Mental health matters at work. With one in six British workers facing issues like anxiety, depression, or stress each year, companies that invest in staff wellbeing often see greater loyalty and commitment in return.
How can employers help staff develop a healthier attitude toward mental health and spot risk factors? The Mental Health Foundation lists some signs to watch for at work:
– Feeling more tired than usual
– Making mistakes that are out of character
– Struggling to motivate others
– Poor timekeeping
– Being short-tempered
– Withdrawing from colleagues
– Rushing and becoming disorganized
– Interrupting others more often
Talking about mental health has improved, but stigma and fear of being judged or discriminated against remain. So how can employers and line managers create a supportive environment?
Keep staff active
Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of depression and anxiety. It can boost self-esteem, improve focus and sleep, and support overall wellbeing. Employers can’t force people to exercise, but they can make it easier. Simple steps include allowing longer lunch breaks for walks, offering bike-to-work schemes, or supporting social exercise groups like lunchtime running or cycling clubs.
Small changes in the office can help too. Sit-stand desks let people change positions during the day and can improve productivity. An on-site gym or converting an unused room into a small workout space makes it easier for staff to fit in 30 minutes of exercise most days.
Create good break spaces
Nobody can stay focused all day. Office work, or facing customers when you’re not feeling great, is draining. Providing proper spaces to step away from desks or service areas helps staff recharge and come back more productive.
Breakout areas might include soft seating, a games room, or roomy tables—talk to staff to find out what they’d use. Ask if they’d prefer one large communal table or several smaller ones, and whether any hobbies could be accommodated. You could also offer mental health days—time off with no questions asked—so staff can look after themselves.
Encourage people to fully switch off when on holiday. Some struggle to stop checking work emails, which prevents proper rest and recovery.
Build the right work environment
Staff need the right basics to do their jobs well. Open-plan offices are great for teamwork but can get noisy. Providing quieter zones, like bookable private desks, gives people space to focus and lowers stress.
Temperature matters too. When it’s too hot, people get sluggish and frustrated; when it’s too cold, they slow down and lose concentration. A well-maintained air conditioning system helps, though it’s hard to make everyone happy all the time.
Increase natural light
Natural light boosts mood and wellbeing. It can reduce headaches, eyestrain, and blurred vision by a large amount, and it helps produce vitamin D, which can protect against depression. Large windows or skylights can be costly, but swapping solid walls for glass partitions spreads daylight more effectively. If privacy is a concern, frosted or branded glass lets light in while keeping things private. Rearranging the office layout can also help more people get natural light.
In darker months, bright LED lighting can mimic daylight and cut down on harsh lighting, offering a good alternative when the sun isn’t available.