Feasibility and acceptability of a joint employee-manager workplace intervention to support mental health and job retention (MENTOR 2.0)

Employees experiencing mental health difficulties frequently encounter barriers to both securing and sustaining employment. Despite increased recognition of mental health in the workplace, most interventions continue to target employees in isolation, with limited attention to the relational and organisational contexts in which mental health issues arise. To address this gap, we developed MENTOR 2.0 - the first joint employee–manager workplace intervention designed to enhance employee wellbeing and job retention through targeted improvements in work engagement, interpersonal relationships at work, and psychological flexibility. Building on our initial feasibility study (MENTOR 1.0) (Prudenzi et al., 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2023.100720), MENTOR 2.0 involved four individual and one joint session with employees and their line managers, facilitated by a trained Mental Health Employment Liaison Worker (MHELW) - a novel role designed to facilitate conversations between employees and line managers. Twenty-three employees and nineteen managers participated in the study. All completed baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention surveys, along with 18 brief daily diaries per participant. Feasibility outcomes were positive: 94% of planned sessions were delivered as scheduled, the average programme duration was 65 days, and post-intervention retention was 87%. Qualitative feedback indicated high acceptability, with participants valuing the opportunity for open and confidential dialogue with managers, as well as the supportive role of the MHELW. Preliminary quantitative findings suggested reductions in psychological distress and improvements in productivity, psychological flexibility, work engagement, and workplace interpersonal functioning. While the single-arm design and limited sample size constrain generalisability, the study followed rigorous feasibility trial methods and demonstrates a novel, context-sensitive intervention model with clear translational potential. MENTOR 2.0 advances current practice by embedding mental health promotion within the social dynamics of the workplace, shifting away from individualised treatment models toward a more relational and systemic approach.

Feasibility trial registration MENTOR: ISRCTN79256498 (20/09/2021).