Boosting Workplace Wellbeing Through Practical Mind–Body Skills

By Dominique Antiglio, Sophrologist and founder of BeSophro

In today’s rapidly changing world of work, the conversation around wellbeing is undergoing a meaningful shift. During and immediately after the pandemic, corporate wellbeing programmes largely focused on stress, anxiety and basic emotional support.

Now, however, organisations are grappling with a more complex challenge; helping employees stay adaptable, maintain clarity, nurture creativity under pressure and recover quickly from setbacks. This marks a transition from reactive resilience to what many describe as active resilience – a capacity not only to endure pressure but to work with it productively.

The scale of workplace stress in the UK illustrates why this shift is so significant. According to the Health and Safety Executive’s latest figures, almost 964,000 workers experienced work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25, resulting in an estimated 22.1 million working days lost to these conditions (HSE, reported via British Safety Council, 2025). The same report suggests that work-related mental ill health now accounts for more than half of all work-related illness cases in Britain. These figures make clear that supporting wellbeing is no longer a cultural “nice to have” but a business-critical priority. Furthermore, according to the CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025 report, which analysed data from 2024, the average employee in the UK took 9.4 days of sickness absence – a notable increase from 5.8 days before the pandemic. Mental health conditions, including stress, anxiety, and depression, were identified as the leading causes of long-term absence. The report also highlighted that around three-quarters of organisations experienced stress-related absences over the past year, with heavy workloads, tight deadlines, and constant change among the most common contributing factors.

At the same time, the employee survey within the same CIPD report revealed that approximately a quarter of UK employees feel their work negatively impacts their mental or physical health, citing high workloads, tight deadlines, and organisational pressures as key drivers. These findings underscore how pervasive and persistent work-related stress has become and explains why employers are increasingly turning to practical tools and strategies that offer both immediate relief and long-term resilience.

Despite this urgency, many traditional wellbeing interventions – lengthy webinars, theoretical presentations on stress, or generalised leadership talks – often fail to resonate with employees. Many report that such initiatives feel like extra tasks on an already crowded schedule. What seems to gain more traction are approaches that are brief, experiential and embodied; techniques that work directly with the nervous system rather than rely solely on cognitive understanding.

Sophrology is one example of such a mind–body practice gaining attention in workplace settings across Europe and, increasingly, in the UK. Sophrology offers employees an opportunity to step briefly out of performance mode, reconnect with their own internal resources and return to work tasks with renewed clarity. For leaders, techniques that support grounding and reflective decision-making, rather than reactive responses, can strengthen psychological safety and improve team culture. Because it is active rather than passive, Sophrology can be more accessible for individuals who find traditional meditation difficult. Sessions are intentionally short, realistic to integrate into busy days and easily adapted for hybrid or dispersed teams.

At the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, online Sophrology business BeSophro delivered an online wellbeing programme designed to support self-awareness and resilience in fast-paced international environments. The initiative involved 70 professionals from five international organisations and was structured to fit alongside demanding workloads, beginning with an introductory workshop followed by weekly 30-minute sessions over six weeks.

Each session introduced practical techniques including breathing, relaxation, gentle movement and visualisation, supported by applied neuroscience and coaching insights, with a focus on tools participants could use independently during the working day. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, said the programme “reinforced our inclusive work culture and enhanced resilience and adaptability, providing our employees with valuable tools for personal and professional growth”, while participants described the sessions as calming and effective in helping them reduce stress quickly during busy workdays.

In conclusion, as wellbeing strategies evolve beyond one-off talks or passive content, there is increasing interest in interventions that feel human, practical and grounded in lived experience. Mind–body practices such as Sophrology, when delivered consistently and accessibly, can help employees develop resilience as a daily skill rather than an abstract concept. At a time when UK employers are facing record mental-health-related absence and rising demands on employee performance, such approaches are becoming integral to organisational wellbeing.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Well Crowd. This content is for information and discussion purposes only and should not be taken as medical, health, or professional advice.