A workplace can have policies, benefits, and wellbeing campaigns in place, yet employees may still suffer in silence. Sometimes, what people need most isn’t another poster or webinar, but a trusted human being who notices when they’re struggling and knows how to respond with care.
That’s the value of wellbeing champions.
They help create safer, more connected workplaces where conversations around stress, burnout, anxiety, and mental health feel less frightening and more human.
As long as you choose them carefully and support them properly, wellbeing champions can strengthen trust, improve morale, and encourage employees to seek support earlier. They also help create a culture where people feel valued beyond their productivity.
In this PMAC guide, you’ll learn how to introduce wellbeing champions in a meaningful way, choose the right people for the role, and build a culture where mental health support feels genuine rather than performative.
What Wellbeing Champions in the Workplace Really Do
Most employees won’t say “I’m struggling” out loud. Instead, it may show up as irritability, missed deadlines, withdrawal, overworking, or someone suddenly becoming very quiet in meetings. Research has consistently shown that people are often more likely to open up to a trusted peer than formal workplace channels, which is part of what makes wellbeing champions so powerful.
A wellbeing champion is there to help create a workplace where people feel less alone in what they’re carrying.
In many organisations, employees stay silent about stress, anxiety, burnout, or personal struggles because they fear judgement or worry about how they’ll be perceived professionally. Sometimes, one genuine conversation with the right colleague can be the difference between someone continuing to suffer in silence or finally seeking support.
Wellbeing champions help make those conversations feel possible. They offer a listening ear, encourage openness around mental health, and signpost employees towards appropriate support when needed. They also help normalise conversations that many people quietly avoid.
Importantly, wellbeing champions are not therapists or counsellors. They’re trained employees who help build a more compassionate and psychologically safe workplace culture through everyday human connection.
How to Choose the Right Wellbeing Champions
Not everyone is suited to the role of a wellbeing champion, and that’s okay. One of the biggest mistakes organisations make is choosing people based purely on seniority, popularity, or availability. The most effective wellbeing champions are often the people others naturally feel safe around.
A good wellbeing champion doesn’t need to have all the answers. What matters more is their ability to:
- Listen without judgement,
- Remain approachable
- Respect confidentiality
- Respond with empathy
Employees are far more likely to open up when they feel genuinely heard rather than assessed or “managed”.
It’s also worth thinking carefully about representation across your workplace. Employees may feel more comfortable speaking to someone who understands their experiences, pressures, or communication style. Having champions across different departments, personalities, backgrounds, and levels of seniority can help the support feel more accessible and inclusive.
You should also consider emotional boundaries. Compassionate people can sometimes take on too much emotionally, particularly if they’re already under pressure themselves. This is why proper training and ongoing support are essential. Wellbeing champions should feel supported in the role, not emotionally overwhelmed by it.
Who Can Fulfill the Role of a Wellbeing Champion?
Here are some key characteristics and potential candidates who can aspire to be Wellbeing Champions:
- Employees with Personal Experience: Individuals who have navigated their mental health challenges bring invaluable understanding and empathy to the role, connecting authentically with colleagues facing similar issues.
- Human Resources Personnel: HR professionals are naturally suited to be Wellbeing Champions due to their role in employee welfare. They can advocate for mental health initiatives and provide necessary resources and support.
- Managers and Team Leaders: Leaders set the tone for workplace culture. By prioritising mental wellbeing and supporting Wellbeing Champions, they encourage others to do the same, creating an environment where mental health is openly discussed.
- Volunteers from Any Department: Anyone passionate about mental health can become a champion. Enthusiastic volunteers willing to undergo training can significantly impact workplace culture.
- Staff with Training in Mental Health First Aid: Employees trained in mental health first aid are well-prepared to take on the responsibilities of a Wellbeing Champion, offering immediate support and referrals when needed.
What Wellbeing Champion Training Should Include
Good intentions alone are not enough to prepare someone for the role of a wellbeing champion. Without proper training, employees may feel unsure how to respond to difficult conversations, afraid of saying the wrong thing, or emotionally weighed down by the responsibility.
Effective training helps wellbeing champions feel confident, supported, and clear about their role.
At its core, wellbeing champion training should teach people how to listen with empathy rather than immediately trying to solve problems. Often, employees don’t need perfect advice. They need to feel heard, understood, and safe enough to speak honestly.
Training should also cover:
- Recognising signs of stress, burnout, anxiety, and mental ill-health
- Active listening and supportive communication skills
- Boundaries and confidentiality
- Suicide awareness and appropriate signposting
- Knowing when concerns need escalating
- Creating psychologically safer workplace conversations
Importantly, wellbeing champions should understand that they are not expected to carry people’s struggles alone. Their role is to support, guide, and connect employees with appropriate help where needed.
At PMAC, our Wellbeing Champion Training and Mental Health Champion Training focuses on helping organisations build compassionate, psychologically informed support systems that feel human, practical, and sustainable within everyday working life.
The Benefits of Wellbeing Champions for Workplace Culture
When wellbeing champions are chosen thoughtfully and given the right training, their impact can reach far beyond individual conversations. As time passes, they can help shape a workplace culture where people feel safer speaking openly, seeking support earlier, and showing up more authentically at work.
With the right support in place, organisations often experience:
Earlier support-seeking
Employees may feel more comfortable opening up before stress, burnout, or mental health concerns reach a crisis point.
Reduced stigma around mental health
Everyday conversations around wellbeing can begin to feel more normal, open, and less fear-driven.
Stronger workplace connection
Small moments of empathy and support can help employees feel less isolated and more emotionally connected to their teams.
Improved morale and trust
Employees are more likely to feel valued when workplaces show genuine care for their wellbeing beyond productivity alone.
More psychologically safe communication
People often feel safer raising concerns, asking for help, or admitting when they’re struggling without fear of judgement.
A more compassionate workplace culture
Wellbeing champions can help create environments where kindness, understanding, and human connection become part of everyday working life rather than something reserved for difficult moments.
Fortunately, our Wellbeing Champion Training is designed to help organisations create these lasting cultural shifts. By equipping employees with practical skills, emotional awareness, and confidence in supportive conversations, businesses can build healthier and more compassionate workplaces where wellbeing becomes part of everyday culture rather than a response to crisis.
In Closing
Sometimes, the most important workplace conversation happens quietly. It might look like a team member lingering after a meeting because they finally feel safe enough to admit they’re struggling. Or a colleague noticing that someone who is usually chatty has become withdrawn, exhausted, and emotionally flat. In many workplaces, those moments are missed. But with the right wellbeing champions in place, they’re more likely to be met with empathy, support, and human connection.
That’s the real value of wellbeing champions. Not perfection. Not having all the answers. But helping people feel seen before they reach breaking point.
With the right training and support, organisations can create workplace cultures where employees no longer feel they have to hide stress, burnout, or emotional struggles behind professionalism alone. Instead, they feel safer asking for help, supporting one another, and bringing more of themselves to work each day.
Feel free to contact us, and our team will help you discover which training approach works for you.
Last modified