For a long time, Atharv*, an associate at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), was leading two parallel lives. 

At work, he was a reliable employee — the one colleagues turned to when deadlines loomed. But privately, Atharv, who had been battling paranoid schizophrenia for over 18 years, was struggling. 

Through TCS Cares, the company’s emotional and mental well-being programme, Atharv started counselling — quietly, and cautiously, at first. One session became many. Over six years and 450+ sessions later, the space became something he could rely on.

“I had access to TISS iCALL, which provided constant, unconditional counselling for my emotional and mental well-being,” he says. “I have a deep sense of gratitude towards TCS for being supported through a severe mental illness.”

At Tata Elxsi, Sharan*, who grappled with severe anxiety while working remotely, found succour through the company’s Sanjeevani platform. “The mental health sessions offered through the portal and having access to confidential one-on-one support made a huge difference,” he says. “I now encourage my colleagues to use these services whenever they need help as well.” 

 Stories like these underscore how Tata companies are approaching mental well-being — not as a short-term response to crisis, but as a long-term commitment to care. More importantly, they show how employees are responding to these efforts. For many Tata colleagues today, seeking support is no longer an act of fear, but of agency.

Emotional first aid

Companies also train employees to be Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs), which has further strengthened the safety net at Tata companies that also have an international presence.

• At JLR, over 300 permanent employees have been trained as MHFAs since the programme’s launch in early 2024 and have gone on to provide immediate support and guide colleagues to professional services.
• TCP has trained MHFAs across the UK, the US, the Middle East, Kenya, Malawi, Poland, and Australia to ensure access to trained peer support across its sites. 

From intent to infrastructure

The Tata Group’s employee welfare focus is not new. What is new is the recognition that well-being today must extend beyond physical healthcare to include mental health, emotional resilience, and dignity at work. Across Tata companies, the goal has been systemic, proactive well-being, shaped by awareness, driven by leadership intent, and rooted in empathy.

At Tata Steel, for instance, wellness is no longer viewed as a standalone initiative but as a core business priority. “For wellness to have a lasting impact, we have a detailed business plan with strategic initiatives and KPIs,” says Mukesh Agarwal, Chief Wellness Officer, Tata Steel. “The Wellness for Life – Health. Happiness. Hygiene. programme is institutionalised by a Wellness Policy and establishing Apex and Divisional Councils with leadership ownership across geographies and business units.”

The programme, which has reached 15,000 people, has a multi-dimensional approach: physical counsellors at key locations, digital platforms for access at scale, wellness challenges, focused webinars, peer-led interventions, and lifestyle transformation programmes that address both physical and mental health and have resulted in significant wellness transformations. For employees working in mines or remote industrial units, a combination of on-ground champions and digital tools ensures that care is not limited by geography.

At Titan Company, the vision is ‘last mile is the first mile’. “If the retail sales officer at our store in, say Chandigarh, isn’t aware of the well-being infrastructure that is available to him, we have not arrived,” says Priya Mathilakath Pillai, Head – HR (Retail, Corporate and Manufacturing), Titan Company. 

From 3.7% touchpoints in 2023, Titan Company’s Maithri, its well-being platform, has increased engagement to 31% today — well above the ~3.9-5% industry standard. The company created awareness about Maithri through floor walks at all its locations and relied on feedback from employees. “Someone told me that they go to the washroom when they need to cry, so now every washroom across the company has QR codes that employees can scan discreetly to get help from Maithri,” says Ms Pillai. “Similarly, every meeting room in the company has a dangler that encourages employees to download the app if they’ve had a rough meeting or day in general.” 

In safe hands

Maithri’s jump in numbers can also be attributed to how it countered one of the most significant barriers to seeking help for mental well-being: the stigma or fear that asking for help might be seen as weakness or could invite judgement. “Through a powerful initiative, ‘A call to break silence’, senior leaders — even the MD — spoke live to employees in 30-minute sessions, where they shared their own moments of vulnerability and how seeking help got them to where they are today,” says Ms Pillai. “That went a long way in building confidence among employees.” Other Tata companies are also promoting mental well-being through leadership ownership and role modelling, like Tata Steel, where managers refer employees for counselling, or TCS, which instituted an emotional well-being leave that was a significant step towards normalising self-care and mental health support. 

