As stress, depression and anxiety continue to take a significant toll on UK working life, Looking After Me is championing a more proactive, personal approach to workplace wellbeing – one built on regular human connection, not just support when things go wrong.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that 22.1 million working days were lost in Great Britain in 2024/25 due to work-related stress, depression and anxiety. Against this backdrop, co-founders Ruth Tuthill and Claire Cooper are developing and scaling a new approach to workplace wellbeing, helping businesses support their people before problems become overwhelming.
Looking After Me gives employees the opportunity to have a monthly, confidential 15-minute check-in with a dedicated wellbeing professional. These conversations provide space to talk, reflect on how they are feeling and identify small, realistic steps that may support their overall wellbeing.
Built around four wellbeing pillars – rest, movement, exercise and connection – the approach offers a different way to think about wellbeing, encouraging people to make time for themselves amid the pressures of everyday life. This might be as simple as getting some fresh air at lunchtime or returning to a neglected hobby, or it may involve recognising a more serious concern and arranging further support or more frequent support.
Ruth Tuthill explains: “What makes Looking After Me different is that human connection at the heart of what we do. Our regular check-ins achieve engagement rates of 70–75%, because people value having someone who genuinely takes the time to ask how they are and listen to the answer. We believe that meaningful human relationships help people stay engaged and make looking after themselves part of everyday life.”
With backgrounds in education and HR, Ruth and Claire bring extensive experience of working in busy, demanding environments. Having met as students at Oxford Brookes University more than 20 years ago, their longstanding friendship has developed into a business partnership with a shared ambition: to put health and wellbeing at the heart of working life.
The regularity of the conversations helps build familiarity and trust over time, giving employees a confidential space outside their usual workplace reporting relationships to talk openly. Employers can also receive anonymised, aggregated insights into wider workforce wellbeing trends, helping them shape relevant initiatives, from webinars to wellbeing days, around the needs of their employees.
Following Ruth’s move from Somerset to Oxfordshire, Ruth is now based at Grassroots Innovation Centre, where she is building local connections and helping prepare Looking After Me for its next stage of growth.
“Moving to a new city, it’s fantastic to be surrounded by other entrepreneurial founders at Grassroots,” says Ruth. “We’re all on the same journey of growing and scaling our businesses. That energy and sense of connection are part of how I look after myself in the workplace too.”
Looking After Me works with organisations ranging from 10 to 1,000 employees, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized businesses. Its clients span sectors including professional services, biotechnology, fintech and engineering, with organisations across the South East, London, Birmingham and Ireland. Some clients also have employees based in Australia and the United States.
Its message to employers is clear: prevention is key. Wellbeing is not simply about having support available when something goes wrong. It is about making wellbeing personal, consistent and human – creating the space and relationships that help people look after themselves along the way.
To find out more visit their website
