It’s been two years since I last wrote about anxiety and mental health. This topic remains close to my heart — and, I would argue, central to the role of HR.
At a recent ChapmanCG roundtable hosted with GSK, one of our HR peers asked a deceptively simple question:
How do we give oxygen to our employees?
It stuck with me. In today’s high-speed, high-pressure working world, the ability to breathe, to pause, reflect, and truly feel supported. This has never been more critical.
We talk endlessly about performance, productivity, and resilience. But what’s often left unsaid is how our people are really doing, and how do we know?
Mental Health: A Quiet, Persistent Challenge
In many organisations, mental health is still treated as an individual responsibility — quietly managed, often unsupported, and only acknowledged when a crisis hits. But poor mental health doesn’t start with the crisis. It builds up slowly: chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, disconnection from work, or simply the feeling that there’s no room for vulnerability.
The costs for both human and commercial—are real. Burnout, presenteeism, absenteeism, and attrition all stem from environments where people are emotionally overstretched. According to Deloitte UK’s 2024 Mental Health and Employers report, poor mental health costs UK employers up to £56 billion per year. That’s not just an HR issue—it’s a business continuity issue.
So, what role should HR play?
HR: A Quiet Force for Cultural Change
If mental health challenges are often invisible, so too is the role HR can play in addressing them. But behind the scenes, HR can drive real and lasting change — not with loud gestures, but with quiet, strategic consistency. Here are four meaningful ways HR can lead:
- Normalise Real Conversations: Performance check-ins are important, but they shouldn't be the only kind. A simple question like “How’s your energy?” opens the door to deeper dialogue. Creating space for honest, human conversations is where change often begins.
- Design Policies that Support Well-Being: Mental health days, flexible working, and clear boundaries around time off send a powerful message: people matter. Encourage the use of tools like CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), EAPs, and mindfulness resources, and make access visible and stigma-free.
- Equip Managers to Listen, Not Just Lead: A supportive manager can differentiate between silent struggle and early support. We must train and empower leaders to notice signs, have empathetic conversations, and guide people towards appropriate help. This isn’t just about kindness — it’s a leadership skill.
- Model What Balance Looks Like: When HR and senior leaders visibly protect their well-being — taking breaks, setting boundaries, and prioritising mental health — it signals permission for others to do the same. Culture flows from the top, and well-being must be part of what leadership *looks* like.
Where Do We Go From Here?
HR has an opportunity and a responsibility to influence how organisations treat mental health: not as a reactive issue but as a core element of business success. But this isn’t just an HR issue; CEO and business leaders carry a vital responsibility, too. Building a safe space in the corporate world starts from the top. Leadership sets the tone, not just through policies but through presence, empathy, and example.
The future of work is human, and that means mental well-being needs to be part of our everyday conversation in boardrooms, in policies, and in performance reviews.
Mental health doesn’t always announce itself. It often arrives quietly. That’s why HR’s consistent, visible, and compassionate leadership matters more than ever.
Let’s build cultures where people feel able to breathe and to be human.