All Tata companies treat confidentiality as a cornerstone and enforce strict protocol around counselling and other assistance provided to employees, ensuring that they feel safe seeking help. TCS Cares has held 1.6 lakh counselling sessions, with 2.3 lakh+ employees participating in mental health webinars, due in large part, to TCS’ emphasis on confidentiality and anonymised data. 

Building a community

A significant tool in TCS Cares’ arsenal has been the Care Peer guide programme, where employees are trained as emotional first-aiders (2,000+ volunteers registered, with 500+ trained and mobilised, and 1,500+ in training) to support associates with their emotional well-being.

Across the group, company-wide peer systems are emerging as useful tools in the quest for well-being. For instance, Tata Consumer Products’ Coffee Connects focus group discussions across cohorts during well-being month celebrations have normalised conversations around emotional wellness and received positive feedback.

At Air India, where mental well-being is critical to operations, Buddy@AI, a peer support system for pilots was introduced. “These peers understand the unique pressures of the cockpit environment,” says Ravindra Kumar GP, Chief Human Resources Officer, Air India. Buddy@AI has now been extended to cabin crew, making it truly inclusive. Other initiatives by Air India like Care Circles and Reflections offer safe, confidential spaces for employees to share stress, grief or fatigue, while the company’s #LetsTalkMentalWellness movement reinforces the message that emotional well-being is a collective responsibility.

This perspective is echoed by Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), where frontline teams are constantly engaging with guests, and emotional labour is part of the job. Community-building remains central to IHCL’s WELLWEing vision, with programmes like Associate Care Circles expanding to cover diverse identities and interests, creating safe spaces for dialogue and peer support. 

The ripple effect

Perhaps WELLWEing’s most meaningful impact has been cultural. Associates who benefit from counselling or wellness activities often become advocates, joining Wellness Crusaders — a network that empowers associates to evangelise wellness at the hotel level and embed it into everyday culture — or by sharing their experiences in town halls. 

Across Tata companies, the most telling indicator of success is how employees have themselves emerged as champions of well-being. At Tata Steel, individuals who have benefited from lifestyle transformation programmes often become wellness evangelists, influencing others  by sharing their stories of improved health and renewed confidence. At Titan Company and Tata Motors, emotional well-being support now extends beyond the workplace, as employees introduce family members to well-being platforms, with the same strict confidentiality and all-encompassing services that employees receive.

Thanks to these initiatives by Tata companies, conversations around emotional well-being are increasingly finding space, vocabulary and support across factories and flights, hotel corridors and corporate campuses. 

*Names have been withheld to protect privacy

Digital, but deeply human

Technology has emerged as a powerful enabler of well-being across Tata companies — but always with the human element firmly at the centre. As Gaurav Pokhariyal, Executive Vice President-Human Resources, IHCL, says, “We envision WELLWEing as a dynamic, tech-enabled, and deeply personalised movement that empowers every associate to thrive, belong, be their best selves and live a truly fulfilling life.”

Digital platforms by TCS (24x7 Cares Mailbox and 24x7 professional counselling) and Tata Elxsi (Sanjeevani) enable employees to access counselling, self-help resources, and well-being tools anytime, anywhere. Similarly, Tata Motors has extended onsite services by trained psychologists, in addition to online support by 1to1help, to technicians and business partner employees at site, so that they also have access to these services. The self-help apps, by Air India (Amaha) and sessions on Titan Company’s Maithri, can also be personalised as per one’s language preferences and needs. 

JLR has introduced 11 Centres for Wellbeing across its sites (six in the UK, the others in Ireland, Slovakia, Hungary, the US, and India). These centres combine physical rehabilitation, mental health support, and lifestyle coaching under one roof, integrating AI-driven insights into their services. These include Wellbeing365 personalised programmes, events and webinars, and Sisu health kiosks. 

By offering multiple entry points, Tata companies ensure that employees can seek help in ways that feel safe to them.