Stretching The City
When it comes to sleep, stress and resilience, one key player in our biology often flies under the radar: the vagus nerve. As the longest cranial nerve in the body, the vagus nerve connects the brain to nearly every vital organ — including the heart, lungs and digestive system. But more importantly for the workplace, …
Each year on World Meditation Day (21 May), people around the globe take a pause — to breathe, reflect, and reconnect with themselves. But what if that pause wasn’t just an annual observance? What if mindfulness became a daily tool — not just in our personal lives, but at work? As the pace of working …
In today’s hybrid, high-pressure workplaces, trust isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s the foundation for inclusion, collaboration, and high performance. At the heart of this trust lies psychological safety: the belief that you can speak up, make mistakes, and challenge ideas without fear of embarrassment or punishment. If your organisation is looking to improve communication, …
As Carer’s Week 2026 (8–14 June) approaches, it’s time for employers to reflect on a vital, and often overlooked, group in their workforce: unpaid carers. These are employees balancing their jobs alongside the responsibility of caring for a family member or loved one with a disability, illness, or age-related condition. With the introduction of the …
Men’s Health Week 2027 runs 14-20 June 2027. Generally, it’s the most concentrated workplace moment in the men’s health calendar — a single week when HR teams have permission to invest in men’s wellbeing, run dedicated activations, and start conversations that don’t typically happen the other 51 weeks of the year. However, awareness without action …
For many of us, spring and summer bring brighter days — but also blocked noses, itchy eyes, and a foggy head. Hayfever (or seasonal allergic rhinitis) affects an estimated 1 in 4 adults in the UK, and for those who suffer, it’s more than just a nuisance. It’s a productivity drain, a wellbeing challenge, and …
Between back-to-back Zoom meetings, overflowing inboxes, and the constant ping of notifications, today’s employees are operating in a digital environment that’s constantly demanding and often, depleting. Modern workplaces rely on technology more than ever, but without mindful management, the result is a workforce that’s always on and increasingly burnt out. In fact: 📩 The average …
Change is no longer the exception at work. It’s the operating context. Restructures, redundancies, AI transformation, hybrid friction, sustained economic pressure — most UK teams are now navigating multiple layers of change at once, and doing it while continuing to deliver the day job. McKinsey research still holds: 70% of change initiatives fail due to …
Whether it’s organisational change, a challenging workload, or external uncertainty, most employees will experience tough times at work at some point in their careers. Periods of professional stress and instability can impact not just productivity, but overall mental wellbeing. So how can we navigate these tough times in a healthy, constructive way? The Cost of …
What is the Mental Health at Work Commitment? Organisations today face growing expectations to prioritise employee wellbeing — and not just in words, but through real, measurable action. The Mental Health at Work Commitment offers a powerful framework for embedding mental health best practices into organisational culture while aligning with legal standards. The Mental Health at …
A strong sense of community at work is more than just a ‘nice-to-have’—it’s essential for employee wellbeing, engagement, and productivity. As we approach Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, with its theme of ‘Community,’ there’s no better time for organisations to focus on fostering stronger connections among employees. In today’s fast-paced, often hybrid working environments, it’s …
From October 2024, UK employers will have a new, proactive legal duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. But beyond legal compliance, preventing sexual harassment at work is about creating a culture of respect, safety, and dignity for all employees. In this blog, we explore how organisations can take practical, meaningful steps to reduce …
Updated January 2026. Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 will take place from 11-17 May 2026. Now in its 16th year, Mental Health Awareness Week is the largest, nationwide campaign to bring everyone together to talk about good mental health. From workplaces and schools to charities and communities, it’s encouraging to see so many people getting …
Entering the workforce for the first time can be both exciting and overwhelming. For many recent graduates, the transition from university to a full-time job brings a host of new responsibilities, expectations, and emotional pressures. That’s why graduate wellbeing at work is fast becoming a priority for forward-thinking employers. At Stretching the City, we offer …
The concept of wellbeing has evolved far beyond gym memberships and fruit bowls. Today, businesses are taking a more holistic, strategic approach — and many are anchoring their efforts around the 5 Pillars of Wellbeing. These pillars represent the essential elements that contribute to a healthy, balanced, and high-performing workforce. At Stretching the City, we …
Predictions from the Workplace Wellbeing Experts As 2024 draws to a close, we’re looking ahead to the 2025 wellness trends we predict to dominate the wellness space over the next 12 months. Drawing on our 15 years experience delivering workplace wellbeing solutions to hundreds of clients, it’s safe to say we’ve got our fingers firmly …
When is World Cancer Day? Thursday 4 February 2027 — the same fixed date each year, run globally by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). For UK workplaces, World Cancer Day is a moment that matters more than most awareness days — one in two of us will be affected by cancer in our …
Knowing when significant 2025 wellbeing awareness days are taking place is key to a successful wellbeing strategy. By 2025, there’s no excuse not to have a robust workplace wellbeing strategy in place. But if your workplace (or the budget holders and decision makers) need some convincing, consider these recent stats: If you haven’t already, you …
Talk Money Week is a national campaign led by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), taking place from 4–8 November 2025. It aims to break the stigma around talking about money — and encourage open, honest financial conversations. At Stretching the City, we believe financial wellbeing is a crucial, and often overlooked, pillar of workplace …
June is Men’s Mental Health Month, and increasingly, it’s the moment forward-thinking employers move beyond awareness-only campaigns and actually do something. However, most workplace responses default to the same playbook every year — a Slack post, a poster, a fundraising mention. Specifically, that’s not enough. Planning for Movember instead? See our Movember at Work guide …
World Suicide Prevention Day — also widely known as Suicide Awareness Day — falls on 10 September each year. For UK employers, it has become an increasingly important moment for treating suicide as a workplace issue, not just a public health one. Specifically, this guide covers what the day is, why workplaces should mark it, …
Recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive(HSE) reveal that stress, depression and anxiety account for roughly half (49%) of all work-related ill-health cases. Amongst a team of 5 employees, one of them will have taken time off as a result of poor mental health caused by pressure or work-related stress in the past year. So it …
National Work Life Week falls on 6-10 October 2026. For UK employers, it’s the autumn moment to invest in the work-life balance topics that matter most to your team — flexible working, boundary setting, hybrid culture, parents and carers support, and the daily habits that protect against always-on burnout. Specifically, this guide covers what National …
Learning at Work Week has become a key moment in the workplace calendar — a chance to focus attention on development, skills and growth across organisations. But increasingly, the question we hear from clients is this: How do we make it meaningful — not just a one-off? Because while Learning at Work Week creates energy …
