Every year, an estimated one in four adults in England experience a mental health problem. For those in employment, these problems can significantly affect their work performance. Deloitte estimates that poor mental health costs employers around £51 billion annually in lost time and productivity.
Investing in workplace mental health support can significantly reduce these costs. It helps employees improve and maintain their mental health, enabling more consistent and better job performance.
Workers who understand how to cultivate good mental health report higher levels of satisfaction, creativity and engagement. Training also promotes empathy and helps break the stigma that prevents too many from speaking openly or seeking support.
The State of Mental Health in UK Workplaces
Work-related stress, depression and anxiety are now the largest category of work-related ill health in Great Britain. The latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), covering 2024/25, show that:
- Around 964,000 workers reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety, accounting for 52% of all work-related ill health cases and up from 776,000 the previous year.
- An estimated 22.1 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety, making these conditions the largest contributor to working days lost from work-related ill health.
HSE analysis identifies workload pressures, including tight deadlines and too much responsibility, as common work factors. Other factors include lack of managerial support, organisational change, role uncertainty, violence and bullying.
The cost to employers is also substantial. Deloitte estimates that presenteeism — where people work while unwell and are unable to perform at their best — costs UK employers around £24 billion a year.
Managers play an important role in creating supportive workplaces and responding appropriately when employees may be struggling. Figures cited by MHFA England suggest only 45% of managers have been trained to have mental health conversations.
For employers, this highlights the need to treat mental health risks as seriously as physical health and safety risks, while ensuring managers know how to listen, support and signpost employees to appropriate help.
Are you aware of your responsibilities?
Employers have a moral and legal obligation to support workers and promote good mental health and wellness at work.
Some key responsibilities employers have regarding their workers’ mental well-being include:
- Risk assessment: Employers are required to undertake a thorough risk assessment of their workplaces to identify the potential stressors that can contribute to employees’ poor mental health
- Support: Employers should consider appropriate support to their workers who might be experiencing mental health issues, including counselling, mental health services or other tools
- Training: Employers should provide suitable information, instruction and training where needed to manage identified stress or mental health risks.
- Policies: Employers are also required to have effective procedures and policies in place that support workers suffering from mental health issues. This includes making reasonable adjustments in the workplace or offering flexible work schedules
- Communication: Employers should promote open communication between all staff and foster a positive work environment to lessen the stigma associated with mental health conditions
About This Training
This online Mental Health Awareness Training gives employees and managers a practical understanding of how mental health affects people at work, and how to support themselves and others.
Learners build skills they can use day to day. They learn how to manage worry, anxiety and low mood, challenge unhelpful thinking and strengthen everyday resilience. They also learn how to recognise the signs of poor mental health in themselves and colleagues, and when to seek professional help.
The course also helps employers reduce the stigma that stops people speaking up. By encouraging open conversation and a more supportive culture, it helps staff feel confident asking for help before problems escalate.
How This Training Benefits Your Business
This course helps organisations:
- Improve how managers and staff recognise the early signs of poor mental health
- Reduce the absenteeism, presenteeism and lost productivity linked to poor mental health
- Reduce the stigma that stops people raising concerns or asking for help
- Support compliance with employer duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Equality Act 2010
- Build a more consistent, supportive approach to wellbeing across teams
