Wellbeing | 1 in 5 managers say staff mental health is not a priority this year

Fewer than one quarter of managers (21%) say that supporting employee mental health is a priority for them this year, new research has revealed.

The research, which was conducted by the South Westminster Business Alliance, also found that 78% of managers admit to not being able to spot the signs of poor mental health among employees.

Worryingly, an independent OHID study found that 49% of employees report worsening mental health due to the pandemic. And qualitative research from King’s College London and the South Westminster Business Alliance found that mental health concerns among employees are emerging because of their respective professions and not because of their personal lives.

What this means is that work is a significant contributing factor to the deteriorating state of the nation’s mental health. What’s more, with soaring inflation and energy bills contributing to a cost-of-living squeeze that’s seeing more financial pressure mounting on employees, it’s likely that mental health will become even more of a significant problem for Brits over the next few months. Taking all this into consideration, it’s deeply concerning that over three-quarters of managers (79%) don’t consider supporting their employees’ mental health to be a priority.