Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace: A safety perspective

What causes poor mental health at work and what can employers do to create a healthy workplace environment? Becky Spencer reports.

Announcing that mental health at work is the focus of its upcoming Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2026–28, the European Agency for Safety & Health at Work recently said: “There is no occupational safety without good mental health”. And it seems this is a statement that many UK workers agree with.

In a recent survey of 1,000 employees (including 250 managers) working in UK organisations with 50+ employees, 65 per cent said that a lack of psychological safety is contributing to physical risks in their workplace. Psychological safety is defined in the survey as “where individuals feel free from fear and feel comfortable to ask for help and communicate concerns, including mental health concerns in their workplace, without fear of negative consequences.” The top three contributing risks to psychological safety were identified as: high workload or time pressures; stresses in other areas of life; and lack of supportive leadership.

Eight in ten (80 per cent) of employees who responded to the survey said mental health and wellbeing “are intrinsically linked to safety at work” so should be managed together. To be fair, over the last decade many more employers have recognised the importance of good employee mental health and wellbeing to a safe and productive workplace.

According to this year’s CIPD/Simplyhealth Health and wellbeing at work report, which is based on a survey of 1,101 HR professionals/or management-level employees, the majority of organisations are taking action to support employee mental health at work, with only 12 per cent not taking any steps. However, the report highlights that many employers wait until there is a mental health issue before reacting to it, rather than taking proactive steps to prevent the workplace risks that contribute to mental ill health. This lack of proactive action is concerning, particularly when you consider the scale of work-related stress, depression and anxiety.

Figures released in November by HSE revealed that in 2024/25, there were an estimated 964,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety. This represents a rate of 2,770 cases per 100,000 workers. Compare this to thirty years ago, when according to the Labour Force Survey there were 1,070 cases per 100,000 workers and it’s easy to see why more proactive action is needed.

What causes poor mental health at work?

It has long been known what the main risks to mental health in the workplace are. These psychosocial risks, which can cause work-related stress, depression and anxiety and other mental ill health, are the focus of HSE’s Management Standards for tackling work-related stress, which were launched twenty years ago. They are:

• Demands– this includes issues such as workload, work patterns and the work environment.
• Control– how much say the person has in the way they do their work.
• Support– this includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.
• Relationships– this includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
• Role– whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles.
• Change– how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation.

It is widely recognised that if these six key areas of work design are not properly managed, they can lead to work-related stress, poor health, lower productivity and increased accident and sickness absence rates.

Stress and mental ill health can increase fatigue, lower concentration and alertness, affect decision-making and judgement, all of which can contribute to accidents and near misses. Research published earlier this year found one in five workers believe their productivity or performance has been impacted by high levels of pressure or stress.

What action should employers take?

• Work-related stress and its impact on mental and physical ill health must be assessed in the same way as other work-related health and safety risks are assessed. Conduct a stress risk assessment for all employees or even better follow HSE’s Stress Management Standards approach (there is a lot of guidance available to help you do this). Stress risk assessments should be reviewed regularly and acted upon.
• Create a healthy workplace culture. Raise awareness of how important good mental health is. Show your staff that as an employer you take mental health seriously. Managers should talk about stressors in the workplace and create a work environment that encourages staff to be open about any issues they have.
• Train line managers to recognise the signs of stress and to have conversations with their team about potential stressors in the workplace.
• Provide support to employees who are suffering from stress or other mental health issues, through a confidential helpline, employee assistance programme, etc.

In 2024/25, 22.1 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. However, many employees with mental health conditions or suffering from work-related stress do not take sickness absence, often because of the stigma associated with these conditions. This presenteeism is bad for businesses and individuals. An employee who is not able to work to their best ability due to ill health can more easily make mistakes which could result in preventable accidents occurring.

The work environment can either boost workers’ mental health and wellbeing and, as a result, the whole business, or cause stress and ill health which will affect good performance and safety. Workers who have good psychosocial working conditions are more motivated, productive and effective. Creating a healthy workplace culture and good work environment is a win all round.

Our NEBOSH and IOSH courses can help you manage health and wellbeing and create a positive health and safety culture. Click the links to find out more.