This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 is community - and the workplace plays a vital role in shaping how included, respected, and supported we feel.
Embracing body positivity helps create a workplace where everyone feels safe, valued, and free to bring their whole, authentic selves to work.
And yet, this is something not enough people or companies talk about.
We see conversations about body image all the time in the media - from unrealistic beauty standards to online body shaming - but in the world of work, it’s often left out of the inclusion and wellbeing conversation.
Just like breaking the stigma around mental health, creating space to talk about body image at work plays a vital part in how people feel and whether they feel like they truly belong.
Our confidence, productivity, and overall wellbeing are influenced not just by what we do, but by how we feel in our bodies and how others treat us because of them. A truly inclusive workplace nurtures respect and acceptance for all body types, sizes, abilities, and appearances.
Body Image and Mental Health at Work
Body image concerns are common across all genders, ages, and backgrounds and they don’t stop when we log on or step into the office. In fact, workplace environments can reinforce subtle (and not-so-subtle) messages about what “success” or “professionalism” looks like.
Negative body image can:
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Lower self-esteem and confidence
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Increase the risk of anxiety, depression, and stress
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Lead to workplace isolation or withdrawal
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Impact performance, creativity, and engagement
Supporting positive body image at work is directly tied to promoting better mental health, psychological safety, and long-term employee wellbeing.
What Does a Body Positive Workplace Look Like?
A body positive workplace is one where employees are respected for who they are - not how they look. It embraces physical diversity, supports mental health, and ensures everyone can show up without fear of judgement. Here's how to build it:
✅ 1. Review Dress Codes for Comfort & Accessibility
Inclusive policies mean inclusive dress codes. Ensure guidelines consider all body types, neurodiverse needs, gender expressions, and disabilities. Comfort, confidence, and cultural sensitivity should guide your approach.
✅ 2. Train Against Appearance-Based Bias
Appearance-based bias is a real issue. Equip hiring managers, HR teams, and leaders with inclusive training to spot and interrupt bias - whether in recruitment, feedback, or casual interactions.
✅ 3. Promote Wellness Without Pressure
Avoid framing health and wellbeing around one ideal. Offer diverse options for physical and mental health support, without moralising food choices, exercise habits, or bodies. Support, don’t prescribe.
✅ 4. Build a Community of Belonging
Foster psychological safety. Use inclusive language, challenge harmful “banter,” and celebrate people as they are - not as stereotypes tell us they should be.
Protecting Body Positivity: What Not to Say at Work
Language matters. Everyday comments can either support or erode a culture of inclusion. If we want to build positive body image in the workplace, here are a few things to avoid:
❌ “Are you really going to eat all of that?”
Commenting on someone’s food choices is unnecessary and can make them feel judged.
✅ Better: Let people eat what makes them feel good. No one needs commentary on their lunch.
❌ “You’d look so much better if you wore [x]”
Unsolicited style advice is often about the speaker’s bias, not the wearer’s comfort.
✅ Better: Compliment confidence or creativity - not conformity.
❌ “That’s not a healthy lifestyle.”
Making assumptions about someone’s health based on their appearance is not helpful or accurate.
✅ Better: Support wellbeing initiatives that are inclusive and non-judgemental.
❌ “You’re brave for wearing that.”
This may seem kind, but it can come across as a backhanded compliment.
✅ Better: Try, “You look great,” or "I love your outfit!".
Why It Matters
A culture that supports body positivity and workplace wellbeing delivers measurable results:
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Higher employee engagement and morale
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Stronger mental health and psychological safety
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Reduced absenteeism and presenteeism
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Greater innovation, trust, and diversity of thought
Inclusivity isn’t just the right thing to do - it’s a strategic advantage.
Community Means Everyone
Creating a culture of body acceptance and mental wellness is a long-term commitment – but one that pays off in connection, compassion, and community. During Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, let’s commit to celebrating people as they are, not as the world tells them to be.
You don’t need to change your body to belong at work. You already do. ❤️
Explore our full Inclusion & Diversity approach at Outsource UK to see how we’re helping our clients create a workplace where everyone feels welcome, seen, and supported.
