Fifty-eight percent of employees don’t feel comfortable discussing their mental health at work, which leads to the question, what does ‘destigmatising mental health’ actually look like and how can businesses cultivate openness and authenticity? Zoe Sinclair, a workplace wellbeing expert and the Founder of mental wellbeing consultancy and conference, This Can Happen, discusses how leaders can empower positive mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
A recent study by The Harris Poll has highlighted that 58% of employees don’t feel comfortable speaking about their mental health at work. This increases to 67% for staff who aren’t satisfied with working for their current employer who are searching for a new job. In fact, the same study has shown that 81% of respondents think that employers have an obligation to prioritise staff mental health, but despite this, 77% of people say that the topic isn’t spoken about enough. So, how can employers open conversations with their staff in relation to mental wellbeing at work – and truly destigmatise the conversation so that employees can get the support that they need?
The truth is, it all starts with leadership. When leaders are open and honest in terms of mental health conversations at work, the impact on wider workplace wellbeing conversations can be huge. Leaders have an opportunity and a responsibility to begin these conversations in the workplace, either by sharing their lived experience in this space if applicable and appropriate, or by speaking about work/life balance and stress levels to enter this conversation. The latter can provide the perfect route into sparking conversations around preventative measures to tackle burnout. Consider how a member of the senior leadership team starting the conversation here, whether in person at a staff meeting or virtually via a company blog or Slack channel, could really help to encourage others to do the same.
However, for this effort to be seen as valid and authentic, you need to make sure that you’re matching your words with actions. Take the time to ask staff how they are thinking and feeling via a staff survey. Don’t be scared of the results – too many organisations are, and this acts as a barrier to conducting the survey in the first place. It’s much better to know the current state of wellbeing within your workforce, so that you know where best to focus your efforts. Again, leadership has a real responsibility here to drive engagement with the staff survey, asking employees to complete this and be honest about their mental wellbeing, along with current crunch points in terms of stress and pressure. Make clear to staff that this is all being conducted with the view to supporting their mental wellbeing, allowing them to complete the survey without fear of disclosing this information.
It’s also crucial to make sure that you have the right support in place, for efforts to feel genuine and for staff to ultimately feel supported in having these conversations without taboo. This begins with ensuring that you have a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) in place, which should be confidential and offer employees advice, guidance and complimentary counselling sessions, should they require this. Some of the best EAP options also include services that extend to family members too, which can help to alleviate a lot of the mental pressure that employees might be facing in their home lives. Ensure that staff are regularly reminded that there is an EAP in place, should they need it, to avoid this being a forgotten resource and once again, to encourage authenticity in mental health efforts.
It’s important as well to look at the role that line managers play here, and to ensure that they are equipped with the right tools and training to handle these difficult conversations in the workplace. If this doesn’t happen, you risk mental health efforts falling flat if an employee approaches their manager with a mental wellbeing concern and it’s handled inappropriately or inconsiderately. Invest in mental health training for line managers so that they feel supported in having these conversations and know how to listen to employee challenges with an empathetic ear. It’s not about trying to resolve their issues but rather directing them to the correct support and resources that they might need. Feeling listened to and understood will also help to create authenticity and tackle stigma in having mental health-related conversations at work.
Once these foundations are in place, develop mental health awareness campaigns around key moments throughout the year, and see where you might be able to spotlight staff members with lived experience, if they would feel comfortable, to work hard here in tackling stigma. For example, Neurodiversity Celebration Week takes place annually in March; consider activity that you might want to run on neurodivergence and mental wellbeing in the workplace, be this a panel discussion, an online webinar or simply a lived experience blog. When employees see another member of staff being brave and sharing their lived experience with mental health, this can have a transformative impact on tackling the taboo for the rest of the staff population in speaking about this too. Other key cultural moments to consider would be World Mental Health Day (October 10, 2025) and Pride Month (annually in June).
Finally, once the above initiatives are in place, the last step in being authentic about mental health conversations at work is to move from sporadic wellbeing initiatives to a holistic, connected and year-long strategy. This can still be heightened at key moments throughout the year, such as those listed above, but also goes above and beyond in supporting employees all year round with their mental health. Knowing that a strategy has been developed to proactively support their wellbeing will go miles in tackling stigma, creating authenticity in your efforts, and building trust with your employees. The impact not only on staff wellbeing, but also on employee productivity and talent retention will be massive – but the first step is up to you.
