Supporting Mental Health at Work: A Guide
Supporting Mental Health at Work: A Guide
This series of blogs is developed from the leaflet provided by the Mental Health Foundation to encourage you to think more about mental health in the workplace and inform you about steps you can take to create an environment where staff feel safe and supported.
Having a fulfilling job can be good for your mental health and general well-being. For most of us, work is a huge part of our lives. It is where we spend a lot of our time, earn our income, and often make our friends.
We all face challenges at work – sometimes due to deadlines, travel, or other responsibilities. Mental health issues may arise from work, personal health, relationships, or life circumstances. A toxic work environment can be corrosive to mental health.
After reading this blog, you should have a better understanding of how to:
Manage your own mental health at work
Reach out to colleagues in distress
Work with others to create a mentally healthy workplace
Check out the other blogs in the series: 10 ways to improve your mental health and supporting a colleague.
Understanding Mental Health
The way we think, feel, and handle ups and downs are all aspects of mental health. Everyone has some level of mental health. Strong mental health allows us to:
Play a full part in relationships, work, and community
Cope with life’s challenges
Reach our full potential
Mental health is not static. It may fluctuate with life circumstances. When someone isn’t coping, it’s referred to as being in distress. Causes may include work-related stress, personal challenges, or the onset of mental health issues like depression.
What Are Mental Health Problems?
Everyone experiences sadness, worry, or fear. These feelings usually pass, but sometimes they develop into mental health issues like anxiety or depression, affecting daily life.
Some people have significant mental health problems requiring ongoing attention. Risk factors include poverty, heredity, childhood trauma, discrimination, or chronic physical illness, but anyone can experience mental health issues.
Statistics: In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem in any given week (source).
At least 8 in 100 people are diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depression weekly (source).
Seek help from a GP if you experience feelings that:
Prevent you from functioning normally
Include thoughts of suicide
Persist for several weeks
Affect relationships or work
Early Warning Signs at Work
You may notice signs in yourself or colleagues:
Feeling unusually tired or depleted
Difficulty concentrating or making mistakes
Withdrawing from work or social interactions
Working erratically or overextending
Early recognition allows timely support. Colleagues can play a key role in noticing these signs and offering help.
Barriers to Discussing Mental Health
Despite increased awareness, many people fear discrimination or feel ashamed. Creating safe workplaces where employees feel free to share challenges helps overcome these barriers.
Legal Protections
In the UK, several protections exist for mental health in the workplace:
Equality Act 2010 (England, Scotland, Wales)
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Northern Ireland)
A mental health condition may qualify as a disability if it has a substantial, long-term impact on daily life. Employees are entitled to reasonable adjustments, which may include:
Flexible working patterns or hours
Excusing attendance at certain events
Remote work options or equipment to support work from home
If the expense of making appropriate adaptations is a deterrent, the government-funded Access to Work programme may assist in funding necessary software or support.
In addition, both the Equality Act and the Disability Discrimination Act prohibit harassing someone for having a protected characteristic. Employers must address bullying and discrimination linked to mental health, just as they would for gender, race, sexual orientation, or faith.
