Oakwood Training

23/09/2026

Oakwood Founder Terry Streather was invited to speak at the Tesco STAR Safety Champion Event at Epson Race Course last week about human error, decision-making, culture and wellbeing.

Thanks to Angela, Greig and everyone else for making him feel so welcome.

22/09/2026

We're very grateful to Claire Kershaw from Next for her kind words. It has been a pleasure supporting Next for almost 10 years.

21/09/2026

What happens when busy gets busier?

More customers.

More demand.

More difficult conversations.

More pressure on your people.

And that's when small gaps in preparation can become much bigger challenges.

At this time of year, we hear from more customers looking for advice, ideas and practical support as they prepare for what's ahead.

That's why we've opened up our free 30-minute Peak Readiness Conversations.

It's an opportunity to talk through the challenges you're anticipating, ask questions and get practical ideas and resources from an Oakwood specialist.

Because you don't have to wait for things to get difficult. A little preparation now can give your people more confidence and help managers feel better equipped when pressure increases.

Book your Peak Readiness Conversation https://info.oakwoodtraining.co.uk/prepare-for-peak-2026

18/09/2026

Weekly round-up...

💡We launched our Prepare for Peak campaign - look out for free resources and support

🎙️Speaking at the Tesco STAR Safety Champion Event about human error, culture, decision-making, stress and wellbeing.

🌍Conflict Management and De-Escalation training with a global retailer, with courses in the UK

🧠Mental Health and Wellbeing Allies training with WPP Media to delegates across Europe

🚉First Responder training with Southeastern Railway, one of the busiest and largest rail networks in the UK

🚹Men's Mental Health and Wellbeing training with Platform Housing Group with sessions on dealing with bereavement

🛡️Conflict Management and De-Escalation courses with Catch22 and Leicester City Council

🐶Conflict Resolution, Communication Skills and De-Escalation training with Dogs for Good

Take care and have a great weekend 😊

17/09/2026

It's MANAGERS who have the greatest day-to-day impact on an employee's wellbeing. They are in a fantastic position to influence the culture of a team, have early conversations to prevent issues escalating, and to create psychologically safe workplaces where people feel supported.

At Oakwod, we build our courses around the common concerns we know managers have when talking about mental health and supporting employee wellbeing.

Training can be delivered as a one-off session or as part of a programme, where any aspect, including duration, content and language, can be tailored to suit an organisation's specific needs.

Find out more:👉 https://www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk/mental-health-wellbeing-training/managers-programme/

Mental Health & Wellbeing Awareness Course Training for Managers We believe managers have the greatest day-to-day impact on an employee’s wellbeing. Our training is built around the common concerns we know managers have when talking about mental health and supporting employee wellbeing. MENTAL HEA...

16/09/2026

When busy gets busier, are your people ready? For many organisations, the final months of the year bring increased demand, greater pressure and new challenges for employees and managers.

Customer-facing teams may be dealing with more challenging behaviour. Managers can feel stretched. Employees can experience increased stress and fatigue.

But preparing for this doesn't have to mean starting from scratch.

We're launching our new Prepare for Peak campaign to help organisations:

ASSESS where the pressure points might be
TALK through the challenges
PLAN the right support

Because a little preparation now can make a big difference when things get busy.

Take our Peak Readiness Check at www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk/readiness-check

14/09/2026

One in eight employees has experienced frequent burnout in the past year, and two in five (40%) of those said that their job is a primary source of stress in their life, according to Vitality’s 'Britain’s Healthiest Workplace' research.

Furthermore, 67% of employees have experienced some form of burnout in the past 12 months.

Stress and burnout impact productivity in the workplace through reduced performance, disengagement and lost working time.

Around a quarter of employees struggle at work due to their mental health, while a third struggle due to stress, according to Vitality, who have called on employers to not only focus on support for those with stress or burnout, but to address the causes of poor health and wellbeing.

https://healthcareandprotection.com/one-in-eight-employees-experience-frequent-burnout-vitality/

One in eight employees have experienced frequent burnout in the past year, research by Vitality has discovered. And two in five (40%) of those said that their job is a primary source of stress in their life, according to Vitality’s Britain’s Healthiest Workplace research, which questioned 1,000 ...

11/09/2026

Weekly round-up...

🌍Conflict Management and De-Escalation training with a global retailer, with courses in the UK and Poland

🧠Wellbeing Champions training with LKQ Europe, with courses delivered in French

💡Mental Health and Wellbeing Allies training with WPP Media to delegates across Europe

🚉First Responder training with Southeastern Railway, one of the busiest and largest rail networks in the UK

🚹Men's Mental Health and Wellbeing training with Platform Housing Group

Take care and have a great weekend 😊

10/09/2026

Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. They're there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and it's free to call.

https://www.samaritans.org/

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Samaritans works to make sure there’s always someone there for anyone who needs someone. Read more.

10/09/2026

Talking about su***de can be really hard. The phrase ‘commit su***de’ generally makes people uncomfortable, which isn’t surprising really, considering the couple of centuries of baggage it comes with.

There is still a huge amount of stigma and taboo associated with it. Globally, three-quarters of su***des each year are men. Here in the UK, we know the vast majority are not in contact with any support services, trying to tough it out alone, or self-medicating with alcohol, drugs and gambling.

It seems far too many people are dying of embarrassment or shame, and we need to change that.

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day (10th September); the Samaritans are sharing one important message: If you think someone might be suicidal, take action, interrupt their thoughts, and show them you care.

You might think that talking about suicidal thoughts is best left to the professionals. Counseling and treatment are, but you don’t need a qualification to listen.

If you are struggling with what to say, how about being open and telling them “I don’t know what to say, but I’m here, and I care.”

Don’t assume that someone else has got this. Saying something is always better than saying nothing, and just listening is often so much more help than you could ever imagine.

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