Mental training at work: how it works

Mental training at work is structured, instructor-led training of mental abilities such as focus, recovery and emotion regulation, often done together in teams during working hours. The purpose is to prevent stress-related ill health while strengthening wellbeing and performance across the whole organisation.

More and more employers see mental training as part of systematic work environment management rather than as a perk. Here we go through why, how it works in practice, what effect it has and what the law now requires.

By Mindworkout · Reading time approx. 7 minutes

Why mental training belongs at work

Mental health problems are today the most common cause of long-term sick leave in Sweden. Almost half of all ongoing long sickness cases involve a psychiatric diagnosis, and in most of the stress-related cases work is a contributing cause. Sickness absence costs society over SEK 100 billion a year (Försäkringskassan and Skandia, 2025).

Modern working life offers a great deal of freedom, but it also places more responsibility on the individual to steer their own focus, energy and recovery. When that ability is not trained, stress builds up, and in the end it shows in both sickness figures and results. Mental training turns the logic around and builds the ability before the problems arise.

How does mental training at work happen?

For an organisation it usually starts with giving one team the chance to try. A lecture sparks interest and gives a first experience, and from there many move on to a structured training programme where the team trains regularly and the effect is followed up over time.

The training is led by specialists and done in short sessions, preferably together in a group. Participants practise concrete abilities:

• Focus and attention, to be able to direct and hold concentration.
• Stress management and recovery, to be able to wind down and recharge.
• Emotion regulation, to meet pressure without being governed by it.
• Sleep and energy, as the basis for everything else.

The point of training during working hours and together is that the abilities are built in as a habit in the working week. Once the programme is completed, employees can carry on training on their own in a mental gym, in live sessions and recorded ones.

What effect does it have?

The effect can be measured, and among Mindworkout's clients it shows clearly in the follow-ups. At AstraZeneca wellbeing increased by 37 per cent after a thirty minute session. In Trollhättans stad participants improved their stress management by 47 per cent and their mental health by 28 per cent. At Loipart the share of employees at risk of unhealthy stress was more than halved, from 14 to 5 per cent, measured by an external party.

Behind the figures there is a simple driver for the employer. A manager in Trollhättans stad summed it up like this: "Our staff feeling well is a gain both for them and for us as an employer." You can read more about the work with Trollhättans stad, AstraZeneca and Loipart.

What does the research say?

Mental training rests on research into how attention, stress and recovery work. A well-known example is a study of just over 2,000 people which showed that the mind wanders for almost half of our waking hours, and that a wandering mind is linked to lower wellbeing (Killingsworth and Gilbert, Science, 2010). Training the ability to notice and steer your attention is therefore one of the cornerstones.

For working life the most relevant effects are those concerning focus, stress management and working memory. These are also what Mindworkout's sessions and programmes are built around, with methods chosen to work in an ordinary working week.

Employer responsibility and OSA

Since 1 January 2025, the Swedish Work Environment Authority's regulations AFS 2023:2 on the organisational and social work environment (OSA) apply. Among other things they mean that employers must actively prevent unhealthy workload and stress. Mental training is a concrete way of working preventively with exactly that, and it therefore becomes part of systematic work environment management rather than an isolated initiative.

How you get started

If you want to start with mental training at work, a lecture is a good way in, and from there we build on with a programme that suits your situation. Read more about why it pays off on the page for employers, about how a training programme is structured, or get in touch for a short introductory call.

Common questions about mental training at work