Employee wellbeing has never had more attention than it does now. Yet many organisations still feel like they are “ticking boxes” rather than making a real difference to how people feel, work, and stay. This conversation with Louise Kennedy, founder of Oculus HR, shines a light on what’s actually working on the ground, and where organisations are still getting stuck
From the “dark side” of HR to bringing in the light
Louise founded Oculus HR after a turning point trip to Rome. Standing in the Pantheon, she noticed the oculus in the ceiling, the circular opening where light pours into an otherwise dark space.
For her, it became the perfect metaphor for HR: HR often handles the “dark” side of work, policies, contracts, disciplinaries, but it also has the potential to bring light into a business by supporting people well and shaping culture. That’s the spirit behind Oculus HR today: combining the necessary operational work with a genuine focus on people and wellbeing.
Louise has been running Oculus HR for over eleven years, working with businesses across the UK. Alongside day‑to‑day HR support, she now steps in as a fractional Chief People Officer for growing organisations and delivers leadership development and emotional‑intelligence assessments for senior teams.
What’s really changed in employee wellbeing since Covid
Louise’s experience mirrors what many HR teams are seeing:
- There is far more openness around health and wellbeing than before the pandemic. Employees are more willing to talk about what is going on for them, personally and professionally, and to flag when something isn’t working.
- More organisations are investing in support services such as counselling and employee assistance, not as a fringe benefit but as part of how they look after their people. When companies spend on meaningful support, employees often repay that investment with loyalty and commitment.
At the same time, smaller and growth businesses are still figuring out what effective support actually looks like. Many know they “should” be doing something around wellbeing, but are unsure which services to choose, how to measure impact, or how far beyond traditional counselling they can go.
Are organisations ready for more “leading‑edge” approaches?
A big part of the conversation explored whether organisations are moving beyond traditional talk therapy. There are now many other ways to support people, approaches that work directly with trauma, the nervous system, and the unconscious mind, without requiring someone to repeatedly revisit painful experiences.
Louise’s view is that most organisations, especially smaller ones, aren’t there yet:
- Many are only just getting comfortable with offering basic counselling or EAP access.
- More holistic methods, such as energy work, trauma‑focused group sessions, or modalities like EFT, are still seen as unfamiliar or “out there,” even when they may be more effective for some people.
Where organisations do see the power of these methods is usually when an individual experiences them personally and then becomes an internal advocate. Until then, “proven, familiar, and safe” tends to win.
Mental health training for managers: good start, not the whole answer
Both of us are seeing a clear increase in mental health training for managers and mental health first aid programmes. That’s positive, but it’s not a magic bullet.
Louise recognises several issues:
- Mental health first aiders often leave training with awareness of conditions, but still don’t feel confident about what to do when someone opens up. They can end up carrying heavy stories without clear next steps.
- Without a supportive culture and clear pathways to refer people on, training alone can leave managers and first aiders feeling exposed and responsible for things that sit far outside their expertise.
The programmes that work best are those that are:
- Tailored to the organisation and local reality, for example, explicitly addressing issues like substance misuse or specific community pressures.
- Delivered as a series of sessions (not a one‑off) and backed by clear signposting to internal and external support.
In The Mind Solution’s work, mental health training for managers focuses heavily on core skills rather than diagnosis: listening, boundaries, solution‑focused coaching, psychological safety, and knowing what their role is, and what it isn’t.
The power of human connection in hybrid and remote teams
One theme that kept resurfacing was human connection, and how easily it gets lost in a Teams‑heavy world.
Managers are often:
- Jumping straight into tasks and targets, skipping the “How are you really?” moments that used to happen naturally walking between meetings or at the kettle.
- Running video calls with cameras off, which makes genuine connection and nuance almost impossible, especially for new joiners who have never met their manager in person.
Practical shifts that make a big difference:
- Building in time for informal conversation and check‑ins, not just agenda items.
- Ensuring cameras on is the norm for 1:1s and important conversations.
- Creating regular in‑person touchpoints; monthly or quarterly meet‑ups, not for back‑to‑back meetings but for relationship‑building.
Managers also need to remember that not everyone thrives in remote or hybrid setups. Some people genuinely need office space or shared working environments, and leaders should be willing to explore options rather than assume “home works for everyone.”
Using wellbeing platforms as conversation starters, not tick‑boxes
Many organisations are now investing in employee wellbeing platforms filled with videos, tools and techniques, sometimes including modalities like EFT tapping.
The organisations getting the most value are the ones that:
- Actively use the content together—for example, choosing a five‑minute video on stress or mindset for the whole team to watch, then discussing it in a monthly meeting.
- Treat the platform as a conversation catalyst, not just a library of resources people may or may not log into.
When managers do this, they often see team members open up about stress and burnout for the first time. Psychological safety grows, and wellbeing becomes part of the ongoing conversation, not a once‑a‑year campaign.
Prevention over cure: absence, accountability and support
The episode also digs into the reality of long‑term absence and the line between organisational support and individual responsibility.
Key points from Louise:
- Many smaller businesses don’t track absence properly, which makes it impossible to see patterns or measure the impact of any wellbeing initiatives.
- Effective management of long‑term absence starts early—often after four to five weeks—with regular check‑ins every four to six weeks, clear documentation, and an honest look at whether the employee is engaging with available support.
- At some stage, especially for smaller organisations, there may need to be a decision about whether someone is realistically able to return. That decision needs to be grounded in fair process, occupational‑health input, and a record of support given.
Underneath all of this is a simple truth: prevention is far more effective than cure. When managers are trained to notice early signs, ask better questions, and hold regular conversations, many crises can be softened, or avoided entirely.
Where should wellbeing “live” in an organisation?
A surprisingly common issue is that wellbeing doesn’t have a clear home. In some organisations it sits with HR, in others with L&D, and in others it’s handed to a single person in sustainability or ESG because it doesn’t fit anywhere else.
Louise’s view:
- Wellbeing should be an overarching leadership priority, owned collectively from the top down, not a side project handed to one function.
- Practically, it fits best within the people function, because it connects directly with culture, performance, engagement and retention. But HR shouldn’t be expected to carry it alone.
- A cross‑functional wellbeing or culture committee—with clear terms of reference, decision rights, and genuinely committed members—can help generate ideas, keep initiatives grounded in reality, and ensure wellbeing is woven through the organisation rather than bolted on.
What HR leaders need to deliver strategic wellbeing, not “jelly on the wall”
Many HR leaders openly admit that wellbeing is outside their core expertise. Their background is in employment law, reward, or organisational design, not trauma, nervous systems, or mental health.
To move from reactive initiatives to strategic, effective wellbeing, HR leaders need:
- External input and benchmarking—through conferences, networks, and specialist partners—so they’re not designing strategies in a vacuum.
- Permission to ask for help and bring in experts without feeling they’re “failing” or losing control. External perspectives often bring best practice and tested approaches from other sectors.
- Basic but robust measurement: clear baselines (absence, retention, engagement, usage of support services), mid‑point reviews, and end‑of‑programme check‑ins so they can show real impact to boards and exec teams.
When businesses invest in people at this level, the returns are tangible: reduced absence, stronger loyalty, and the retention of experienced employees who might otherwise have left or been lost to burnout.
