Hitachi Rail’s celebration of Railway 200 marks more than just two centuries of engineering excellence, it shines a spotlight on the people who power the rail industry. As part of this milestone, the company is championing a workplace culture where mental health and inclusion are front and centre.
With a growing network of MHFAiders®, innovative wellbeing campaigns, and senior leadership buy-in, Hitachi Rail is embedding a whole-organisation approach to mental health that reflects its values and its future.
Embedding a culture of care: The BeWell framework
In January 2023, Hitachi Rail launched its wellbeing framework, BeWell, which sits at the core of its UK-wide approach. Designed to support employee wellbeing across five pillars:
- Mentally well
- Physically well
- Financially well
- Feeling valued and included
- Able to learn and grow
The framework ensures wellbeing is not a one-off initiative, but a year-round, strategic priority.
Louise Williams, DEI and Engagement Lead at Hitachi Rail UK, leads this work. Having started her wellbeing journey informally nine years ago, Louise has grown what began at the Newton Aycliffe Hitachi Rail factory, into a robust UK-wide programme that now includes:
- 92 trained MHFAiders (4.3% of staff)
- 22 Menopause Champions
- A growing network of Men’s Health Ambassadors
- Localised BeWell Leads across nearly every UK site
These local leads co-deliver national campaigns and adapt them for their sites, ensuring relevance, inclusivity, and impact. Everything aligns to the theme of psychological safety for 2025, and activity is shaped by employee feedback and insight.
“We held a national planning day where we looked at our people survey results,” says Louise. “Our campaign plan for the year – including Mental Health Awareness Week and Time to Talk – is shaped directly by what our employees told us.”
Supporting MHFAiders beyond training
Louise and her team know that training MHFAiders is just the beginning. That’s why Hitachi Rail has embedded wraparound support to help sustain their role and motivation:
- MHFAiders wear recognisable green t-shirts and branded lanyards, creating visible support
- Posters and internal campaigns raise awareness of who they are and how to contact them
- A confidential 1:1 support service is in place for MHFAiders, Menopause Champions, and Ambassadors who may need debriefs after difficult conversations
Alongside the support from the organisation itself, MHFAiders are also invited to join the Association of Mental Health First Aiders, England’s first and only membership body of its kind. Membership offers access to ongoing learning, resources, and connection with a wider community, including webinars, research, and the MHFAider Support App, which provides 24/7 digital support.
MHFAiders are also encouraged to refresh their training every three years, which ensures they can fulfil their role with confidence, skill and care. Refreshing helps reinforce key skills, reflects the latest evidence, and reminds MHFAiders of the importance of setting healthy boundaries when supporting others.
Louise acknowledges the ongoing challenge of keeping people engaged and refreshed, particularly alongside their other commitments. “Some MHFAiders want to refresh whilst others don’t, and that is ok,” she notes. “We want people to be engaged and committed to the role. We now ask people to commit to a charter at recruitment stage to make expectations clear.”
Louise has considered non-financial rewards too, from branded hoodies to thank-you events, as simple ways to show appreciation for the added responsibilities MHFAiders take on.
To deliver Mental Health First Aid training, Hitachi Rail works with MHFA England Instructor Members through Resilient People. These accredited trainers bring expert guidance and lived experience into the room, ensuring training is consistently high-quality, inclusive, and impactful.
“We’ve been a Mental Health First Aid training partner to Hitachi Rail for six years now, so have seen first-hand how important staff wellbeing is and how it’s embedded right throughout the organisation,” says Barrie Penrose, Company Director at Resilient People. “Having a framework of training and support that sits across an organisational structure – and one that is championed by senior leaders – has no doubt helped create a supportive culture and a mentally healthy workplace.
“This approach, where mental health and staff wellbeing is a first thought rather than an after-thought, where training and support is part of everyday life, not just an annual initiative, should be the corporate blueprint – Hitachi Rail’s framework is a great model for other businesses to follow.”
Railway 200: Celebrating people’s stories
Railway 200 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to celebrate the past, present, and future of Britain’s rail industry. For Louise, it’s about more than technical milestones.
“Railway 200 is about STEM – science, technology, engineering and maths – and innovation,” Louise explains. “I also wanted to highlight the responsibility rail has to its people and customers around wellbeing and diverse perspectives.”
As part of the campaign, Hitachi Rail is sharing real stories from employees, showcasing the impact of their mental health and employee network initiatives. These stories will continue into next year using MHFA England’s My Whole Self resources as a key touch point in the celebration.
“We’ll use the My Whole Self campaign to bring together all the stories and campaigns we’ve delivered over the year, from mental health to menopause and beyond,” she adds.
Senior leadership buy-in
A key enabler of Hitachi Rail’s success has been its leadership. Chief Director UK & Ireland at Hitachi Rail, Jim Brewin is hugely supportive of the BeWell initiatives and encouraging open conversations around mental health and wellbeing. Louise’s full-time role, having started out as an HR Advisor, is another reflection of that organisational commitment.
A whole organisation approach in action
Beyond mental health-specific roles, Hitachi Rail has created a broader environment that supports employee wellbeing through:
- Flexible and inclusive working policies
- A hybrid working model, where applicable
- Enhanced family-friendly leave provisions
- Regular employee events and engagement opportunities
- Menopause and mental health awareness campaigns
Hitachi Rail’s efforts align with MHFA England’s belief that mentally healthy workplaces are high-performing, productive, and inclusive, and that meaningful, proactive action benefits everyone.
Driving change on and off the tracks
Hitachi Rail’s commitment to wellbeing is not a bolt-on. It’s a strategic imperative, built on insight, inclusion, and real-world impact. With a growing network of MHFAiders and champions, a powerful internal wellbeing framework, and Railway 200 shining a light on the stories that matter, they are showing what’s possible when organisations invest in people as much as progress.
