On World Mental Health Day 2025, the global theme is “Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.” We all need to work together to help ensure that mental health support is available during crises. It’s an important reminder that mental health care is not a luxury, but a lifeline, especially in times of adversity.
For employers, this year’s theme reinforces the importance of building safe, inclusive workplaces where psychological wellbeing is prioritised, not just during World Mental Health Day, but every day.
At CSG, we’re spending the morning reflecting on some of the ways that technology can help improve the workplace envrionment for everyone, helping support those in need of mental health support, and those who simply need a little break or “well done” now and then.
Human-centered strategy
A human-centered strategy means designing workplace systems, tools and policies that prioritise people’s wellbeing, emotional needs and lived experiences. Technology should enhance, not replace, human connection, empathy and support. Microsoft’s ecosystem offers several ways to embed this philosophy into daily operations:
1. Understand employee needs through data and empathy
- Microsoft Viva Insights provides anonymised, aggregated data on work patterns (eg, after-hours work, meeting overload, lack of focus time)
- HR and managers can use these insights to identify stress triggers, adjust workloads and create healthier schedules
- Viva Glint adds depth by collecting real-time employee feedback on engagement, wellbeing and psychological safety
Tip: use these insights not just to monitor, but to listen and act. Combine data with open conversations to co-create solutions.
2. Reduce work stress with Microsft Copilot
- Copilot is Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel helps employees:
- Summarise long emails and meetings to quickly digest information – this helps with employees who may take longer to read and digest emails helping them get on with their day quickly
- Draft empathetic and clear communications – this helps with anyone who struggles to know how to word things, Copilot can take this headache away
- Automate repetitive tasks – it can be agonising to redo work that doesn’t allow your creative mind to flow, Copilot helps with this so you have more time to work on the creative part of your day
- Organise priorities without overwhelm
All of this helps supports mental clarity, reduces decision fatigue and allows you to focus on meaningful work.
3. Sense of belonging
- Viva Engage enables peer support communities, mental health discussions spaces and leadership storytelling
- Employees can share experiences, access resources and feel seen – especially in hybrid or remote envrionments
- Leaders can use Viva Amplify to communicate wellbeing initiatives with authenticity and consistency
Tip: encourage leaders to model vulnerability and openness around mental health. This builds trust and reduces any stigma still attached.
4. Empower personal growth
- Microsoft learning tools offers curated content on emotional intelligence, stress management and reslience via Viva Learning
- Employees can gain access learning paths that support both professional development and personal wellbeing
- Viva Goals helps align individual purpose with team and company objectives, reducing stress attached to this area
5. Design for balance and recovery
- Use ‘quiet time’ settings in Viva Insights to protect your personal time in work
- Enable ‘virtual commute’ to help you mentall transition between work and home
- Integrate ‘headspace’ or other mindfulness tools to encourage regular mental resets
Tip: normalise breaks, downtime and recovery as part of a productive work culture, not as signs of weakness.
6. Measure impact and continiously strive to improve work-life balance
- Use Power BI to visualise trends in burnout, absenteeism and engagement
- Combine Viva Insights and Glint data to evaluate the effectiveness of wellness programs
- Adjust strategies based on what works, because a human-centered approach is adaptive, not static
By integrating these tools, employers can:
- Foster a culture of psychological safety
- Detect and address burnout early
- Empower employees to take control of their wellbeing
- Make mental health support scalable and inclusive
Mental health is important everyday and at CSG, we help you use the latest technology and tools to help improve the work-life balance that your employees have.