Mental health in the workplace has stopped being a secondary topic. According to the WHO, in 2019 about 15% of working-age adults had a mental disorder, and the pandemic pushed that number higher (WHO, Mental health at work, 2024). In a team of 20, three people are likely dealing with some level of anxiety, depression, or burnout right now. What most organisations lack is a plan to handle it.
This article summarises the figures the WHO and other bodies published between 2024 and 2025, shows which disorders weigh most on teams, and points to practical actions leaders and HR can put in place this week.
Key takeaways
- Workplace mental health is a business cost, not just a personal issue. Depression and anxiety drain 12 billion working days and about US$1 trillion in productivity every year (WHO, 2024).
- Burnout is an occupational phenomenon. The WHO defines it in the ICD-11 as exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy caused by chronic unmanaged work stress — so the fix is organisational, not just individual.
- Most people who need help never reach it. Only 1 in 3 people with depression receives formal care (WHO, 2025), meaning two-thirds are coping alone, including at work.
- Early action changes the outcome. In clinical experience, when a leader notices and acts within two weeks, the case usually resolves with a routine adjustment; waiting six months often turns it into a long leave.
- Compliance is the floor. UK HSE Management Standards and ISO 45003 set the baseline — effective policy is measured by use, not paperwork.
Why mental health at work matters now
The WHO estimates that 15% of working-age adults had a mental disorder in 2019 (WHO, 2024). But the workplace impact goes beyond the individual: depression and anxiety cost the global economy 12 billion working days a year, roughly US$1 trillion in lost productivity. What looks like a personal problem has become an accounting problem.
What mental health means
Mental health is the emotional, cognitive, and social state that lets a person cope with everyday pressures, work productively, and contribute to their community. In a work context, that translates into the ability to maintain focus, regulate emotions under pressure, and build healthy professional relationships.
Impact on productivity
Workers who feel psychologically safe produce more and make fewer errors. The reverse is equally true: people in distress take more sick days, show more presenteeism (being at work but not functioning), and have higher turnover. For the company, that becomes direct cost in overtime, rework, and recruitment.
Benefits of a healthy environment
Organisations that treat mental health as a priority reap three measurable gains: fewer absences, higher engagement in internal surveys, and greater appeal in the talent market. These effects appear across company sizes, from a 10-person office to a multinational.
Which disorders affect workers most today?
Anxiety and depression dominate the global ranking: in 2021, 359 million people lived with an anxiety disorder and 280 million with depression, according to the WHO (WHO, 2025). Burnout, in turn, is treated by the WHO as an “occupational phenomenon” in the ICD-11, not as a disease — which changes what an employer can and should do about it (WHO, 2019).
| Disorder | Main symptoms | Effects at work |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | Worrying thoughts, muscle tension, irritability | Productivity drop, isolation, communication difficulty |
| Depression | Persistent low mood, loss of interest, apathy | More absences, presenteeism, performance decline |
| Burnout | Exhaustion, cynicism, reduced efficacy | Turnover, quality drop, higher error risk |
How to spot early warning signs
Small behaviour changes usually appear weeks or months before a formal absence. In clinical experience, three signs show up in almost every case: a visible mood change noticed by the team, a productivity drop without an operational cause, and an intensifying pattern of absences. Catching it early is what separates a quick adjustment from a months-long leave.
| Sign | Description | Possible action |
|---|---|---|
| Atypical behaviour | Mood or social-interaction changes visible to the team | Talk privately, without judgement |
| Productivity drop | Struggle to meet deadlines or keep usual quality | Review workload, offer explicit support |
| Frequent absences | Short, recurring absences with no clear operational cause | Investigate with empathy, open a dialogue channel |
What harms mental health at work most?
The WHO defines burnout as “a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” (WHO, 2019). Note: the problem is not stress itself, but the lack of management. Three factors recur most: excessive workload, unresolved interpersonal conflict, and managers who disappear when the team needs them.
Excessive workload. Overtime that becomes routine, targets that change weekly, and a permanent sense of never being “done” wear anyone down. When the pace is unsustainable for more than six months, the body starts to charge interest: insomnia, chronic pain, irritability. Redistributing tasks is maintenance, not a favour.
Interpersonal conflict. Poor workplace relationships corrode health as much as long hours. Unresolved arguments, gossip, and unequal treatment become daily noise that occupies mental space. Early mediation by HR or a neutral lead resolves most cases before they escalate.
Lack of leadership support. Managers who demand results without giving support, or who vanish in hard moments, breed anxious teams. The opposite is equally true: a leader who genuinely asks “how are you?” — and acts on the answer — changes the climate of the whole team.
