Mindsafe Coaching Launches New Workplace Mental Health and Conversation Skills Training for the Pest Control Sector
Mindsafe Coaching, founded by Mark Coltman, is officially launching on Monday 8th June 2026 with a practical workplace coaching and training programme designed to help businesses create healthier, more psychologically safe workplace cultures.
With more than 30 years of experience within the pest control industry, combined with specialist training in mental health in the workplace, Mark has developed the programme around the real world pressures faced by operational teams, technicians, supervisors, and business leaders across the sector.
Developed with industries such as pest control in mind, the programme focuses on improving communication, recognising behavioural changes, supporting staff earlier, and helping managers and teams handle difficult conversations with greater confidence.
The training has been created around real workplace pressures including lone working, stress, customer conflict, retention challenges, burnout, and presenteeism.
The launch comes at a time when mental health concerns within the pest control sector are becoming increasingly visible. Recent BASF industry research found that 87 percent of pest controllers reported suffering from work related stress or anxiety, while two thirds said they had experienced loneliness or isolation at work. One third of those surveyed rated their mental health as poor.
Further BASF research released in 2026 found that nearly half of pest control professionals felt their career had negatively impacted their mental health, with long working hours, financial pressures, difficult customers, and time spent working alone highlighted as key contributing factors.
“Over the years I’ve seen genuinely good people leave businesses because support arrived too late, or because managers simply didn’t know how to approach difficult conversations,” said Mark.
“Equally concerning is presenteeism. People turn up for work physically present but operating at 40 or 50 percent because they’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or struggling silently. That impacts safety, morale, productivity, retention, and ultimately business performance.
“Mindsafe Coaching is not just for management teams. It is designed for entire workplaces. The aim is to help create environments where people feel able to speak earlier, support each other better, and understand how to respond before situations escalate.
” Unlike one off awareness sessions, Mindsafe Coaching focuses on ongoing development, practical communication skills, leadership reflection, active listening, behavioural awareness, and psychologically safer workplace culture.
Central to the programme is “The Mindsafe Principle”, focusing on behaviour and impact rather than assumption or judgement. The company believes this approach is particularly important within practical industries where employees may traditionally feel pressure to “just get on with it” rather than ask for support.
