The world of work is changing rapidly. Remote and hybrid working environments are now commonplace and many employees are fighting against symptoms of burnout and exhaustion while trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance. 

Whether juggling life as a working parent, caring for ageing relatives, or dealing with high pressures at work, today’s employees are trying to manage it all and employee mental health is taking a significant downturn. 

According to The Mental Health Foundation, 1 in 6.8 employees suffer from mental health struggles at work and 12.7% of all sickness-related absences are attributed to mental health conditions. 

It’s time employers recognised the significance of the problem and took proactive steps to support their employees better. 

In this article, we will be discussing employee wellbeing and how and when to connect employees with external support.

Common Mental Health Struggles at Work

We all struggle with mental health. However, the amount we struggle and the impact this has varies from person to person. There are so many mental health issues we could discuss. However, we’re going to focus on the three most common mental health struggles faced by employees in the workplace.

• Burnout: Burnout in the workplace is extremely common, especially if employees are under significant stress and pressure. Burnout is a mental state of exhaustion. People suffering from burnout struggle to engage, feel unmotivated, and find it hard to concentrate. Over time, burnout causes an increasing sense of hopelessness that can lead to worsening mental health conditions.

• Anxiety: many employees struggle with anxiety that causes the working day to be extremely difficult and stressful. According to Olivia Marcellino, VP of Research at Recovery.com, “While it’s safe to assume everyone experiences some form of anxiety in their life, we all experience it differently, and in some instances, it’s something that never goes away and must be treated professionally.”

• Depression: Depression is one of the most common mental health issues in the UK and is a low mood disorder where people feel persistently sad. It affects everyone differently. For some people, they may feel low throughout the day making it difficult to be productive. While others may feel suicidal regularly.Like all mental health conditions, depression must be taken extremely seriously and assumptions should never be made that someone is okay.

Risks to Mental Health Problems at Work

Mental health issues in the workplace are increasingly common and impact employee engagement, productivity, wellbeing, and physical health (to name a few). Risks in the workplace that may increase the likelihood of mental health struggles include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Excessive workload
• Unrealistic expectations from management
• Lack of clarity around job role and responsibilities
• Long, inflexible, and unsociable working hours
• Lack of flexibility from management regarding remote/hybrid working
• Job insecurity
• Low pay
• Poor career development
• Bullying, harassment, and discrimination
• Poor or unsafe working conditions
• Lack of support

According to The World Health Organisation (WHO), “Work can be a setting which amplifies issues that negatively affect mental health […] Protecting and promoting mental health at work is about strengthening capacities to recognise and act on mental health conditions at work, particularly for persons responsible for the supervision of others, such as managers.”

How to Support Mental Health at Work

It is an employer’s responsibility to ensure the mental health of their employees is properly taken care of. We all have mental health and taking care of it is just as important as taking care of our physical health.

Smart employers know that prioritising the mental health and wellbeing of their employees doesn’t just benefit people but also benefits the company’s bottom line as it results in less sick days, more motivated workers, and a happier culture. In fact, companies that put their employees’ wellbeing first often outperform other companies.

So, if you’re looking for ways to support mental health at work here are a few suggestions.

Make Reasonable Accommodations

Everyone has different needs in the workplace. Some people have health conditions that require physical adjustments to be made to working environments. While others have mental health conditions that require quieter working areas, less interruptions, or dim lighting (as a few examples).

As an employer, it is important to make reasonable accommodations to support the needs and preferences of your employees. This may include allowing for more flexible working hours, modifying workloads to help reduce stress, allowing time off for appointments, or providing extra support in the form of meetings and one-to-one supervision. 

Making reasonable adjustments is an important part of mental health management in the workplace and goes a long way towards helping employees feel cared for and listened to.

Carry Out Regular Reviews

Regular reviews or ‘staff check-ins’ are a great way to stay connected with your employees and up-to-date with how they’re doing. Employees’ needs change over time and adjustments you’ve made in the past may no longer be suitable. So, regular check-ins are important.

Employee reviews are a great way to recognise the hard work of your team, address their concerns, and review their salary expectations. Take the time to meet with your employees to let them know they’re heard and that support is available if they need it.

Allow Time Off for Personal Obligations

Your employees don’t just have a work life, they also have a personal life and this fact can be easy to forget. It’s important to remember that personal circumstances can change very quickly. Whether childcare arrangements have fallen through, a family member has become unwell, or there is a personal emergency, you should allow for time off for personal obligations.

Flexible working arrangements are a great solution. Whether employees need extra time in the morning to drop their kids at school or they need an earlier finishing time to pick up their elderly relative from the doctors, flexible working provides that freedom. It also protects employees from burnout by taking pressure off strict 9-5 work schedules. 

When to Seek External Support

Sometimes the mental health struggles of your employees need more help than you can give. It may be that you’ve tried making reasonable adjustments, allowing for personal commitments, permitting flexible working, and carried out regular check-ins but your staff member is still struggling with their mental health. 

At this point, it is important to see external support. A few other signs your employee needs extra support include:

• Increasing absences
• Significantly reduced productivity and motivation at work
• A consistently low mood
• Loss of interest in social activities
• Unexplained crying or angry outbursts

How to Connect Employees with External Support

When you notice an employee struggling, it can be hard to know what to do. You might feel like you’ve tried everything. However, there are services available to help. Here are a few places you can turn to for support:

• Employee Assistance Programmes: sometimes, employees need more support than you can give them and this is where employee assistance programmes are helpful. EAP’s are employer-paid schemes that provide employees 24-hour access to confidential mental health support.According to Health Assured, “EAP are intended to help employees deal with personal problems that might adversely impact their work performance, health and wellbeing. EAP generally include assessment, short-term counselling and referral services for employees and their immediate family – wherever they are in the world.”Employee assistance programmes can be found online. Companies such as Bupa and Health Assured provide these services.
• HeadSpace: Mindfulness, meditation and relaxation are important skills to learn for reducing stress and supporting better health and wellness. Apps like Headspace provide an external service for employees needing extra support.According to Headspace, “Even on the best days, stress can prevent us from being fully focused on doing our best work. Too much of it can lead to burnout, disengagement, more sick days, and strained relationships in the workplace.”Providing a subscription to apps like Headspace can support your employees’ wellbeing by addressing their mental health needs and providing the support they need.

In Summary

Mental health in the workplace is a complicated topic and it can be difficult for employers to know how best to support their employees.

We hope the tips shared in this article help get your organisation on the right track. There’s nothing better to invest in than the mental health and wellbeing of your people!