• How supportive workplace cultures are really built

    Businesses are moving beyond tick-box wellbeing policies. For World Mental Health Day, Business Quarter speaks with leaders embedding psychological safety, inclusion, and empathy into the fabric of daily work — from wellbeing hubs and mentoring schemes to inclusive language and sensory-friendly design.


  • MHFA England opens consultation on workplace mental health standards

    MHFA England launches consultation on workplace standards. Mental Health First Aid England has opened a public consultation on new standards to guide best practice for embedding mental health support in the workplace — aiming to reduce economic inactivity and improve wellbeing across UK businesses.


  • The productivity paradox of presenteeism costs UK billions

    Presenteeism is costing UK businesses far more than absenteeism. A growing body of research shows that while sickness absence is tightly monitored and managed, the hidden cost of employees working while unwell is vastly greater. Experts warn that companies may be measuring the wrong thing.


  • Hybrid work as a health lever

    Hybrid work as a health lever

    Hybrid working is proving to be more than a perk. CIPD and ONS data show flexible models cut absence, aid retention, and support productivity — but also risk digital presenteeism and deepening workforce divides if not well managed.


  • UK workplace absence rises to record levels

    UK employees missed nearly ten days of work last year. The CIPD’s 2025 Health and wellbeing at work report finds sickness absence rising to its highest level in over a decade, with mental ill health and musculoskeletal issues among the leading causes.


  • Private sector faces scrutiny over disability access gaps

    A new Government report finds businesses are failing disabled customers. The report highlights persistent barriers in retail, hospitality, and banking, with most disabled consumers lacking confidence in future access. Leading advocates say this is a commercial and moral missed opportunity for UK businesses.


  • The business case for effective mental health provision

    Mental health support is now a critical issue for employers. Onebright’s Alison Bromley examines the economic and strategic imperatives behind effective workplace mental health provision — making the business case for investing in employee wellbeing and showing why organisations cannot afford to treat mental health as optional.


  • Tech-driven design reshapes UK offices as workers demand better

    Office design now shapes whether young talent stays or goes. Nearly half of UK workers aged 24–35 would consider leaving due to poor office environments, new Kinly research reveals. Companies are responding with investments in visual tech to boost wellbeing and productivity.


  • Comment — Imagine this: the one skill you can’t afford to undervalue

    Louise Sheeran explains why future-ready businesses prioritise imagination, not just data.


  • Cutting back on employer family support represents a “false economy” – according to new research

    Family care support boosts productivity, loyalty, and wellbeing at work