The topic of mental health is finally gaining the attention it deserves in the workplace. But with that attention comes a challenge: how do we move beyond surface-level interventions and toward meaningful, systemic support?
At Organisational Coaching Hub (OCH), we believe the answer lies not just in individual resilience, but in the relational dynamics and cultures teams operate within. And we believe coaching has a central role to play – not as a fix, but as a space to reshape how we work, relate and lead.
More Than a Mindfulness Session
Today’s workforce is stretched. Burnout, disconnection and emotional fatigue are common, even in high-performing teams. Organisations are beginning to invest in mental health support by offering counselling, mindfulness programs and well-being initiatives.
These are valuable steps, but they often treat the symptoms of mental health at work, not the causes.
What’s often missing is the space to explore:
- Why is stress becoming normalised?
- What relational patterns are fuelling burnout?
- How are people supported (or isolated) in their roles?
This is where coaching steps in. Not just as a one-to-one intervention, but as a cultural practice that invites honesty, reflection and behavioural change.
Coaching as a Cultural Intervention
When coaching is embedded into the organisational system, it becomes more than a benefit. It becomes a strategic intervention that shapes culture and supports sustainable performance. Coaches work with individuals and teams to:
- Surface the unspoken drivers of stress
- Support emotionally intelligent leadership
- Rebuild agency and choice in how people work
- Encourage sustainable performance over relentless pace
As David Kesby, founder of OCH, puts it:
“I love leadership that is liberating; that helps me be a better version of myself. But too often, teams become places where freedom is stifled, where expectations suffocate trust, and people feel trapped.”
Last month, David delivered a keynote speech at Tallinn Business School in Estonia titled “Teams – Realising Potential or Creating a Prison?”
In his presentation, David explored the paradox of teams as both liberating and limiting. He examined how team structures, cultural expectations, and a lack of relational safety can quietly undermine well-being, transforming teams from spaces of potential into places where people feel stuck or unsupported. His talk offered a compelling call for organisations to take a more systemic approach to mental health, focusing not just on individuals but on the environments teams are operating within.
From Reactive Support to Proactive Change
Most mental health interventions are reactive, supporting individuals once stress has already taken its toll. Coaching invites a proactive stance:
- Helping leaders recognise early signs of overload and isolation
- Creating safe, non-clinical spaces for reflection and self-awareness
- Equipping teams to support each other more consciously
- Building relational resilience – not just individual grit
Team Coaching with You
Contact us to explore how team coaching can realise your team’s needs and aspirations.
Investing in What Really Matters
The data is catching up with the practice: organisations that invest in coaching as part of a holistic well-being strategy are seeing measurable benefits, from reduced absenteeism to improved engagement and retention.
A global survey by PwC and the Association Resource Center found an average coaching ROI of 7 times the cost of employing a coach.
But the real value is in shifting the question from “How do we fix burnout?” to “How do we design work and relationships in a way that sustains us?”.
When Team Design Undermines Well-being
One of the key insights from David Kesby’s talk in Tallinn was that teams can feel like a source of energy or they can feel like a prison. The difference often comes down to whether the team is set up and led in a way that reflects how it actually operates.
At Organisational Coaching Hub, we’ve identified two distinct types of teams that often go unrecognised:
- Interdependent teams, where members rely on each other to achieve shared goals.
- Extra-dependent teams, where members carry out similar work independently and depend more on people or systems outside the team or organisation.
The problem arises when a team functions in one way but is treated as if it’s the other. For example, extra-dependent teams may be expected to collaborate closely, set shared goals, or hold joint accountability, when in fact, their day-to-day work doesn’t support that. This mismatch leads to frustration, disconnection, and ultimately, a sense of being trapped in a team structure that doesn’t fit.
To prevent this, our Team Dependency Diagnostic – a tool we’ve developed to help leaders and organisations understand what kind of team they’re working with, and how best to support it.
You can explore the tool here: Team Dependency Diagnostic
When team structures align with reality, the path to psychological safety, performance and well-being becomes clearer. Coaching becomes more targeted, and the team has a better chance of flourishing, not floundering under false expectations.
Final Thought
Mental health at work isn’t just an individual concern – it’s a collective responsibility. Coaching helps teams and leaders build the emotional capacity, clarity, and trust required to create truly supportive workplaces.
Let’s stop framing well-being as an individual burden and build systems that nourish the human beings who power our organisations.
