'Open conversations' | Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 - a call to action for HR

As Mental Health Awareness Week (12–18 May 2025) begins across the UK, HR leaders are being urged to go beyond surface-level wellbeing campaigns and take decisive, structural steps to support employee mental health. 

With one in four people experiencing a mental health issue each year, and burnout, stress and disengagement on the rise, this year’s awareness week lands at a pivotal moment for workplaces - and the HR leaders shaping them.

Spotting when a colleague is secretly struggling

“Distress can manifest in subtle ways,” warns Dr Ravi Gill, a health psychologist with over 15 years of experience. In a collaboration with Furniture At Work, Dr Gill highlighted the small but telling signs that colleagues may be battling mental health challenges in silence.

From physical symptoms like dark under-eye circles and changes in posture, to behavioural red flags such as sudden disorganisation or social withdrawal, the indicators are often missed until problems escalate. “Your colleague’s tone might shift, becoming more curt, emotionally flat, or unusually snappy,” says Dr Gill. Even written communication may reveal distress, with emails becoming less coherent or error-prone.