Empresa Psychology Newsletter

June 2025

Photos from The Watercooler

We had a fantastic time at The Watercooler conference! On the stand, we had some lovely conversations with attendees and other exhibitors. Thank you again to Dr Tom Vlietstra, Zoe Hill and Leanne Benge (from Premier Admin Services) for all your help across the two days!

Our workshop was a resounding success - we presented on both days, and filled all the seats for both sessions - standing room only at the back! It was great to see how much interest there was in the topics of Psychological Safety and Compassionate Leadership. Participants got to practice a tool that helps us get the balance between support and accountability, and therefore create psychological safety in teams. 

Spotlight On: Presenteeism

We talk about presenteeism a lot, but what is it? Here is a brief definition, but you can also read a longer article we wrote on the subject here. 

Presenteeism is defined as an individual being consistently present at work despite being unwell, physically and/or psychologically, and therefore not working effectively. As a result, the quality of their work and their productivity is significantly impacted. Individuals may work longer hours than is required, despite being unwell, in order to achieve their targets and to appear that they are performing. It is definitely not malingering or laziness, quite the opposite in many cases, as the employee is likely to try to overcompensate.

Presenteeism is by far the most costly mental-health related drain on your business bottom line. Deloitte (2024) research indicates that presenteeism is the largest contributor to mental health related business losses, costing UK businesses an estimated £24 billion per year. This is contrasted with a cost of £7 billion per year attributed to absenteeism and a cost of £20 billion per year attributed to staff turnover. 

Wellbeing In The News:

💡 Gallup recently published their 2025 'State of the Global Workplace Report'. Concerningly, their research has found that over the last year manager engagement has been declining. They conclude: “Manager engagement affects team engagement, which affects productivity. Business performance — and ultimately GDP growth — is at risk if executive leaders do not address manager breakdown.” Luckily, our Compassionate Leadership training directly supports manager wellbeing and performance, thus reducing this risk - email us to find out more.
💡 During Mental Health Awareness Week, we highlighted this article by EY titled "4 healthier ways of working inspired by entrepreneurs". This surprised us because the dominant narrative is that entrepreneurs work 24/7 - not according to EY! And not according to Empresa Psychology... we  try to practice what we preach by achieving business excellence without compromising wellbeing!

Straight From The Source:

This month we wanted to share a couple of the lovely testimonials we've had from customers who booked our training in 2025:

💬 "ELA would like to thank Natalie for an excellent webinar which explained the detail of emotional regulation, along with helpful tips for attendees. Attendees commented that it gave a good balance between theory and practical advice. Feedback scores from our members were excellent and we would certainly approach Natalie again on this subject." - Employment Lawyers Association 

💬 "This was a very helpful, evidence-based presentation to help bolster performance in fast-paced, challenging circumstances." - Office for Equality & Opportunity (Cabinet Office)

Supporting Fellow Founders:

We want to shout out Samantha Caiels at MPS Business for the beautiful merchandise we were able to take to the conference. If you need reasonably priced, high quality merch - MPS are our recommendation! We had business cards, flyers, pens, stress balls and phone holders (which were by far the most popular!).