Unique to the city of Leeds, the Leeds Mindful Employer Network brings local employers together to champion positive mental health at work. The Network supports businesses and organisations through online and in-person events, regular communications and resources like the Ten Steps Toolkit and 1-to-1 support.
Harriet Tarbatt (North Bar) and Jane Dennis (Oakland) catching up at a Leeds Mindful Employer Network event last month.
One of the most powerful aspects of the Network is the opportunity for peer support – where employers of all sizes connect across sectors and industries to exchange ideas, challenges, and successes around workplace wellbeing. In this article, we hear from two members – Jane Dennis of Oakland, a data consultancy, and Harriet Tarbatt of North Bar, a hospitality group. The two reflect on how their cross-industry conversations have helped shape their approaches to mental health at work.
Tell us a bit about you, where you work and what you do.
Harriet: Hello! I’m the People Operations Manager for the North Bar Group, a role that covers a wide spectrum of responsibilities. I manage our weekly payroll and pensions, oversee all aspects of the employee lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding to appraisals, disciplinaries, grievances, and offboarding. I also handle internal communications, staff wellbeing initiatives, and occasionally get involved with bar operations, events, and design projects. I lead our charity initiatives, working closely with our chosen partners, and because we’re a small team, everyone wears multiple hats, so my work is always varied and dynamic.
Jane: I’m Head of Wellbeing and Officer Manager at Oakland, a thriving Data Consultancy in the heart of Leeds. I’m passionate about people, mental health and wellbeing and want everyone to feel valued and included and able to bring their whole self to work.
I wear a variety of ‘hats’ and a large part of my role is helping make the office a warm, inclusive and welcoming place, rolling out wellbeing initiatives and supporting the team in a variety of ways. This includes: raising awareness and sharing resources; incorporating wellbeing initiatives across the business (mental, physical, social, emotional); encouraging people to follow our workplace wellbeing strategy by creating their own ‘wellbeing toolkit’; supporting people in my role as a Mental Health First Aider; and signposting people to both internal and external wellbeing resources. I also sit on the charity and social committees and Women’s network and I love to make a difference to others in any way I can, both inside and outside the workplace.
So, you’re in very different industries. How did you connect?
Harriet: We met through the Leet Mindful Employer Network. At one of the events, I filled in a survey where Leigh asked what we wanted to focus on in the future. I mentioned that I was redesigning North Bar’s wellbeing strategy and had been inspired by Jane’s talk on adopting the 5 Ways to Wellbeing. Leigh (Mindful Employer Project Lead) introduced us, and we met at Jane’s beautiful office. We discussed some of the initiatives Oakland had run, and I was able to pick Jane’s brain about ideas that could be adapted back at North Bar.
Tell us a bit about how you’ve supported one another. How will you put the ideas you’ve swapped into action at your workplace?
Harriet: The main inspiration I took away is that even small initiatives can make a meaningful difference; it doesn’t always have to be a large or costly event. With eight different sites, we’ve been thinking about activities we can implement both collectively and individually to boost wellbeing and team morale. One of my favourite ideas from Jane was a lunchtime painting session. While we haven’t run this yet at North Bar, we’re exploring sending individual painting kits to employees so they can participate at a time that works best for them. It’s these simple, thoughtful touches that can really make people feel valued.
Jane: As North Bar is based across several sites, it was interesting to hear how Harriet supports her team remotely. At Oakland, we currently have just one office, but the majority of our team are hybrid and some people are based outside Yorkshire. It’s always great to hear the approach others are taking to ensure we are inclusive in what we offer and continue to tailor what we do by offering online initiatives, such as training and coaching as well.
What would you say to other Network members considering reaching out for peer support opportunities from within the Leeds Mindful Employer Network?
Harriet: I would absolutely encourage it! The Network is incredibly supportive, and everyone is genuinely working towards the same goal; creating workplaces where people feel happy, safe, and supported. Collaborating with peers who are implementing similar initiatives is not only inspiring, but also hugely motivating and rewarding.
Jane: Definitely speak to Leigh at the Leeds Mindful Employer Network and find out if she can put you in touch with other employers.
I would highly recommend attending the Network’s regular events and webinars. Leigh has so many great contacts across city and there is always something valuable to be learnt by attending an event.
Everyone in the Network is very friendly and supportive and you’ll find other employers are keen to share their ideas and talk about what has worked well for them. I have made so many great contacts through the network and continue to do so! There are some fantastic speakers and also many valuable opportunities to visit workplaces and see first-hand the many wonderful initiatives being carried out across Leeds.
