As part of its ongoing campaign for workplace culture change,
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England will be celebrating
My Whole Self 2026 this March to empower employees to bring their whole self to work.
MHFA England believe wellbeing and productivity go hand in hand with each other, and they know teams that feel safe and connected can and will work better together.
MHFA also say that people and teams are more effective, engaged, creative, and better able to perform at their best when everybody feels psychologically safe, when everyone is heard, and everyone is valued; teams collaborate more effectively, and innovation thrives.
Feeling Psychologically Safe – The theme for 2026
Psychological Safety is the shared belief that a team or workplace is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, allowing members to speak up, ask questions, report mistakes, or propose new ideas
without fear of embarrassment or retribution.
It is a necessary element for high-performing teams, fostering innovation, learning, and open communication: At its core, Psychological Safety is about trust and respect.
Key Aspects of Psychological Safety include:
- Having the Freedom to Speak Up: Team members feel comfortable to express adverse opinion, asking for help, or admitting errors without embarrassment or ridicule.
- Interpersonal Risk-Taking: It allows for "brainstorming out loud," taking risks, and being vulnerable in front of colleagues.
- Inclusive Environment: It nurtures a culture of mutual respect, trust, and support, where individuals can bring their full, authentic selves to work.
- Not Just "Nice": Psychological safety not only means people are always nice or that there is no conflict; it also means that people have opportunity to respectfully challenge each other and the status quo.
When people fear no judgment, they are more likely to share creative or "out-of-the-box" ideas; and it enables employees to voice concerns, which is critical for safety in high-stakes environments.
Ultimately, teams with high psychological safety can learn from mistakes, improve processes, and achieve higher performance.
How to Take Part
To empower workplaces to better support and motivate their people, MHFA England will be publishing
new, FREE updated resources to help workplaces take part and embed long-term culture change. MHFA will also be
hosting a FREE public webinar on
10th March 2026.
People can also take part by:
- Hosting a "My Whole Self" Selfie: Encourage colleagues to share a photo that represents their life outside of work
- Use the hashtag #MyWholeSelf on social media
- Run a Team Check-In: Use the My Whole Self MOT to check in on team wellbeing and foster open conversations
- Practice The Five B’s: Being reflective, Becoming an active listener, Being mindful of language, Being a role model, and Being aware of workplace policies.
The campaign emphasizes that when people feel safe to be themselves, teams perform better, fostering innovation and better mental health outcomes.
For more
information and how to take part, visit the MHFA
website.