Mental health in the workplace
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines mental health as a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well, work well and contribute to their community. Fluctuations in mental health during our lives is normal, and recovery from mental ill health is more likely when people receive the right help at the right time. According to NHS Digital, mental ill health accounts for over 20 per cent of sickness absence in the NHS.
The British Medical Association (BMA) states 9 out of 10 people who experience mental health problems say they face stigma and discrimination as a result. NHS trusts should have supportive initiatives in place to ensure staff mental wellbeing in the workplace, and to maintain the quality of patient care.
This web page provides guidance on what organisations can do to tackle some of these issues.
Facts and figures
Our infographic provides a range of up-to-date key statistics and facts about mental wellbeing in the workplace. Employers can download the infographic to raise awareness on the importance of positive mental wellbeing at work, or as part of their business case to further the workforce mental wellbeing agenda.
Supporting your staff
It is vital that staff understand the factors that affect mental health, and have regular wellbeing conversations with their managers. Managers must also have the right skills to support their staff and be able to respond compassionately to individual needs. In addition, leaders have an important role in reinforcing positive attitudes, shifting mindsets and influencing organisational culture through modelling positive behaviours. Organisations can help facilitate this by:
- raising awareness
- educating their people
- having the right resources in place to encourage open conversations
- beating the stigma about mental health.
Understand the risk factors to mental health
Both personal circumstances and the workplace environment can contribute to how staff feel.
Although it is often impossible to change external circumstances, workplaces can often help ease pressures through negating workplace risk factors and ensuring supportive practices and procedures. Educating staff about risk factors is the first step to achieving this. According to the WHO, these can include:
- poor communication and management practices
- lack of support for staff
- inflexible working hours
- unclear tasks or organisational objectives
- limited autonomy or decision-making power
- unclear job roles or organisational objectives.
In addition, burnout, loneliness and moral injury are recognised as risk factors that have significantly impacted on the mental health of NHS staff, particularly in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Embed protective factors
Protective factors help negate the risk factors to poor mental health. Below we have outlined what organisations can do to achieve this:
Supporting our NHS people with moral injury
Moral injury can occur when staff feel they have done something they should not have done; did not do something they should have; or were betrayed by others (often a higher authority). This section provides more detail on what this is:
Addressing workplace loneliness
The Mental Health Foundation outlines that there are strong links between loneliness and mental health. Furthermore, research by Young et al (2021) demonstrates that workplace loneliness is harmful to both employees and employers, and can negatively impact on staff engagement. Organisations should actively ensure staff can form healthy long-term relationships with their co-workers. The Campaign to End Loneliness advises on five key factors to address to achieve this:
- Culture and infrastructure - organisational values, embedding loneliness within wellbeing activities. This includes creating a culture that supports healthy social interactions and relationships between all staff, regardless of seniority, background and job role.
- Management - enabling managers to identify those experiencing loneliness. Upskill managers to enable them to have honest wellbeing conversations to understand how employees are feeling both in and outside the workplace. Read the enabling and supporting staff to work from home web page for tips on supporting staff working from home.
- People and networks - implementing networks to support remote working. Ensure there is a healthy mixture of work-related and social activities that are inclusive and accessible to all staff. This could be through encouraging team work on projects, regular social check-ins, and establishing staff networks covering a range of interests. It is also about creating opportunities for staff to connect one-to-one. Mentor/mentee programmes can often help staff establish meaningful relationships with colleagues.
- Work and workplace design - using tools and systems to promote connections.
- Wider role in the community - tackling loneliness beyond the immediate workforce. Personal circumstances are important to consider, and the issue of loneliness should be addressed holistically. Does your organisation provide the flexibility and work-life balance for employers to socialise outside of work?
For further details, read the government's Employers and Loneliness Guidance.
