Workplace mental health: 4 reasons to support employee wellbeing

Time to Talk Day is observed each February and is crucial for raising awareness about mental health and encouraging open conversations. The day aims to break the silence and stigma surrounding mental health issues, making it easier for people to share their struggles and seek support.

While awareness days are a great opportunity to shine a light on a range of topics – especially mental health – talking about something just once a year can appear tokenistic, and needs to be part of a year-round conversation. We know that cultivating a culture of openness and understanding can help individuals feel less isolated and more empowered to reach out for help, ultimately contributing to a more empathetic and mentally-healthy society.

Organisations that are serious about a culture of openness and support when it comes to mental health have to ensure they put an in-depth strategy in place. This approach should tackle the root causes of poor mental health, cultivate an environment that enables colleagues to make positive choices when it comes to their mental wellbeing, include a programme that offers opportunities to improve health literacy, and provide leaders with a high level of mental health awareness. As a leader within our business, I fully support our commitment to improve workplace mental health and know that by talking openly about mental health I encourage and give others permission to do the same.

Proactivity is key to achieving sustained improvement in workplace mental wellbeing. But whilst evidence points to proactive measures being the most effective way to improve mental wellbeing in the long term, there’s no denying that people still get ill. In fact, there are more people experiencing mental ill health than ever before in the UK and Ireland. In 2023-24, stress, depression and anxiety accounted for 46% of all work-related ill health and 55% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health.

Proactively providing support when employees need it the most is clearly imperative for the following reasons, and many more:

1. It demonstrates action 

Talking openly about mental health is one thing, but providing immediate support when employees are in distress can help them manage symptoms and reduce the negative impact it can make.

2. It supports retention and productivity 

Feeling supported and cared for goes a long way – employees want to work for an organisation that will look out for them and help them remain productive.

3. Duty of care 

Employers have a duty of care to ensure no harm – this applies to physical and mental health.

4. It saves money 

Providing early intervention for employees suffering with their mental health can reduce the cost associated with long-term absence, turnover and decreased productivity.

In a bid to improve our mental wellbeing provision, we’ve introduced our workforce to an app called Sonder, a digital care platform that acts as a one-stop-shop for physical and mental health needs, and also provides safety support for staff and their immediate family. Staff can connect to a team of qualified nurses, doctors and first responders, who are available 24/7 to provide on-demand support, guidance and advice. We are delighted that our employees have embraced the support on offer, with over 56% having engaged with the app, as well as an increasing proportion of employees’ family members. 86% of employees who used the Sonder service felt better as a result of their engagement with the app and 75% felt Sonder helped their productivity at work. We are thrilled that Sonder has proved to be an outlet that successfully compliments and supplements our approach to mental health.

If you’re a senior leader looking to destigmatise mental health conversations in your organisation, take a look at my previous article How leaders can destigmatise mental health conversations at work | Hays. Alternatively, get in touch with one of our expert consultants to discover how we can support you with your talent management strategy.