Each May, Mental Health Awareness Month serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of emotional wellbeing – and this year, it provides a critical opportunity to recognise a group whose needs are often overlooked: caregivers. Whether supporting ageing parents, children with additional needs or loved ones navigating illness, caregivers shoulder extensive responsibilities that can profoundly impact their mental, emotional and physical health.

International Women's Day (IWD) has always been about recognition, but in 2026, it's also about reflection and responsibility. For organisations around the world, this day invites us to pause and ask a deeper question: Are our workplaces truly designed for the full reality of women's lives or just the version that's easiest to accommodate?

Mental health is critical to human health and wellbeing, yet mental health problems are more likely to go undiagnosed and untreated than physical health problems. With the pandemic, international conflict, increased financial stress from inflation, and concerns about food and fuel shortages, mental health is being challenged in new ways.

In partnership, WPO and IIRSM are coordinating efforts to help organisations succeed by addressing employee wellbeing, psychological safety, and psychosocial risk.

Accidents can happen, even in the safest work environments. People we care about may become sick and even die. Bad actors can bring violence into the workplace. Regional and world events can upset the equilibrium of work. The challenge for employers is to make the workplace as safe as possible for employees, build organisational and individual resilience, and be prepared to respond effectively when that safety is breached and employees' feelings of security and stability are shaken.