Redefining Leadership In 2025: Three Ways To Prioritize Mental Health At Work

Shona McGlashan

Principal, McGlashan Consulting Inc.

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Welcome back to this week’s P | A | C | T news, your newsletter by Tech Talent North.

While May Mental Health Month has been and gone, conversations surrounding mental wellbeing in the workplace are far from over.

In fact, they’re more important than ever as we move through the year and continue to face rising levels of burnout, complexity, and pressure in the tech sector, exacerbated by ongoing geopolitical tensions.

This week, we’re exploring what it really means to lead with mental health in mind, not just for your team, but for yourself.

Key takeaways:

  • Mental wellbeing isn’t a perk, it’s essential for performance, retention, and resilience.
  • Leaders must model healthy behaviour, create psychologically safe spaces, and equip teams with tools and support.
  • The most effective workplace mental health strategies combine leadership behaviour, infrastructure, and data.

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The workplace can deeply shape and influence our identity, structure, and sense of purpose, which is why mental health at work is far more than a personal issue; it’s a leadership responsibility.

As Shona McGlashan noted at Tech Talent North, “60% of people say their job is the single biggest factor influencing their mental health.” Perhaps even more striking, “managers now have just as much impact on a person’s mental health as their spouse.”

Yet despite this influence, most employees report their wellbeing has stayed the same or worsened in the past year, and only one in three feel their job has a positive effect on their mental health. The need for change is clear, and one thing is for certain; it starts with how we lead.

1. Recognize the Signs In Yourself and Others

Mental health exists on a continuum, from thriving to significant distress. The earlier we recognize the signs, the better our chances of responding effectively. Look for shifts in behaviour: changes in mood, fatigue, procrastination, difficulty focusing, or withdrawal.

Leadership starts with self-awareness. If you’re constantly exhausted or irritable, it’s not just stress, and it may be a sign that your own wellbeing needs attention. Checking in with yourself is just as important as checking in with your team.

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2. Create a Culture Where It’s Safe to Talk

Psychological safety is the foundation of any healthy workplace. When people feel safe to talk about stress or mental health challenges without fear of judgment or consequence, the results are transformative.

This starts with how leaders behave and communicate. Share your own boundaries. Be transparent about the importance of rest, workload management, and asking for help.

When leaders normalize these conversations, others feel permission to do the same.

The shift isn’t complicated, but it is powerful. Replace “How’s the project going?” with “How are you really doing?” Build regular space into 1:1s and team check-ins for honest dialogue.

3. Equip Your People with Tools and Support

Wellbeing can’t be a one-off initiative; it needs to be embedded into your structure.

Provide easy access to EFAPs, mental health training like The Working Mind or Mental Health First Aid, and education on recognizing distress.

It’s also essential to track progress. Use employee pulse surveys, benefits data, and manager feedback to identify gaps and assess impact. A sustainable mental health strategy should align with your values and business goals, not sit outside them.

Some key elements include:

  • Leadership modeling and vulnerability
  • Training for managers to spot and support mental health needs
  • Resources that are visible, accessible, and stigma-free
  • Data and KPIs that reflect a true picture of employee wellbeing

In 2025, leadership isn’t just about outcomes, it’s about creating environments where people can thrive. That means caring about mental health, not just productivity. It means being the kind of leader who others can trust not only with tasks, but with their truth.

Redefining leadership starts with empathy, modeling, and the courage to make wellbeing a priority. The good news? It doesn’t require perfection it just requires intention because when leaders protect their own mental health, they give others permission to do the same.

That’s when real, lasting change begins.


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