Championing Mental Health: Building a Culture of Support and Understanding

Across every industry, mental health is emerging as one of the most pressing wellbeing priorities facing today’s workforce. While progress has been made in reducing stigma, many people still find it difficult to speak openly about how they’re feeling — especially in the workplace. 

As organisations, we have a responsibility not only to acknowledge this challenge but to actively design the structures, behaviours and culture that enable colleagues to feel supported.

At Centrica, we believe that caring for mental health is just as important as caring for physical wellbeing. It’s not an optional extra or an “initiative”; it’s a core part of what helps people thrive at work and at home. That belief is shaping our approach in meaningful ways — from expanding dedicated peer support networks to equipping managers with the skills and confidence to respond compassionately when someone needs help.

Strengthening Our Mental Health First Aider Community

One of the most impactful ways we’ve invested in mental health support is through our growing network of volunteer Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs). In 2025, recognising the ongoing demand for accessible and confidential support, we expanded our MHFA community to more than 180 trained colleagues across the UK and Ireland.

These volunteers play an invaluable role. Every MHFA completes a two‑day intensive training programme with accredited instructors, giving them the tools to recognise early signs of poor mental health, listen non‑judgmentally and guide colleagues towards appropriate support. They aren’t counsellors, but they act as trusted first points of contact — offering reassurance, confidentiality and a safe space to talk.

As Kelly Duguay, Customer Delivery Manager at British Gas and trained MHFA, explains:

“We’re trained to spot signs of poor mental health, to listen non‑judgmentally and help people towards the help that they need. It takes real courage to put your hand up and ask for help — but to see somebody put steps in place to get better is why I do what I do and why it’s important.”

Kelly’s words reflect the essence of what MHFAs bring to our organisation: empathy, advocacy and a genuine commitment to supporting colleagues during moments when it matters most.

Encouraging Open Conversation Through Collaboration

In 2025, our MHFA network also worked closely with our colleague‑led diversity networks to run a series of collaborative sessions focused on normalising open conversations about mental health. By bringing different communities together, we created safe, inclusive spaces where colleagues could share experiences, ask questions and better understand the support available.

For example, on World Mental Health Day we welcomed child and adolescent psychotherapist Colman Noctor to speak with our teams. His session offered practical insights on stress, resilience and emotional wellbeing — sparking conversations that continued long after the event ended.

As one colleague reflected afterwards:

“I was surprised to learn that loneliness is a growing stress factor in the workplace. I will take from today’s talk the importance of ‘micro‑gestures’ and checking in with colleagues.”

This observation captures an important truth: often, it isn’t major interventions that make the biggest difference, but the small, everyday acts that strengthen connection and reduce isolation.

Empowering Managers to Support Their Teams

While peer support is vital, we also know that line managers play a pivotal role in how colleagues experience work — including their sense of psychological safety. That’s why, in 2025, we invested in enhancing managerial capability through refreshed mental health and inclusion training.

These resources include practical guidance, structured toolkits and expert‑led learning that help managers recognise when someone may need support. While managers aren’t expected to be mental health experts, we want them to feel equipped to have informed, compassionate conversations and to know when and how to guide colleagues towards specialist help.

By embedding these expectations into our leadership culture, we’re ensuring mental health support doesn’t sit on the periphery of people management — it becomes a fundamental part of it.

Building a Workplace Where Everyone Can Thrive

Our commitment to mental health is evolving in response to colleagues’ needs. Whether through expanding our MHFA community, hosting expert‑led discussions or strengthening manager capability, every action is part of a wider ambition: to build a workplace where people feel able to bring their whole selves to work.

We know that mental health challenges don’t disappear simply because someone logs onto their laptop or steps into a meeting room. But with the right support in place, we can help colleagues navigate those challenges with confidence, compassion and community around them.

To learn more about how we’re supporting colleague wellbeing across the organisation, read our Health & Wellbeing Statement.