What are your top tips for employers on how to demonstrate genuine commitment to creating a mentally healthy workplace?
Harriet: It needs to be an ongoing conversation, not just a tick-box exercise. At North Bar, signing the Mindful Employer Charter was a tangible way to demonstrate our commitment to continually improving our employees’ experiences and mental wellbeing. It shows that the company is actively thinking about investing in and evolving its approach to support staff, rather than treating mental health as a one-off initiative.
Jane: Agreed: don’t just do ‘once and done’ activities. Consistency is key when it comes to workplace wellbeing. It’s great to celebrate key awareness days, but try to mix things up and look at a variety of other approaches and keep a rolling calendar of activities.
Get to know your team! Find out what support they would like by having regular check-ins and sending out pulse surveys. Not everyone wants the same thing and it’s good to offer a wide variety of initiatives. Ensure you are inclusive and ask the team to take the lead so they feel part of your overall wellbeing approach and help shape the support you offer – Charity committees, Social committees, Family groups, Men’s groups, etc.
Keep people informed and make sure they know where they can go for help and support. Making things easy and accessible is key, whether it’s locating internal resources, speaking to a Mental Health First Aider, accessing therapies or coaching or finding out what’s available in the community such as wellbeing charities and support groups. Try to ensure people have support at their fingertips when they need it the most!
Seek advice from professional bodies too, such as the Mindful Employer Charter, who offer great guidance and support in the form of events and webinars and other useful resources. We recently went through our bi-annual charter review and received some great feedback. This feedback was extremely helpful as it acknowledged we are doing all the right things and reminded us that Mindful Employer is there to support us whenever we have any questions. There’s also the Leeds Mindful Employer Network’s Ten Steps Toolkit, which is another fantastic guideline to work towards.
How has our Ten Steps Toolkit helped you to approach mental health at work?
Harriet: The Toolkit provided a very practical roadmap. It helped us identify areas that needed more focus, ensuring we didn’t skip ahead too quickly. Having a structured approach made it easier to plan initiatives and consistently review our practices, which has been invaluable in embedding wellbeing into our company culture.
Jane: This has been a really helpful and detailed guideline and something we can regularly refer back to, ensuring we are on the right track and taking a consistent approach to wellbeing. When you are first creating a wellbeing culture in your organisation, it can be difficult to know where to start and the Toolkit gives you the foundations to get going. There is also an enormous amount of support available by being a Mindful Employer, whether it’s online support, resources or regular free webinars.
What would you say to other local businesses considering joining the Leeds Mindful Employer Network?
Harriet: Joining the Network has been a fantastic experience. It’s an incredibly supportive community that offers regular newsletters, conferences, and events to help expand knowledge and share best practice. For any business looking to prioritise employee wellbeing, it’s an invaluable resource that I’d highly recommend.
Harriet Tarbatt (North Bar) and Jane Dennis (Oakland) catching up at a Leeds Mindful Employer Network event last month.
Jane: I would highly recommend signing up. It’s fantastic to be part of such a growing and supportive network and have access to a wealth of resources. It’s also great to hear from so many local employers who are championing wellbeing across Leeds. I have some valuable connections through the Network and continue to learn more about workplace wellbeing and best practice by attending webinars and events! You won’t regret joining!
How do you plan to maintain this connection you’ve made with each other?
Harriet: Since we first met, Jane and I have bumped into each other at a few other events, and we make a point of keeping each other updated on initiatives and ideas we think the other will find useful. I always look forward to seeing her at events! It’s a relationship built on shared learning, mutual support, and genuine enthusiasm for making workplaces better.
Jane: Harriet and I regularly see each other at events and have already met several times since our first meeting. We have agreed to keep in touch and talk about our work and share ideas. It has been wonderful getting to know Harriet and hear about the fantastic work she is doing at North Bar, such as rolling out their recent Wellbeing Strategy. I love Harriet’s passion for making a difference and her desire to continue to roll out workplace wellbeing initiatives and support her team further.
A big thank you to Harriet and Jane for contributing to this blog.
Book onto our next in-person networking event: Preventing Burnout at Work: Stories, Strategies and What Works
Register for our upcoming webinars on Financial Wellbeing (November) and Adult Mental Health Services in Leeds (December)
Join the Leeds Mindful Employer Network.
Find out about becoming a Mindful Employer Charter Signatory.
Check out our Ten Steps Toolkit.
