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Mental health in the workplace
Supporting and nurturing employees to maintain or recover good mental health should always be a priority in any business. This guide talks about the benefits of building well-being into your business, how to foster a supportive environment within the workplace and tips on improving resilience.
Read time: 8 mins Added: 12/09/25
Awareness of mental health in society has never been higher. Supporting and nurturing employees to maintain or recover good mental health is simply the right thing to do in any business. And with 17.1 million working days lost1 due to mental health issues each year, it also makes sound commercial sense.
Resilience and strength are vital for business growth. A culture of openness and support is needed for your employees to open up about their mental health at work and share how they’re feeling.
What do we mean by mental health?
Mental health is a critical aspect of wellbeing that’s as important as good physical health.
We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Both can fluctuate, so it’s vital that we look after them. In practice, being mentally healthy means ‘feeling good and functioning well’, whatever that looks like for you and your employees.
It’s crucial that conversations and support around mental health in the workplace are ongoing and consistent, not just confined to awareness days or when an issue has arisen. No-one is expecting you to become a mental health professional, but you can make a significant difference to someone’s mental health with just a few tools as outlined in this guide.
As an employer, the first step is learning to recognise when there might be an issue. Here are four things you can do:
- Look out for tell-tale signs such as changes in behaviour, including low mood or deteriorating colleague or customer relationships
- Schedule regular 1-1 meetings that don’t solely focus on work topics
- Create an environment where wellbeing is considered
- Step in to offer or signpost support, such as talking to a GP or visiting mental health websites
These simple steps can prevent someone’s mental health from deteriorating so they can continue to thrive at work. You should also be mindful of changes to your own behaviour and how your mental health might impact your company’s culture.
Investing this extra effort into employee wellbeing will also help build resilience in your business and strengthen your relationships, which in turn can contribute to growth.
The benefits of building wellbeing into your business
Finding and keeping the best employees
Research from organisations such as Mind shows that businesses with a reputation for taking mental health and wellbeing seriously are better able to attract and retain the highest quality candidates. This can help reduce recruitment costs when your other bills might be increasing. Keeping your best employees will also help their colleagues as there will be more stability and a stronger sense of teamwork.
Improved productivity
Happy employees who feel supported with their mental health and wellbeing will typically be more productive. Taking a proactive approach to conversations around mental health will create an inclusive environment where your employees can flourish. It will also reduce absenteeism and presenteeism in the workplace.
Reducing the stigma
There’s still more work to be done by society and employers to break down the stigma around mental health. By encouraging employees to be open about their mental health so they can bring their ‘whole selves to work’, a culture of trust, diversity, and fresh thinking is more likely to thrive. Workplaces can benefit from employees sharing their stories as it normalises mental health issues.
Minimising the impact of organisational changes
Building wellbeing into your business can help when decisions affecting employees have to be made. For example, when changing someone’s role or working patterns, issues such as psychological safety* and employee engagement are important in making people part of the process.
*The belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.
Investing in personal and business growth for good
NICE, in collaboration with Public Health England2, provide guidelines on supporting mental wellbeing in the workplace.
The recommendations contain guidance for employers on how to approach mental health in the workplace and support employee wellbeing. The table below is an overview of some of the main considerations. The list is not exhaustive, and different employees will value and benefit from a range of tools.
|
NICE recommendation |
Actions for your business |
|---|---|
|
NICE recommendation Strategic approaches to improving mental wellbeing in the workplace |
Actions for your business
|
|
NICE recommendation Supportive work environment |
Actions for your business
|
|
NICE recommendation Organisation-wide approaches |
Actions for your business
|
|
NICE recommendation Training and support for managers |
Actions for your business
|
|
NICE recommendation Individual-level approaches |
Actions for your business
|
There’s more to mental wellbeing than trying to stop problems from happening. Instead, you should be regularly exploring ways to promote a positive culture. As an employer, it’s essential you look after your own mental health too, so you can be there for your staff.
How to foster a supportive environment when people are working remotely
Employee working patterns have changed significantly over the last few years, especially since Covid, when working from home became more common:
- In autumn 2024 the proportion of people hybrid working rose to 28%3
- The percentage working exclusively from home was 16%3
But what does this mean from a mental health and wellbeing perspective?
Keeping in touch
Ensuring your employees don’t feel isolated when working from home can help to prevent stress and mental health issues. Regular check-ins via video call, email or instant messaging that include some social elements will make a difference.
Spotting the signs
It’s not easy to notice changes in behaviour when your employees work remotely. Things to look out for may include changes in their physical appearance, tone of voice and poor punctuality.
Having an ‘open door’ policy
For employees working from home, it’s important to reassure them you’re always there, ready to listen, however they prefer to communicate with you.
Building trust
Setting clear and measurable objectives for your work-from-home employees can help establish and maintain trust. Focusing on outcomes rather than location gives both parties a clear sense of expectation without the need for micromanaging or creating unnecessary stress.
One way to be proactive and open up conversations around mental health is to have a wellbeing workplan standard in place. This approach is better than reactively implementing something following mental ill health absences.
Tips for helping work-from-home employees feel included:
- Ensure you copy them into all relevant emails
- Use reliable technology for instant messaging and online calls
- Involve them in all discussions that affect their work
- Invite them to any in-person or virtual social events
Improving resilience in your workforce
At Lloyds, we’ve embraced the NICE recommendations alongside our ongoing support for colleagues through the following measures:
|
Developing mental health awareness among employees |
Encouraging open conversations |
Providing tools and resources |
|---|---|---|
|
Developing mental health awareness among employees
|
Encouraging open conversations
|
Providing tools and resources
|
A tale of transformation
Su Pillinger, a Lloyds colleague, shares her mental health journey.
