A guide to workplace mental health: how to support your employees’ wellbeing

Mental health is a leading cause of absenteeism in the workplace, causing millions of workdays to be lost each year. Mental Health UK’s 2025 Burnout Report revealed that nine in 10 (91%) employees have experienced high pressure or stress over the last year, with one in three (34%) feeling this way ‘always’ or ‘often’. As a result, around one in five (21%) needed time off work due to poor mental health.

With so many people affected by work-related stress, employers need to find ways to make sure their team feels safe and supported. This guide is here to help you every step of the way — from establishing a mental health policy that protects your workforce to making reasonable adjustments that mean everyone’s comfortable in the office.

Contents

1. Why is mental health in the workplace an employer’s concern?
2. Your obligations for employee mental health
3. Recognising the signs of mental health issues
4. How to improve mental health in the workplace
5. Workplace adjustments
6. Building supportive policies
7. Implementing your official stance on mental health
8. How Citation can help with Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP)

Why is mental health in the workplace an employer’s concern?

Beyond simple empathy, there are some very good reasons for employers to be concerned about their workforce’s mental wellbeing. When employees feel supported, they’re more engaged, motivated, and less likely to experience burnout, while poor mental health can result in lower output.

Happy employees are around 13% more productive, while every 1% improvement in employee happiness increases revenue by 2%, so there are plenty of financial motives to keep your workforce in good spirits. Research also shows that 52% of employees feel more productive when their organisation offers mental health resources, like access to counselling or wellness programmes.

On the other hand, mental health struggles create extra costs via increased absenteeism, presenteeism (being physically at work but not fully taking part), and high staff turnover. Globally, around 12 billion working days are lost every year due to employees experiencing depression and anxiety, and in the UK specifically, employees suffering from stress, depression, or anxiety are taking on average 21.2 days off work per year. So, it’s worth tackling early on to avoid your remaining workers becoming overworked.

Your obligations for employee mental health

The Equality Act 2010 covers mental health in the workplace, and understanding and complying with this legislation has become increasingly important.

Under the Act, poor mental health can be classed as a disability, even if the affected person doesn’t always have symptoms. This means you may have a duty to make adjustments to support your staff and make sure they’re not facing extra challenges because of their condition.

The key obligations include:

• Reasonable adjustments — If an employee’s mental health condition qualifies as a disability, the employer should make reasonable adjustments to the work environment.
• Non-discrimination — Protecting your employees from direct and indirect discrimination based on mental health.
• Duty of care — General obligation to provide a safe working environment for all employees.

Employers in the UK are also required to carry out stress risk assessments. These identify which areas of the working environment might cause more stress for your workers, allowing you to develop ways to reduce this. Remember to get your employees’ input when conducting an assessment, as they’ll have first-hand experience of where the most stress comes from in your organisation.

Recognising the signs of mental health issues

Identifying signs of possible mental health issues early on can make a big difference. While this can look different for everyone, here are some of the most common symptoms to look out for:

• Behaviour or mood changes
• Productivity or performance drops
• Absenteeism or lateness
• Social withdrawal from colleagues
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Physical symptoms like fatigue or headaches
• Inrritability or emotional outbursts

While these are all signs your employee might be struggling, you’ll still need to do more to find out how people are really doing. You can do this through regular one-to-ones and fostering an ‘open door’ policy (more on this below).

How to improve mental health in the workplace

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for every employee, but there are some effective ways you can boost your workforce’s mental health:

Listen and understand

First and foremost, take the time to listen to your employees and understand the seriousness of their condition, as this will help you identify adjustments for them.

When making reasonable adjustments, a good starting point would be to ask the employee what they think will help them — after all, they know themselves best. If you can’t get any direction from the employee, you could test a few adjustments that you think might be beneficial, and review them after the test period to see if they’re helping.

Provide support and supervision

While you should be keeping an eye on your employees to make sure that their condition doesn’t get worse, it’s important not to go too far and start micro-managing, as this may make your workers feel like they’re being scrutinised.

Instead, you could kickstart weekly catch-ups, during which you:

• Discuss the employee’s workload
• Ask how they’re doing
• Assess how current adjustments are working
• See whether any new adjustments need to be implemented

Uphold ‘open door’ policies

An ‘open door’ policy means that employees can come to you or any other member of management about any issues they have at any time. For this to work, you’ll need to give employees opportunities to discuss any concerns and try to keep someone available for ad-hoc issues that arise. 

Although unintentional, turning an employee away because you’re busy could add to their problems if they’re already struggling. And, while this sounds obvious, you’ll also need to make sure your employees feel comfortable approaching you; the last thing you want is employees bottling things up out of the fear of being criticised or judged.

Improve mental health awareness

Creating an environment where your staff feel educated and comfortable speaking openly about mental health is vital. By reducing the stigma tied to these issues, you’ll empower your employees to get the help they need without worrying about what others might think.

Mental Health Awareness Week, which happens every May, provides a great opportunity to focus on mental health within your workplace. Use this week to share resources, encourage open conversations, and spread understanding about different mental health conditions and their symptoms. Activities during this week could include workshops, guest speakers, or simply providing information about your company’s support services.

Workplace adjustments 

There are several ways you can adjust the way your business works to help those with mental health issues. These modifications can make a significant difference in supporting employees and helping them maintain their productivity and wellbeing.

