National Stress Awareness Day — Everyday Wellbeing at Work
At Glo, we believe that looking after your mental and emotional health is just as important as your physical health — especially in the workplace. While Stress Awareness Week 2026 (2nd–6th November) and National Stress Awareness Day (4th November) give us a timely reminder, supporting your team’s wellbeing isn’t just an annual event — it’s an all-year commitment.
Why it matters
Work-related stress is more than just a “bad day” — it’s one of the leading causes of ill health in the workplace.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, 964,000 UK workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25, the highest figure on record. That translated into 22.1 million working days lost, almost a third higher than the year before. Investing in your team's wellbeing isn't a nice-to-have anymore. It's a business imperative.
(Source: HSE, November 2025)
When stress is left unaddressed, it doesn’t just affect individuals — it affects teams, productivity and staff retention too.
BOOK WORKPLACE WELLBEING SERVICES WITH GLO
At Glo, we are committed to supporting corporate teams during National Stress Awareness Month by offering tailored workplace wellbeing programs designed to alleviate stress and promote a healthier work environment.
Our services include:
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On-Site Massage Therapy: Our professional therapists provide in-office massages or reflexology treatments that help reduce muscle tension, alleviate stress, and boost overall morale.
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Wellness Workshops: Our interactive workshops cover essential aspects of wellbeing, including:
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Mindfulness Workshop: Learn stress reduction techniques through guided mindfulness practices.
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Nutrition Workshop: Discover how diet impacts mental and physical health and gain practical nutrition tips.
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Life Coaching Workshop: Empower team members with strategies for personal growth, resilience, and goal-setting.
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Fitness & Movement Classes: Encourage physical wellness with our expert-led sessions designed to promote relaxation, strength, and flexibility through yoga, pilates, tai chi or a fitness class.
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Wellness Retreats: Provide your team with a rejuvenating escape through our corporate wellness retreat. This retreat offers a perfect opportunity for teams to unwind, recharge, and focus on their wellbeing in a peaceful setting.
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The legal side: it’s your duty
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, organisations must assess and manage work-related stress risks — not only respond when things go wrong, but proactively identify what’s causing pressure.
Using the framework of the Working Minds campaign from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) helps guide the way:
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Reach out: start open conversations
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Recognise: spot signs and causes of stress
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Respond: agree actions and make changes
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Reflect: review what’s working
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Make it routine: embed stress prevention into everyday practice
Poor mental wellbeing costs employers in the UK an estimated £42 billion to £45 billion annually through presenteeism, sickness absence and staff turnover.
Recent research finds that, on average, there is a positive return on investment of around £5 for every £1 invested in mental health interventions in the workplace.
Everyday tips to keep stress in check
Here are some simple, practical ideas you can apply now (and keep using) to support workplace wellbeing:
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Keep your stress-risk assessment current — review it regularly and make sure it reflects actual pressures and experiences within your team.
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Encourage open conversations — create safe spaces for team members to share how they’re feeling, what’s on their plate and what’s challenging.
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Support training and awareness — help managers recognise early signs of stress, and equip them to respond constructively.
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Look out for early indicators — high absence, low morale, increased mistakes, tension between team members may all hint at underlying stress.
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Make wellbeing part of your culture — from micro-breaks and mindful check-ins to dedicated wellbeing days, build in moments of reset and support.
How Glo can help your team flourish
We believe that workplace wellbeing should feel uplifting, inclusive and impactful. Our corporate wellbeing services are designed to bring calm, clarity and connection into your workplace so that your team can feel supported, energised and valued.
Here’s how we help:
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On-site or virtual wellbeing sessions: from gentle massage and quick mindfulness breaks to yoga or seated stretch sessions — easy to fit into the workday.
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Tailored wellbeing days: Perfect for key moments such as Stress Awareness Week, team-building mornings or as part of your ongoing wellbeing calendar.
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Mindfulness and resilience workshops: Helping individuals build self-awareness, stress-management strategies and stronger coping skills.
These experiences show your team you care — and they support better mental health, improved focus and a more resilient workplace culture. View all of our corporate wellbeing packages here.
BOOK NOW or MAKE AN ENQUIRY
Benefits of Our Corporate WellBeing Programs:
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Enhanced Team Morale: Demonstrating a commitment to your team's wellbeing fosters a positive work culture and increases job satisfaction.
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Improved Productivity: People who feel supported in their health are more engaged and productive in their roles.
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Reduced Absenteeism: Proactive stress management leads to fewer sick days and a more consistent workforce.
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"Glo and their professional therapists have transformed our workplace into a sanctuary of relaxation. From the moment they arrive, their calming presence sets the tone for a rejuvenating experience. The convenience of on-site massages has been a game-changer for our productivity and overall wellbeing"
Keep reading, keep growing
For further reading and inspiration, read our blog posts:
Make wellbeing your everyday commitment
Think of National Stress Awareness Day (and Week) as a reminder rather than a one-off. Stress prevention doesn’t sit in a box to be checked — it lives in how you treat wellbeing every day. Embed it, normalise it and let it grow. Your team will thank you — and so will your workplace culture.
