Employee mental health matters 💙
Why it pays to care about mental health at work
At some point during the year, 17% of employees will struggle with a mental health condition that will affect their ability to carry out usual responsibilities.
But many of those without a diagnosable mental health condition aren’t flourishing either. This feeling of flatness is known as languishing, and it’s more common than you might think.
And with more than half of employees not feeling great, this can affect the morale and motivation of those employees who are fully functional and thriving.
At some point during the year, 17% of employees will struggle with a mental health condition that will affect their ability to carry out usual responsibilities.
At some point during the year, 17% of employees will struggle with a mental health condition that will affect their ability to carry out usual responsibilities.
But many of those without a diagnosable mental health condition aren’t flourishing either. This feeling of flatness is known as languishing, and it’s more common than you might think.
And with more than half of employees not feeling great, this can affect the morale and motivation of those employees who are fully functional and thriving.
17%
STRUGGLING
But many of those without a diagnosable mental health condition aren’t flourishing either. This feeling of flatness is known as languishing, and it’s more common than you might think.
At some point during the year, 17% of employees will struggle with a mental health condition that will affect their ability to carry out usual responsibilities.
But many of those without a diagnosable mental health condition aren’t flourishing either. This feeling of flatness is known as languishing, and it’s more common than you might think.
And with more than half of employees not feeling great, this can affect the morale and motivation of those employees who are fully functional and thriving.
38%
LANGUISHING
And with more than half of employees not feeling great, this can affect the morale and motivation of those employees who are fully functional and thriving.
At some point during the year, 17% of employees will struggle with a mental health condition that will affect their ability to carry out usual responsibilities.
But many of those without a diagnosable mental health condition aren’t flourishing either. This feeling of flatness is known as languishing, and it’s more common than you might think.
And with more than half of employees not feeling great, this can affect the morale and motivation of those employees who are fully functional and thriving.
45%
THRIVING
Sources: NHS, BetterUp
This year, 17% of your employees will struggle with a mental health condition. They’ll be in emotional pain, and might not be able to work or function.
But plenty of those without a mental health condition will be feeling unmotivated, flat, burnt out, anxious or low. This middle ground is known as languishing, and it’s surprisingly common.
And with more than half of employees struggling or languishing, this can affect team morale for the remaining 45%, even though they’re feeling pretty good individually.
17%
STRUGGLING
38%
LANGUISHING
45%
THRIVING
Sources: NHS, BetterUp
More than half of your team is thinking through treacle
When someone’s mental health is flagging, they’re simply not able to do their best work – and they won’t feel good about trying, either.
As well as lower levels of energy and motivation, they can also find it difficult to fully engage with colleagues or with the company. Tell-tale signs of an employee who’s struggling might include the following...
😪 Emotional exhaustion
😡 Strained work relationships
🎧 Poor concentration
👀 Social withdrawal
😳 Lack of confidence
🚫 Increased cynicism
🐢 Slower work
😩 Heightened sensitivity
🍌 More slip-ups
🤷 Less care
💡 Fewer ideas
😶 Reduced communication
That doesn’t just hurt the individuals — it hurts the company, too
It costs you money
Burnout is one of the biggest causes of absenteeism in the workplace. In fact, it’s behind 43% of all sick days taken in the UK.
It costs you time
HR managers spend 30% more time supporting their employees’ mental health now than before the pandemic.
It costs you people
65% of job leavers say their decision to quit was driven by poor mental health that they experienced while in the role.
The best companies take a proactive approach to mental wellbeing
Looking after your team’s mental health means more than supporting the few who are facing challenges (although this is important). It means helping everyone in the middle ground to thrive, too. And it means having a system in place for spotting poor mental health early on.
By focusing on actively maintaining your team’s mental wellbeing, those big work-disrupting problems should crop up less often – saving the company time and money, whilst saving employees the emotional pain.
Check out our case studies on how Charlie HR, Citymapper and Acast approach wellbeing.
Reasons to get your approach to employee wellbeing right
Prevent burnout and reduce sick days so that employees show up to work raring to go.
Supercharge employee performance as people spend less time struggling and more time in flow.
Keep your best people because they feel psychologically safe, valued and cared for.
Feel better at work yourself (because People teams are people – and need supporting – too!)
Where to start with employee wellbeing
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I’m looking for general wellbeing ideas
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I want to learn about mental health support options
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I’m ready to support my team