Developing an MHFAider network at Hays: Hannah and Stewart’s stories

Igniting open conversations around workplace wellbeing

Recruitment can be a fast-paced, target-driven world – one where pressure, performance, and people’s wellbeing can collide. Working in a sector with high workloads, long hours and target-based performance, of employees surveyed in 2023, 80% said their work negatively impacted their mental health (1). In the same survey, 15% of staff surveyed from the recruitment and HR sector expressed dissatisfaction with their work-life balance (1). 

At Hays, one of the world’s largest specialist recruitment and workforce solutions companies, the workplace culture has been shifting. Hannah Pearsall is Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing at Hays, and recently also joined MHFA England’s team as a Non-Executive Director. When Hannah first began developing Hay’s mental health strategy, she saw the need for more than policies and posters. “We wanted to show, visibly and meaningfully, that mental health mattered here,” she explains.

Hannah is an MHFA England Instructor Member and was keen to embed Mental Health First Aid training at Hays. What began as a small group of colleagues in 2023, has since grown into a network of around 100 trained MHFAiders® across multiple regions, departments, and levels of seniority. “We now have at least one Mental Health First Aider in each geographical region, and one in each of our colleague networks, such as our Black network and our parents' network. Everyone can go on the course, from staff who have only been with us for 12 months, right through to managing directors who have been with us for over 30 years. Seeing our senior leaders take out two days to complete the training sent a clear message to all staff,” says Hannah. “It showed that talking about mental health isn’t something we delegate; it’s something we all do.”

For Stewart Brookes, a Learning and Development Specialist and a trained MHFAider at Hays, the workplace change is tangible. “I doubt that several years ago I would have felt comfortable having the conversations I’m having with managers now. The culture feels open,” he says. “We’ve made it okay to talk about mental health, and that’s something everyone benefits from.”

Stewart explains how the MHFAider programme has a personal value for him that goes beyond the workplace. Having experienced poor mental health himself in the past, Stewart was drawn to MHFA England training as a way to give back the support he once received himself. “When I was in a place where I didn’t know where to turn or where to start looking for help, I was very lucky that I had people who supported me. It was about finding the things that could help me get better, whether that’s seeing a therapist, medication, or doing some yoga sessions.” 
When the opportunity to become a Mental Health First Aider came up, Stewart was keen to support others. “The course properly prepared me for difficult conversations,” he reflects. “Sometimes people approach you not even knowing what’s going on for them – they just know they need to talk to someone. I start by just listening, saying ‘Let’s take a step back for a moment. Let’s see what is going on for you and then let’s find avenues that will help you.’”

Identifying and tackling industry-specific challenges

Beyond MHFA conversations, the company’s wellbeing strategy now spans four pillars: mental, physical, financial, and social wellbeing. Hays runs regular MHFA Refresher and upskilling sessions, exploring topics specific to their workforce such as menopause, bereavement, and financial wellbeing. Acknowledging that with target- and commission-based roles in the business performance and wellbeing go hand-in-hand, financial wellbeing is a crucial element of Hay’s initiative. 

Stewart describes one memorable instance where an employee came to him after seeing him advertised as an MHFAider. “They felt lost, like everything had crept up on them. There were personal and professional pressures. They didn’t know where to go. Talking about worries hasn’t always been comfortable in the workplace, but by the end of our conversation, they had a first step. That’s what MHFA is about: Helping people find direction when they can’t see a way forward.”

Stewart also recalls some conversations he feels may have been lifesaving. “There’s probably been one or two conversations over the last couple of years with people who were really at that point, you know,” he says. 

Integrating mental health and wellbeing into the wider organisational strategy

Each quarter, Hay’s MHFAider network meets to share experiences, reflect on challenges, and celebrate what’s working. Data helps track the programme’s reach and impact: “Sickness absence initially went up as people started being more honest about why they’re unwell, and now we’re seeing those rates go down,” Hannah says. Around 70% of the business’s MHFAiders are actively engaging in conversations each month and many are logging these on the MHFAider Support App®. 

“Each year, we are measured in the CCLA Corporate Mental Health Benchmarks on how we support the mental health of our employees and we’ve consistently seen our score go up year on year,” Hannah explains. “We’re also in the process of integrating wellbeing into our D&I strategy and broader people and culture goals to ensure consistent focus on these areas and to get buy-in from senior leaders.” 

In addition to Mental Health First Aid training, Hays also work with an external provider for medical physical and mental health support, used by about 60% of employees, as well as an external partner for financial wellbeing. 

Together, these initiatives are shifting how people talk about wellbeing at Hays. To Hannah, supportive conversations are where “cultural shift happens”. “You can’t measure every conversation, but you can see the difference in how people show up for one another. I would encourage people to think beyond seeing mental health first aid as something that will make people better or solve someone’s poor mental health. It’s more around encouraging people to truly understand what mental health first aid is – a means of helping you on a cultural shift. It’s to open conversations about mental health and enable people to talk without fear of judgement.”

Hannah adds: “I think it's incredibly powerful when Mental Health First Aid training is part of a well thought-through mental health programme. Building our network – and knowledge and skills – has been an important part of our journey.”

Sources:
–     Reassured. The UK job satisfaction survey 2023. Available from: https://www.reassured.co.uk/uk-job-satisfaction-survey/ [Accessed on 28 October 2025].