Speak up | Only 1 in 10 employees honest about needing a mental health day

Only one in 10 employees would be honest about needing a mental health day, with more than a third experiencing significant mental ill health, according to research.

New figures from leading mental health app Wysa show that the UK mental health crisis is worse than estimated among working people. More than one in three (35%) working people suffer moderate to severe depression or severe anxiety – three times higher than the estimated UK adult prevalence. Official figures point to one in six of us struggling with mental health, up from one in 10 prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

And UK employees aren’t speaking up, it seems. Half aren’t speaking to healthcare professionals, and only one in 10 (13%) feel comfortable enough admitting to their employer that they need some time off for mental health reasons.

Read more from us

Winter wellbeing | Mental health support vital during December, expert warns

According to the latest research from Wysa, 11.3 million adults should be getting some kind of therapy or support for moderate-to-severe anxiety or depression. The latest Health & Safety Executive report points to 914,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2021/22 - but this research suggests a much greater issue.