linked to work organization and interpersonal dynamics, rather than focusing solely on individual stress responses.

A consistent strategy connects four core dimensions:

1. Prevention: Identifying and reducing workplace factors that contribute to mental distress.

2. Awareness Training: Building an understanding of mental health, reducing stigma, setting boundaries, and defining appropriate forms of support.

3. Response: Establishing clear channels, responsibilities, and referral workflows for situations requiring attention.

4. Monitoring: Tracking indicators, evaluating outcomes, and continuously reviewing measures.

When these dimensions fail to communicate, a campaign may be remembered, but it will rarely transform daily workplace routines.

How to Listen to Employees Safely

Define the Purpose of Listening

Determine which working conditions need to be understood—such as workload, leadership support, conflict, autonomy, and trust in internal channels. Avoid intrusive questions and the unnecessary collection of clinical data.

Explain How Information Will Be Used

Inform participants whether involvement is voluntary, who will have access to the data, and how confidentiality will be safeguarded. In smaller teams, take extra precautions to prevent indirect identification.

Offer Multiple Listening Channels

Not everyone feels comfortable using the same medium. Offering a variety of channels expands accessibility options. However, every channel must have assigned owners, clear referral criteria, and explicit boundaries.

Communicate Insights and Action Steps

Present key findings in an aggregated format, outline the measures that will be adopted, and explain any constraints. This feedback demonstrates respect and reinforces trust in the process.

Psychosocial Risks Require Structural Changes to Working Conditions

Workplace mental health should not be treated merely as an individual’s capacity to endure pressure. Risks are frequently tied to workload overload, lack of role clarity, conflict, harassment, low autonomy, extended working hours, poor communication, and lack of support.

Recently, Fundacentro highlighted study findings regarding Primary Healthcare professionals that linked heavy workloads to negative evaluations of safety culture. While conducted in a specific setting, the study illustrates why organizational conditions must be included in any workplace analysis.

A company can offer self-care resources, but these must not be used as a substitute for necessary process improvements. Teaching someone time management skills, for instance, does not solve incompatible priorities or permanently excessive workloads.

Prevention must combine skill-building with organizational measures.

Psychological Safety Makes Listening Possible

Psychological safety is the shared belief that individuals can ask questions, admit doubts, flag problems, and contribute ideas without fear of humiliation or retaliation.

This does not mean an absence of accountability, conflict, or high standards. It means that disagreements and mistakes are handled with respect, clarity, and a focus on solutions.

The Role of Workplace Mental Health Training

Training does not mean turning managers into therapists. It means equipping people to recognize boundaries, respond respectfully, and correctly navigate organizational resources.

An awareness program helps employees and leaders to:

• Understand foundational concepts without reinforcing stigmas;

• Recognize early signs that a situation requires attention;

• Differentiate empathetic support from clinical counseling;

• Become familiar with available internal channels and benefits;

• Communicate work-related challenges constructively;

• Respond appropriately to harassment, conflict, or inappropriate behavior;

• Respect individual privacy;

• Contribute to more collaborative workplace relationships.

Training must use realistic scenarios. A manager receiving a workload complaint, a colleague noticing a change in behavior, and a team facing recurring conflict each require different responses. Case studies, simulated decision-making, and situational questions help teams practice these distinctions.

Key Indicators to Monitor Your Strategy

Organizations can track:

• Participation rates and comprehension in training modules;

• Trust levels in available reporting channels;

• Response times to raised concerns;

• Recurring themes in surveys and feedback;

• Perceived leadership support;

• Clarity of roles and priorities;

• Execution status of action plans;

• Recidivism rates of previously identified issues;

• Post-implementation evaluations of wellness initiatives.

Health-related data requires extreme caution, a defined purpose, restricted access, and full compliance with applicable data privacy laws. The goal is not to monitor individuals, but to understand systemic risks and evaluate whether collective measures are working.

Mental Health Must Be Part of the Management Routine

World Mental Health Day provides a valuable opportunity to broaden awareness and foster permanent workplace care practices.

Knowledge transforms workplace culture when it shows up in daily behavior.

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How TothBe Can Support Your Organization

TothBe offers a 100% online Mental Health and Psychological Safety training program, the “Pausa para Cuidar” series, and a comprehensive Psychosocial Risk Assessment complete with actionable remediation plans and climate survey capabilities to deepen insights into employee perceptions and guide priorities.

Explore TothBe’s solutions and transform awareness into continuous practices of prevention, care, and workplace improvement. Featuring expert-developed content, interactive exercises, learning assessments, and participation analytics, TothBe turns a sensitive topic into a clear, engaging, and measurable learning journey.

Learn more about TothBe’s Mental Health and Psychological Safety at Work Training and request a presentation for your company today.

Contact us: contato@tothbe.com.br