Flexible working arrangements

If your business model allows, you could let employees who have been vocal about their mental health struggles switch to flexible working. This can take the form of hybrid work (working from home for part of the week) or having adjustable working hours, e.g. shorter days, starting late, etc.

Flexible working can help with:

• Reducing commute stress
• Managing medical appointments
• Balancing work with treatment schedules
• Accommodating drops in energy levels throughout the day

Adjustable deadlines

Some employees may be suffering from low mental health or have a condition that means they struggle with maintaining focus, which can make strict deadlines feel daunting. If possible, offering them additional support and flexible deadlines can relieve some pressure. For things like sickness absence and last-minute appointments, you could also offer some leniency so that employees aren’t worrying about their attendance and appointment schedules.

Reallocating tasks

Sometimes, tasks that fall under an employee’s responsibility are no longer compatible with their mental wellbeing. Let’s use someone who suffers from anxiety as an example; part of their role is to give group presentations once a week. In the past, they were fine with this; however, now, the thought of standing up in front of a group fills them with dread. If you can temporarily reallocate this part of their position to another employee, this can give them time to rebuild their confidence.

If you choose to do this, it’s important to make it clear that the change isn’t permanent or a negative action. You could even consider giving them additional responsibility – that they’re comfortable with – as a replacement.

Workspace setups

Sometimes, something as simple as a workspace that’s open to more natural light or has less background noise can help put employees at ease. For example, a space with plenty of windows or synthetic daylight can particularly benefit those with seasonal depression. Additionally, providing a quiet area for employees with anxiety or neurodivergence to retreat to when they feel overwhelmed can encourage office attendance while keeping everyone comfortable.

Building supportive policies

The key to supporting your employees with their mental health is establishing a clear policy that provides structure and consistency, so everyone knows what’s expected of them and what help they’re entitled to.

Develop a clear mental health policy

Create a clear workplace mental health policy that outlines:

• Available support resources
• How to access help
• Confidentiality procedures
• Return-to-work processes
• Manager responsibilities
• Reasonable adjustment procedures

Make sure all employees are aware of this policy and know how to access support.

Implement an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

According to The UK Voice of Employee Assistance, during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, 347,000 more employees turned to support from Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) compared to previous years. The use of these programmes has grown, with a recent study finding that 70% of respondents accessed an EAP due to workplace stress.

EAPs are vital in supporting mental health at work. They offer confidential counselling services, resources, and support for employees with personal or professional challenges. By providing access to EAPs, employers show they’re committed to looking after their team’s wellbeing.

Introduce mental health days

Introducing mental health days – wherein an employee can take either a full or half day off work — helps to support good work-life balance and takes the pressure off needing to worry about using sick days when employees are unable to work due to their mental health. These initiatives signal to employees that their health is valued and supported.

Provide mental health workplace training

Mental health first aid in the workplace is an invaluable investment for your business. Training a few employees to act as ‘mental health first-aiders’ helps build a better understanding of the most common mental health conditions and also lets your employees know how to recognise warning signs in themselves and colleagues and respond appropriately when needed.

It’s also a good idea to implement awareness training for managers to help them spot the signs and have sensitive, productive conversations with employees about their mental health. This training should cover how to approach difficult conversations, when to refer employees to professional support, and how to maintain confidentiality.

Implementing your official stance on mental health

Creating a policy is half the battle, but you’ll also need to implement it correctly to protect all employees. Successful implementation requires planning, communication, and ongoing commitment from leadership.

Conduct an initial needs assessment

Start by carefully planning to understand your team’s specific needs. Employers should complete a needs assessment to pinpoint their team’s specific mental health challenges. This could involve anonymous surveys, focus groups, or one-to-one conversations with employees.

Consider factors such as:

• Current stress levels in different departments
• Existing support mechanisms
• Barriers to accessing help
• Specific workplace stressors
• Employee preferences for support types

Once you have this information, you can create tailored programmes that address the issues.

Monitor and evaluate employee needs regularly

Regular check-ins and feedback are key to seeing how these mental health programmes are performing. By keeping an eye on their effectiveness, you can adjust and improve them as you need. This ongoing process means mental health initiatives stay relevant and genuinely helpful for everyone involved.

Establish regular review cycles to assess:

• Usage of mental health resources
• Employee satisfaction with support
• Absence rates related to mental health
• Workplace stress levels
• Return-to-work success rates

Adapt policies as needed

Regularly review and tweak your mental health initiatives based on workplace changes and employee feedback, and make sure you’re staying up to date on industry best practices.

Be prepared to adjust your approach based on:

• Employee feedback and suggestions
• Changes to business operations
• New research and best practices
• Legal or regulatory updates

How Citation can help with Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP)

Boost your employees’ mental resilience and productivity with Citation’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), offered in partnership with Bupa. Our programme provides 24/7 access to confidential support, addressing problems ranging from emotional wellbeing and workplace stress to practical advice on personal issues. 

With our EAP, you’ll get:

• Unlimited access to support from qualified experts
• Emotional wellbeing support on relationships, bereavement, stress, and anxiety
• Practical advice on money management, landlord disputes, divorce, and parenting
• Online guidance videos, articles, and tools to help support you
• Engagement materials to promote our services

Don’t let mental health issues impact your workforce’s productivity and wellbeing. 

Contact us today to learn more about our HR, Employment Law, and Health & Safety services at Citation and how our EAP can support your business in creating a healthy workplace.