Ready to bring this to life? Explore our corporate wellbeing services here and find out how we can support your people, your culture and your success.
BOOK NOW or MAKE AN ENQUIRY
The International Stress Management Association says International Stress Awareness Day is a major annual event focusing on stress management and campaigning against the stigma associated with stress and mental health issues.
The office of national statistics has conducted reports which show that the proportion of people reporting poor well-being across their four measures of wellbeing remains higher than pre-pandemic levels (YE March 2019). The four measures cover: life satisfaction, whether things done in life are worthwhile, levels of happiness and levels of anxiety.
This means that we as a nation haven’t yet bounced back from the stresses caused by the pandemic. Or we have become better at identifying stresses within ourselves and so more people are talking about stress and reducing the stigma around mental health and wellbeing.
As a business focussed on supporting good health in the workplace, this is a significant health awareness event for us and many Glo clients book in support for their teams during National Stress Awareness Week or National Stress Awareness Day on 6th November.
According to the Global Wellness Institute the wellness market in the UK is flourishing; it boasts the sixth largest spa market and the ninth largest wellness tourism market in the world.
This article profiles 3 of our key services and why they are so beneficial for reducing stress and improving wellbeing.
Massage
A report from the British Beauty Council suggests that adding massage therapy to the UK's health service could reduce mental health problems by 10% and cut the number of sick days taken across the UK by 1.76 million.
Statistica states that according to a 2023 survey in the United Kingdom revealed that men spent more a year on average on massages than women. Overall, the average consumer in the UK spent £560 on massages in a year. We aren’t sure if this is because more men are buying and gifting massages to their loved ones, or if the massages are for themselves.
Massage can soothe muscle aches and pains and improve wellbeing. It may also boost the immune system.
Some of the benefits of massage are:
- Induces a deep feeling of relaxation, relieving stress, tension and anxiety to promote a feeling of wellbeing
- Relieves muscular aches and pains – particularly in the neck and shoulder areas which are very prone to tension when sitting in an office environment
- Improves flexibility and joint mobility as well as improve circulation.
- As it is very relaxing, massage can also reduce insomnia problems that can be caused by stress
Book your team an office massage here, or treat yourself or a loved one to our platinum massage packages.
Mindfulness
The UK’s Mental Health Foundation cites Mindfulness training as being very beneficial to cultivating a more positive state of mind.
Mindfulness is a practice which allows us to bring our attention to the present moment. Often starting with a focus on the breath, we are able to bring our attention back to the present moment rather than worrying about the future or ruminating on experiences from the past. The practice helps us to come back to the present moment and can help to overcome the feeling of worry or overwhelm.
Dr Julieta Galante from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge undertook research. The report’s first author, said: “For the average person and setting, practising mindfulness appears to be better than doing nothing for improving our mental health, particularly when it comes to depression, anxiety and psychological distress – but we shouldn’t assume that it works for everyone, everywhere”
Using a mindfulness app, can support us in our practice. You can also enquire about our mindfulness workshop, which provides an introduction to the practice, how it has become a modern discipline and how it fits into your daily life.
Yoga
Publication Psychology Today reports an estimated 80% to 90% of visits to the doctor are stress-related but only less than 3% of doctors talk to their patients about how to reduce stress. Yoga, meditation, and other mind-body practices train your body and mind to be able to cope with stress better and improve overall health and well-being.
The Mental Health Foundation also states that physical activity is not only good for your body, but it's also great for your mind.
Feel good chemicals are released in our brains when we are active. Exercise doesn’t have to be draining or expensive like joining a gym, a simple yoga practice which includes some meditative breathing, can help to take us out of our brains and back into our bodies and the resulting feel good emotions can help you stay grounded and feel more positive all day. There are many different types of yoga you can try and lots of tutorials on YouTube. If you want something relaxing and restorative, try Hatha Yoga, for something more dynamic, try Yoga Flow. I love Yoga With Adrienne who you can find on YouTube and has many different types of classes to work on many different aspects of our bodies, lifestyle, and levels of stress.
The National Institute of Health says - In a national survey, over 85% of people who did yoga reported that it helped them relieve stress.
The list of health benefits of exercise has been prepared by the mental health foundation and more details can be found here.
- less tension, stress and mental fatigue
- a natural energy boost
- a sense of achievement
- more focus and motivation
- feeling less angry or frustrated
- a healthy appetite
- having fun
Take your exercise practice outdoors to breathe in some fresh air and re-oxygenate the body and mind.
Please contact Glo for a free relaxation Yoga Nidra audio file to help you relax at the end of the day, or book a yoga class through Glo and a qualified yoga teacher will come to you.