Photo by Margaret Young
We often spend more time with our colleagues than with our own families. We work side by side for years, share deadlines and long days, yet we rarely know what people are really carrying with them. That’s because many of us keep our personal struggles private, trying to separate home life from work. But stress, grief, or trauma doesn’t stay neatly contained. It can show up as withdrawal, irritability, sudden conflict, or a noticeable change in behaviour.
This is where good management and strong HR really matter. Being able to notice when something feels “off”, and knowing how to respond, can make a real difference for both the individual and the wider team.
That’s exactly why Richmond Foundation created Healthy Minds Learn to offer practical training designed to help managers, HR professionals, and team leaders recognise mental health challenges early and offer informed, compassionate support when it’s needed most.
A real-life perspective from HR
“As an HR Manager, I’ve seen how lost teams can feel when someone is going through a crisis,” says Donald Buhagiar. “People want to help, but they don’t always know how or where to turn.”
Donald participated in Richmond Foundation’s Healthy Minds Learn courses to better understand trauma at work, and the impact was immediate. “Research shows that around 22% of employees experience trauma in the workplace, and many are still affected long after the incident. That really resonated with what I was seeing day to day.”
Through the training, Donald learned how trauma can show up in different ways, how to respond with empathy, and how to guide teams through difficult moments. “It’s made a real difference,” he explains. “Our employees feel better supported, and I feel more confident in my role. I now have the tools to step in when someone asks for help, or even when I sense they might need it but don’t yet know how to say it.”
What you can expect from Healthy Minds Learn
Healthy Minds Learn is designed to give managers, HR teams, and leaders practical skills they can use with confidence, especially when it matters most.
Through these courses which are tailored for the workplace, participants can expect to:
- Recognise early signs of mental health difficulties or crisis in employees
- Understand how trauma and stress show up at work
- Respond with empathy, confidence, and appropriate boundaries
- Help employees using clear, practical tools and frameworks
- Navigate difficult situations with guidance from qualified professionals
- Strengthen team trust, psychological safety, and workplace culture
- Feel more prepared and confident in HR or leadership roles
The result is a workplace that feels more resilient and better equipped to care for its people, without guesswork or fear of “getting it wrong.”
Get in touch with Richmond Foundation to explore how our training can be tailored to your workplace and to the real situations your people are facing every day.