Supporting an employee suffering a mental health crisis at work

In today's workplace, mental health awareness has grown exponentially. The number of businesses making efforts to support their workers’ mental health and wellbeing has rocketed in recent years, with a myriad of Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) and other methods of help at the disposal of many employees.

Whether it’s burnout, stress and anxiety about work or finances, or mental health conditions including depression, the awareness of these issues, and the support available for them, highlights just how far workplaces have come. That support is more vital than ever before. A recent report from Wysa, an AI-guided mental health app,  revealed an alarming 25% of UK workers have been bothered by thoughts that they would be better off dead, or of hurting themselves in the two weeks prior to the survey. This figure expands to more than one in three (36%) when applied to the past year. .

But while organisations are making strides in addressing overall employee wellbeing, the challenge of managing mental health crises in real time remains daunting. 

These moments can manifest in many ways – from a sudden anxiety or panic attack, to a colleague quietly voicing suicidal thoughts. How HR leaders and employees respond to these crises can make all the difference.

As we approach World Mental Health Day on October 10th, we examine the reality of mental health episodes at work through the lens of two individuals deeply involved in mental health first aid: Lexie Newlands, Allocation and Planning Lead at Mars Incorporated, and Sarah McIntosh, Chief Executive of MHFA England.