For many of us, resilience is something we’ve been encouraged to develop throughout our lives. We’re told not to give up, keep going when things get difficult, and push through challenges and pressure. In the workplace, those challenges can take many forms, from changes in management and new responsibilities to shifting team dynamics, difficult clients or the uncertainty of a new direction.

While there’s value in adapting and moving forward, resilience requires more than simply pushing through.

A healthier approach starts with recognising when things aren’t quite right, understanding how pressure affects us, and knowing how to respond, which are all essential to maintaining good mental health. That’s the healthier side of resilience, and one that’s an important focus of Richmond Foundation’s Healthy Minds Learn programme.

For Fenech & Fenech Advocates, making mental health a greater priority in the workplace was part of a wider effort to create a culture where people felt supported through both everyday pressures and more challenging periods of change.

“A few years ago, we recognised the need to make mental health at the workplace also a priority for the organisation,” explains Monica Galea John, Partner at Fenech & Fenech. “We wanted to create a supportive and open workplace culture and partnering with Richmond Foundation was a natural fit for our values.”

Since introducing Richmond Foundation’s Healthy Minds Learn service, the response from employees has been increasingly positive. In fact, Monica notes that attendance at the organisation’s sessions doubled this year, alongside strong participation and engagement.

“It was remarkable how staff felt comfortable openly discussing mental health both during the session and with the trainer after the sessions,” she says. “For us, these are clear signs that the programme is making a difference.”

What’s more, the team found that building resilience isn’t simply about helping people cope with more. It’s about giving employees the knowledge, confidence, and space to better understand their mental wellbeing, and creating a workplace where seeking support and talking openly about challenges feels like a natural part of adapting to whatever comes next.

The situations below show how the same workplace challenge can be approached in very different ways. On one side is the instinctive response many of us fall into when we’re under pressure; on the other is a healthier approach that can help us manage the situation more constructively.

SITUATION 1: When change at work feels overwhelming

• An unhelpful response: A major change is announced at work, and you immediately assume the worst. You keep your concerns to yourself, feel increasingly anxious, and try to simply push through the uncertainty alone so as not to appear unable to handle the changes taking place.
• A healthier response: Recognise the uncertainty and how it is affecting you. Focus on what you can control, communicate your concerns where appropriate, and seek clarification or support rather than allowing worries and uncertainties to build up.

SITUATION 2: When pressure starts to build

• An unhelpful response: Your workload keeps growing, but you tell yourself you just need to work harder. You skip breaks, stay connected after hours, and keep going until stress and exhaustion begin affecting both your work and personal life.
• A healthier response: Notice the early signs that pressure is becoming difficult to manage. Take practical steps to prioritise your workload, protect time for recovery, and speak up or seek support before stress becomes overwhelming,

SITUATION 3: When something doesn’t go to plan

• An unhelpful response: A project goes badly or you receive difficult feedback, and you immediately see it as a personal failure. You dwell on what went wrong and lose confidence in your ability to handle future challenges.
• A healthier response: Allow yourself to acknowledge disappointment without letting one setback define you. Reflect on what happened, identify what you can learn from the experience, and give yourself the time and perspective needed to move forward.

For employers, managers, and HR professionals, supporting resilience in the workplace shouldn’t mean encouraging people to simply cope with more. It means giving them the awareness, knowledge, and practical skills to recognise when pressure is building, respond more healthily to challenges, and know when to seek support.

Through Richmond Foundation’s Healthy Minds Learn programme, organisations can give their people practical tools to navigate stress, setbacks, change, and uncertainty without feeling they have to carry everything alone.

Get in touch with Richmond Foundation to learn more about bringing Healthy Minds Learn to your workplace and exploring how the programme can support your people in building healthier, more sustainable resilience.