How organisations can promote mental health in practice
The WHO estimates that lost global productivity from depression and anxiety reaches US$1 trillion a year (WHO, 2024). For an average company, every 1% improvement in team well-being can recover meaningful working hours. Three fronts, combined, actually work: wellbeing programmes, accessible psychological support, and trained leaders.
Wellbeing programmes start with the basics: real breaks, optional movement, access to physical activity, and a protected lunch hour. One-off stress workshops help, but only as a complement to a culture that respects rest. Teams with protected breaks report roughly half the burnout complaints of teams without them.
Psychological support — via an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), private cover, or online therapy — is one of the best-value measures. The key is removing the barrier to entry: a few free initial sessions, guaranteed confidentiality, and no link to performance review.
Leader training. Leaders are the first point of contact when someone is struggling. Training them in active listening, spotting signs of distress, and signposting to professional help has among the highest returns. They do not need to be therapists; they need to be human and prepared.
Why open communication matters
Only 1 in 3 people with depression worldwide receives formal care (WHO, 2025). At work, that means two out of three people with depression are trying to cope alone. Creating spaces to speak is not therapy, but it is what lets someone reach treatment before reaching their limit.
A psychologically safe environment is one where admitting things are hard does not become a recorded weakness. Leaders who share — without dramatising — that they have also had difficult moments give others permission to do the same. Constructive, timely feedback reduces performance anxiety; surprise public feedback creates avoidable stress. Short, frequent one-to-ones (20 minutes, fortnightly) keep a manager close to the team and cut down on assumption and rumour.
What policies actually work?
In the UK, the HSE expects employers to assess and manage work-related stress using its Management Standards, and ISO 45003:2021 provides guidance on psychological health and safety at work. In Jersey, health and safety law requires employers to protect employee wellbeing so far as is reasonably practicable. Compliance is only the starting point. A real policy is measured by use, not by paperwork.
Good-practice examples:
- Clear internal guides on what is offered and how to access it (counselling, support groups, listening channels).
- Periodic workshops on stress, sleep, and balance.
- Flexible policies: hybrid working, flexible hours, and a mental-health leave distinct from standard sick leave.
To build an effective internal policy: map what the team needs via an anonymous survey, set small goals with owners and deadlines, train leaders, and measure usage — not just existence.
Self-care strategies that work
Over half the global workforce is in the informal economy, without regulatory protection (WHO, 2024). For those in formal employment, the challenge is different: use what is available. Small daily changes, applied for weeks, beat big revolutions that do not last a month.
- Sleep: 7–8 hours, with a fixed wake time.
- Movement: 30 minutes of walking or moderate exercise daily.
- Nutrition: avoid large sugar swings that destabilise mood.
- 4-7-8 breathing: inhale 4 seconds, hold 7, exhale 8. Three cycles before tense meetings shift your physiological state.
- 10-minute daily meditation — by app or in silence.
- A 5-minute pause every 90 minutes of focused work; it is not lost time, it is focus maintenance.
The leader’s role
In 2021, the WHO estimated 1.1 billion people lived with a mental disorder — nearly 1 in 7 adults (WHO, 2025). In a 100-person company, that is roughly 14 to 20 people. A manager who takes care of their own health and speaks about it openly sets the precedent for the team. Leaders who take real holidays, leave on time, and ask for help when they need it send a clear message: self-care is not weakness. A leader who only demands results builds a team that breaks in two years; a leader who demands results and cares how delivers a team that performs for a decade.
The business case
The WHO estimates depression and anxiety cost the global economy 12 billion working days and US$1 trillion in lost productivity a year (WHO, 2024). For a mid-sized company, that shows up as measurable loss: more overtime, more turnover, more grievance cases. The return on investing in mental health tends to turn positive within 12–18 months, according to sector studies.
Can hypnotherapy support workplace mental health?
Hypnotherapy is not a replacement for occupational health services or psychotherapy, but it is an evidence-based complementary approach for specific, recurring problems — anticipatory anxiety before high-stakes situations, sleep difficulties, and habit change. Combined with behavioural techniques, it tends to accelerate results by creating a state of focused attention where suggestion and rehearsal have a more direct effect.
In my practice in Jersey, I integrate Ericksonian hypnotherapy with behavioural tools when it shortens a person’s path. It works best for habit maintenance and anticipatory anxiety — not as a standalone treatment for severe depression.
If you want to explore whether this approach fits your situation or your team’s, book a free 20-minute consultation. Online, in English or Portuguese, no commitment.
About the author: Fabio Morus is a clinical hypnotherapist with experience in CBT, EMDR, NLP, EFT, Ericksonian Hypnosis, and Positive Therapy. He practices in Jersey (UK) and online, in English and Portuguese. To talk about mental health in your team’s context, book a conversation.
