Mental Health at Work
As it's Mental Health Month this insight provides you with what Employers need to know about Mental Health at Work.
Mental health is something every employer needs to consider throughout the year, not just during Mental Health Month.
For small and medium-sized businesses, supporting employee mental health can feel challenging. You may not have an in-house HR team, a dedicated wellbeing budget or access to the same resources as a larger organisation. But creating a supportive workplace doesn't necessarily require a complicated wellbeing programme.
It starts with understanding your responsibilities as an employer, recognising when someone may need support and considering whether your working practices are contributing to unnecessary pressure.
There are also important legal considerations, including health and safety responsibilities, the Equality Act 2010 and the need to consider reasonable adjustments where appropriate.
So, what should SME owners and directors be thinking about when it comes to mental health at work?
Mental health is part of your health and safety responsibilities
Mental health should be treated with the same importance as physical health.
Employers have a legal duty to assess the risks to employees' health and safety, including risks arising from work-related stress, and take appropriate steps to address them.
This means mental health shouldn't be treated as a separate wellbeing issue that only needs attention when an employee becomes unwell or goes off sick. It should form part of your wider approach to managing people, workloads and workplace risks.
For example, if employees regularly work excessive hours, face unrealistic deadlines or have little support from their managers, these could be signs that aspects of the working environment need to be reviewed.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance to help employers understand and manage work-related stress, including practical advice for smaller businesses.
You can read more in the HSE guidance on work-related stress.
Don't wait until an employee is struggling
One of the biggest mistakes employers can make is waiting until someone reaches crisis point before considering what support they need.
Sometimes there may be changes in an employee's behaviour or working patterns that suggest they are finding things difficult. These could include:
Increased sickness absence or lateness.
Changes in the quality of their work.
Difficulty concentrating or completing tasks.
Becoming unusually withdrawn or anxious.
Changes in behaviour or engagement.
Losing interest in work they previously enjoyed.
However, it is important not to make assumptions. These changes do not automatically mean someone has a mental health condition, and not everyone will show obvious signs when they are struggling.
For SME owners and managers, the key is to create opportunities for open conversations rather than trying to diagnose the problem.
A simple check-in can be a good starting point. Asking someone how they are doing, giving them time to talk and listening without judgement may help them feel more comfortable explaining what is happening.
You don't need to have all the answers. Sometimes, recognising that someone may need support is the first step towards finding the right way forward.
Make sure managers know how to respond
Managers play an important role in supporting employee mental health, but they need to understand what is expected of them.
They are not expected to become mental health professionals or diagnose conditions.
Their role is to listen, respond appropriately and help employees access the support available to them.
This could involve:
Listening carefully without immediately trying to solve the problem.
Asking open questions and avoiding judgement.
Discussing whether anything at work is contributing to the situation.
Explaining what support is available.
Knowing when to involve HR or occupational health.
Understanding the organisation's absence and mental health policies.
Recognising when reasonable adjustments may need to be considered.
It is also important that managers understand confidentiality and know when information needs to be shared with others to arrange appropriate support.
For smaller businesses, this may mean providing managers with straightforward guidance, training or access to external HR support.
A manager who feels confident having a sensitive conversation is better placed to respond constructively when an employee raises a concern.
You can find further advice in the Acas guidance on supporting mental health at work.
Understand your responsibilities around reasonable adjustments
This is an important area for employers to understand, particularly when an employee's mental health affects their ability to carry out their role.
Under the Equality Act 2010, a mental health condition can amount to a disability if it meets the legal definition. Where an employee is disabled, an employer may have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to remove or reduce disadvantages they experience at work.
The duty can apply where an employer knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, that an employee is disabled and is placed at a substantial disadvantage because of their disability.
Reasonable adjustments will depend on the individual and their circumstances. They could include:
Adjusting working hours or allowing additional breaks.
Reviewing workloads or deadlines.
Agreeing a phased return after sickness absence.
Changing certain duties or responsibilities.
Considering home or hybrid working where appropriate.
Providing a quieter workspace.
Arranging regular check-ins or additional supervision.
Allowing time for medical appointments.
Not every adjustment will be appropriate for every role, and employers need to consider what is reasonable in the circumstances.
The important thing is to discuss the employee's needs, consider possible options and review whether the arrangements are working.
You should not assume that an employee needs a particular adjustment simply because they have disclosed a mental health condition. Equally, you should not dismiss a request without considering the circumstances properly.
Acas provides further guidance and examples in its article on reasonable adjustments for mental health.
Not every mental health problem is a disability, but support still matters
Another important distinction is that not every mental health problem will meet the legal definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010.
However, this does not mean employers should ignore an employee's concerns or assume that no support is needed.
Where appropriate, you can still explore changes to working arrangements, responsibilities or management support that may help the employee remain at work or manage their situation more effectively.
For example, clearer priorities, regular check-ins or temporarily adjusting a workload may help an employee who is struggling with pressure at work.
These steps can also help identify whether wider problems exist within the team.
Good people management involves understanding your legal obligations, but it also means considering what practical support may be possible.
