Supporting Mental Health at Work

Mental health is now recognised as a core business issue — not just a personal one. Employees’ well-being directly affects productivity, engagement, and retention, while poor mental health carries a significant human and financial cost.

The Current Landscape

Mental health problems remain widespread across the UK workforce:

• Around 1 in 5 adults in England (20.2%) had a common mental health condition in 2023/24, rising to 22.6% among working-age adults (16–64) and 25.8% among young adults (16–24). (NHS Digital, 2023/24)
• The average UK employee now takes 9.4 days of absence per year, with mental ill health the leading cause of long-term absence. (CIPD, 2025)
• 45% of staff feel uncomfortable discussing mental health concerns with their manager, highlighting that stigma remains a major barrier. (Burnout Report, 2025)

Key Challenges

Stigma and fear of disclosure

Despite greater awareness, many employees still worry about being judged or facing negative consequences if they speak up about mental health issues.

Burnout and chronic stress

Unmanageable workloads, long hours and blurred work–life boundaries continue to drive exhaustion and disengagement. The CIPD (2025) found that around a quarter of employees say their job negatively affects their mental health, most often due to high workloads and poor workplace relationships.

Presenteeism

Many employees continue working while unwell, which can prolong recovery and reduce productivity.

Lack of training

Managers often lack the skills and confidence to recognise signs of distress or to start supportive conversations with their teams.

Building a Healthier Workplace

Promote a supportive culture

• Encourage open, stigma-free conversations about mental health.
• Leaders should model openness, sharing experiences where appropriate.
• Embed wellbeing within company values and everyday behaviours.

Train managers and staff

• Provide regular mental health awareness and stress management training.
• Equip managers to spot early warning signs and have constructive, compassionate conversations.
• Create wellbeing champions or peer support networks to normalise help-seeking.

Mental Health Policies

Having a clear mental health policy helps formalise an organisation’s commitment to wellbeing. Effective policies:

• Outline support available, including counselling, EAPs, digital tools, or occupational health services.
• Clarify roles and responsibilities for managers, HR, and staff.
• Provide procedures for requesting adjustments, reporting concerns, or accessing confidential support.
• Promote a culture of openness, reducing stigma and encouraging discussion.
• They are reviewed regularly to remain relevant and aligned with legal requirements.

Improve access to resources

• Provide support options such as Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), counselling or digital wellbeing tools.
• Communicate clearly about how employees can access the services your organisation offers.
• Review benefits to ensure they meet the diverse needs of staff.

Manage workloads and job design

• Regularly review expectations, deadlines and team capacity to ensure workloads are realistic.
• Where possible, support flexible or hybrid working to help employees achieve better work-life balance. For roles that require on-site presence, focus on predictable schedules, adequate breaks, and shift rotation to reduce stress.
• Encourage downtime and discourage “always on” working habits.

Make reasonable adjustments

Mental health problems can be considered a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if:

• It has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities
• It lasts for at least a year or is expected to

Where this applies, employers must make reasonable adjustments.  This often involves:

• Discussing needs with the employee
• Seeking medical advice or occupational health input to identify suitable changes
• Implementing measures such as flexible hours, phased returns, workload adjustments, or equipment changes

Contact our employment law solicitors today

Please contact a member of our Employment Law team if you have any questions or need assistance with supporting mental health at work, preparing mental health policies, or implementing workplace wellbeing initiatives. You can use our online enquiry form or call 0330 191 5713.