Mental health | Just 4% of staff would speak to HR about feeling lonely

As little as four per cent of UK workers would reach out to HR if they were feeling lonely, new research has revealed.

In research carried out by Hall & Partners, part of Omnicom’s Brand Consulting Group, 58% of UK workers said they had felt lonely at work during the last 12 months. When asked who they might be prepared to discuss their feelings of loneliness with, only 4% said they would contact their HR department, while a shockingly low 8% said they would speak to a manager. Of those prepared to speak with a manager, more men were prepared to do so, compared to women (53% vs 47% respectively).

The theme for this year’s UK Mental Health Awareness Week, which was marked last month, was loneliness. At the start of this year, Hall & Partners’ future business predictions for 2022 stated that mental health will become the most important employee engagement metric for businesses and brands.

Knowledge Portal

Remote working | How HR can help prevent staff loneliness

Taking place in May each year, Mental Health Awareness Week provides a valuable opportunity and acts as an important reminder for brands and business to take an empathetic view towards staff welfare and offer, where necessary, the appropriate emotional support.