Look at what's causing the pressure
Supporting mental health isn't just about helping employees cope with difficult situations. Employers should also consider whether their own working practices could be contributing to the problem.
Common workplace pressures can include:
Excessive workloads or unrealistic deadlines.
Long working hours and insufficient rest.
Poor communication.
Limited control over how work is carried out.
Bullying, conflict or difficult working relationships.
Lack of management support.
Unclear responsibilities.
Poorly managed organisational change.
The HSE identifies six key areas that employers should consider when managing work-related stress: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change.
These provide a useful starting point for reviewing your working environment and identifying potential risks.
For example, if several employees are struggling with the same workload pressures, the answer may not be to offer individual wellbeing support alone. You may need to review staffing levels, deadlines, responsibilities or how work is allocated.
Similarly, if employees are reluctant to raise concerns because they fear a negative reaction, it may be necessary to look at management behaviours and workplace culture.
The aim should be to identify and address the causes of work-related stress wherever reasonably practicable, rather than simply expecting employees to become more resilient.
You can find more information in the HSE's guidance on managing work-related stress.
Have a mental health policy, but make sure it works in practice
A written mental health policy can help employees and managers understand how your organisation approaches mental health and what support is available.
It should explain how employees can raise concerns, how managers should respond, how mental health-related absence will be managed and what support employees can access.
It should also cover confidentiality, the return-to-work process and the training or guidance available to managers.
However, having a policy in place is only part of the picture.
If employees don't know where to find it, managers are unsure how to apply it or people feel uncomfortable asking for help, the policy may have little impact.
For SME owners and directors, it is worth reviewing your existing policies and checking that they reflect how your business actually operates.
Consider whether employees know who to approach, whether managers understand their responsibilities and whether your approach is consistent across the business.
You should also review your policy regularly and update it when necessary.
Acas provides further guidance on creating a mental health policy for your workplace.
Know what support is available
Employers are not expected to provide therapy or diagnose mental health conditions.
However, they should understand what support is available and help employees access appropriate resources where needed.
Depending on the size and resources of your business, this could include:
An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
Occupational health support.
Mental health first aiders or wellbeing champions.
Workplace counselling services.
Support through a GP or NHS service.
Relevant charities and specialist organisations.
Occupational health can be particularly useful where an employee's health is affecting their work, or where you need advice on possible adjustments, a return to work or ongoing support.
You don't necessarily need to offer every type of support. The important thing is to understand the options available to your business and make sure employees know how to access them.
You can read more in the Acas guidance on using occupational health at work.
Don't overlook the return-to-work process
When an employee has been absent because of their mental health, the way you manage their return can make a difference.
Returning to work doesn't always mean going straight back to a full workload and normal working hours on the first day.
Depending on the circumstances, a phased return, temporary changes to responsibilities or adjusted working hours may help an employee transition back into work.
Before the employee returns, consider arranging a conversation to discuss what support may be needed, whether anything has changed and how their workload will be managed.
It is also important to agree appropriate contact during sickness absence. Employees should know what communication to expect, while employers should avoid placing unnecessary pressure on someone who is unwell.
A return-to-work discussion can help identify practical steps, clarify expectations and provide an opportunity to review any reasonable adjustments that may be required.
The approach should be individual to the employee rather than assuming that the same process will work for everyone.
What can employers do this Mental Health Month?
You don't need to launch a large wellbeing programme to make a difference. Start by reviewing the basics and identifying where improvements may be needed.
1. Check in with your team
Create opportunities for genuine conversations about how employees are doing and whether anything at work is causing concern.
2. Give managers the right guidance
Make sure managers know how to respond to mental health concerns, where to find support and when to seek HR or occupational health advice.
3. Review your policies
Check that your mental health, sickness absence and reasonable adjustment policies are appropriate, accessible and understood by the people who need to use them.
4. Review workplace pressures
Consider whether workloads, deadlines, staffing arrangements or management practices could be contributing to work-related stress.
5. Understand your legal responsibilities
Make sure you understand your health and safety obligations and when the duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 may apply.
6. Make support accessible
Ensure employees know where they can access additional help, whether through your organisation or external services.
7. Follow up and review
If you identify an issue, consider what action is needed and whether it has made a difference. Supporting mental health should be an ongoing part of how you manage your people.
How Hello People Solutions can help
At Hello People Solutions, we understand that supporting employees while managing the day-to-day demands of running a business can be challenging.
For SME owners and directors, mental health at work involves more than wellbeing initiatives. It also means understanding your employment responsibilities, managing absence appropriately, considering reasonable adjustments and making sure your workplace practices support employees effectively.
Taking a proactive approach can help you identify potential risks, support your managers and create a working environment where employees feel able to raise concerns.
Mental Health Month is a useful opportunity to review your policies, consider how your managers respond to concerns and identify where changes may be needed.
But supporting mental health shouldn't be a once-a-year exercise. It is part of good people management and creating a positive workplace culture.
If you need support reviewing your HR policies, managing an employee's absence or understanding your responsibilities around reasonable adjustments, get in touch with Hello People Solutions.
