Brew Monday 2026
Brew Monday 2026
Michel Ma, Advisory Programme Manager at Business in the Community, explores how employers can use Brew Monday as an opportunity to examine their workplace culture and foster the connection and inclusive environment that allows employees to thrive.
Today we mark Brew Monday, a day inspired by the Samaritans’ campaign to support wellbeing and encourage connection. Brew Monday is a lighter take on what was traditionally known as “Blue Monday,” inviting people to reach out to friends, family, and colleagues over a cup of tea or coffee.
The recent Keep Britain Working Review, an independent review commissioned by the UK Government, explores issues around ill health and disability in the workforce, and highlights the importance of a joint approach where employers, employees and government all play a role.
As part of the review, Business in the Community was pleased to contribute to the consultation, with almost two decades of insights from leading businesses on advancing and promoting workplace wellbeing. Employers are often best placed to spot health issues early, offer flexibility and make reasonable adjustments. Ill health is a key driver of economic inactivity and an urgent challenge for employers. Building a healthier workplace is not just good for business and the economy, it’s the right thing to do.
What is the current state of workplace wellbeing in the UK?
Despite growing awareness of the importance of workplace wellbeing, the gap between employer aspiration and ambition remains significant:
Organisations with a strong commitment to workplace wellbeing recognise the pivotal role managers play in creating a wellbeing culture. However, as noted in the Keep Britain Working Report, a “culture of fear” can create significant challenges, leading to limited dialogue around issues related to wellbeing. Insights from BITC’s Wellbeing Self-Assessment Tool reflect this complexity, with inclusive culture frequently emerging as an area for improvement. Encouragingly, better specialist support is the strongest performing element for most larger organisations, with services such as Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) widely available. For smaller businesses, leadership stands out as a key strength, as senior leaders are often closer to their workforce and quicker to address wellbeing challenges.
What practical steps can employers take? (and resources to help)
It’s never too late to start, and the beginning of the year is a great moment to make employee wellbeing a priority.
1. Support managers to support their teams
Embed prevention in your wellbeing strategy and equip managers with the skills and confidence to hold open conversations about mental health, supporting employees with workload, and adjustments, and reviewing job design to monitor and mitigate psychosocial risks.
2. Turn Brew Monday into everyday practice
Brew Monday reminds us that connection matters, but it should not be a one-day effort. BITC’s Everyday Inclusion: What Is It and What Really Works report can help your organisation integrate inclusive behaviours into daily working life. Encourage regular check-ins, peer support, and informal spaces for conversation to make wellbeing discussions part of your workplace culture, and for strong peer relationships to be formed.
3. Encourage autonomy and flexibility
Insights from our Wellbeing Self-Assessment Tool show inclusive culture is often the lowest-scoring area. Fear of judgement, stigma, and lack of trust still holds people back from thriving at work. One practical way to address this is by giving people more control over their workload and how, when, and where they work. Research shows that greater autonomy reduces stress and supports wellbeing, while also fostering a culture of trust and psychological safety.
4. Develop and implement a wellbeing roadmap
Move from intention to measurement and implementation. BITC’s Prioritise People: The Next Step report provides a framework for initiatives that improve health and wellbeing. Use it to understand what targets or indicators for wellbeing your organisation could be implementing and create a roadmap that links wellbeing to business outcomes, sets clear goals, and embeds accountability across leadership and teams.
