Introducing ACT into workplaces – how to do it

A practical guide for practitioners, organisational consultants, HR professionals, and leaders

With 1 in 5 workers (21%) needing to take time off work due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress¹, it’s never been more important for workplaces to equips staff and their teams with practical tools to handle stress and adapt to challenges.

Acceptance and commitment training (ACT) in the workplace is exactly that, a psychological approach designed to enhance employee welfare, resilience, and performance. Unlike traditional approaches that focus on eliminating negative thoughts or emotions, ACT helps individuals accept them as part of the human experience while committing to actions aligned with their personal values. In workplace settings, ACT encourages psychological flexibility, which is the ability to remain open, focused, and engaged. This is crucial for navigating organisational change, managing heavy workloads, and preventing burnout, and the evidence tells us that it is a great way to engage with teams and improve their wellbeing at work.

By integrating ACT into the workplace, we can create a culture of resilience, clarity, and purpose, ultimately driving both individual and team success. However, introducing ACT into an organisation, particularly one unfamiliar with it, can be a challenge. In this article, we’ll suggest some practical strategies to help you engage organisations with ACT, gain buy-in from senior leaders, and effectively adapt ACT principles for corporate settings.

Get clear on why you want to introduce ACT

Before you start designing workshops or pitching ACT to an organisation, take time to clarify your purpose.

Are you hoping to improve employee resilience? Reduce stress and burnout? Support teams through change? Strengthen leadership skills? The clearer you are on what matters most, the easier it will be to shape your message and gain buy-in.

Consider questions like:

• What problem are we trying to solve?
• How will ACT help this particular organisation or team?
• What outcomes will make leaders and staff feel this was worthwhile?

Having a clear “why” will help you choose the right language, examples, and evidence when you first present ACT. It also gives you a solid anchor when senior leaders ask about return on investment.

Persuade senior leaders to invest in ACT-based programmes first

Senior leaders often prioritise measurable outcomes and efficiency, so framing ACT in terms of business benefits is critical.

 

Providing evidence from research (more on this later) and sharing case studies or testimonials from other organisations that have successfully implemented ACT can help. We can also emphasise that ACT doesn’t just address individual well-being – it drives team and organisational performance through building resilience and adaptability.

Lastly, you may need to be prepared to offer a pilot or small-scale programme to demonstrate ACT’s impact before rolling it out more broadly. Leaders often feel more comfortable when they can see results in action.

Use the research

ACT’s effectiveness in workplace settings is supported by a growing body of research. Studies suggest that ACT outperforms many traditional approaches in promoting psychological flexibility, which is strongly linked to well-being and performance.

For example:

• A 2025 systematic review into the effects of workplace ACT programs on psychological flexibility’s subprocesses found strong evidence that workplace ACT interventions helped to improve defusion, helping individuals to “step back” from unhelpful thoughts.
• An ACT in the workplace randomised controlled trial study in 2024 that both Mindfulness training and ACT reduced perceived stress and improved mindfulness and sleep quality. ACT was also useful when helping employees align behaviour with personal values.

When presenting research to organisations, simplify it into key facts and figures. Avoid overwhelming leaders with academic jargon – our resource hub can help you with some examples of research and has summarised key findings.

Don’t overwhelm people with jargon

When introducing ACT to an organisation, simplicity is key. Instead of launching into psychological terminology, focus on the real-world issues that ACT can address, such as improving employee resilience, enhancing focus under pressure, or managing organisational change. Making this relevant to the particular organisation you are working with is especially helpful.

 

You might consider starting with a practical experience, such as a short mindfulness exercise or a metaphor to demonstrate the principles of ACT without overloading on theory. These activities can create curiosity and provide a tangible sense of what ACT offers.

Adapt experiential ACT exercises for corporate settings

Experiential exercises are at the heart of ACT, but in a workplace they can sometimes feel intimidating or irrelevant because people aren’t used to psychological activities at work, time is tight, and some may worry about being put on the spot. To ensure they resonate:

1. Keep it brief and focused: Time is often limited in corporate settings. Adapt exercises to last just 5–10 minutes, focusing on their immediate relevance to workplace challenges.
2. Choose relatable contexts: When introducing defusion, for example, use workplace-related struggles like perfectionism or self-doubt. For values work, frame it as identifying “what kind of leader/colleague you want to be” rather than a broader existential exploration.
3. Normalise awkwardness: People may feel a bit awkward when asked to do something reflective or experiential at work. Naming that upfront helps reduce resistance. You might say, “This might feel a bit different from what you’re used to, give it a go and see how it lands for you.”

Creating a safe environment is essential. Allow participants to opt out if they’re uncomfortable and ensure confidentiality is respected.

Use ACT to support teams during organisational change, workload stress, or burnout

Organisational change, high workloads, and burnout are common challenges in today’s workplaces.

 

For example, an ACT-based workshop could help a team facing change by exploring their “shared values as a team” and practising exercises like the ‘leaves on a stream’ to manage overwhelming thoughts.

Avoiding common pitfalls when bringing ACT into the workplace

Practitioners often encounter challenges when integrating ACT into organisational settings. Here’s how to navigate them:

• Overloading on theory: Avoid diving straight into ACT’s six core processes. Start with practical tools and introduce theory gradually.
• Not tailoring to the audience: Corporate clients are results-driven. Adapt your language and examples to align with their goals and challenges.
• Ignoring organisational culture: Some cultures may be sceptical of psychological approaches. Frame ACT in terms of performance and resilience training rather than therapy.
• Skipping follow-up: A one-off workshop isn’t enough. Embed ACT through ongoing coaching, team exercises, or digital tools to ensure lasting impact.

By anticipating these pitfalls, you can set yourself – and the organisation – up for success.

 

Reference

¹ The burnout report (2025) Mental Health UK, Available at: https://euc7zxtct58.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/16142505/Mental-Health-UK_The-Burnout-Report-2025.pdf