Strengthening mental wellbeing support: why early action matters
Prevention and early intervention can significantly reduce the toll poor mental health takes on employees and business performance.
The Keep Britain Working white paper underscores the urgency: in 2022/23, 875,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression, or anxiety, leading to 17.1 million lost working days.
The financial cost is also staggering, with the UK’s workplace health crisis driven by absenteeism, presenteeism, and turnover.
Our September 2024 research confirmed that 64% of businesses have reported a rise in absenteeism due to mental health issues
On the positive side, we also found that 40% of businesses see strengthening mental health support as a strategic priority – so how exactly can businesses use benefits to support wellbeing?
Foster an open-door policy around mental health
A workplace culture that normalises and supports mental health conversations encourages early intervention.
Initiatives such as mental health workshops, awareness campaigns, and approachable leadership signal commitment and reduce stigma, helping employees seek support sooner.
Offer meaningful preventative resources
Generic benefits can often go unused.
For example, traditional employee assistance programmes (EAPs) often see engagement rates below 4-5%, limiting their impact.
Instead of relying solely on traditional resources, organisations should invest in initiatives like mindfulness programmes, meditation apps, and personalised wellbeing webinars.
These tools empower employees to proactively manage and monitor stress, whereas EAPs tend to be a reactive tool which are often used when an employee is already experiencing significant stress.
Use data to improve engagement with benefits
New research from BW shows that while 73% of business leaders feel their companies are well-prepared to manage mental health issues, less than half are actively collecting data on employee mental health conditions.
It’s research like this which exposes a significant gap in understanding and addressing this growing crisis.
Analysing benefit usage patterns, conducting surveys to gather feedback, and refining access to support can allow organisations to move towards more tailored, meaningful solutions.
For example, alternative benefits to EAPs such as on-demand counselling, proactive wellness coaching, or digital therapy platforms may better meet employee needs.
Encourage regular check-ins
Managers play a key role in spotting early signs of burnout.
Frequent, informal conversations about wellbeing allow businesses to act before issues escalate.
Adjusting responsibilities or facilitating professional support can prevent problems from getting worse.
Establish preventative leave policies
Flexible leave policies support mental health before crises emerge.
Normalising ‘mental health days’ without stigma acknowledges that wellbeing is just as important as physical health, ultimately improving morale and reducing long-term absences.
Promote work-life balance
High pressure, heavy workload and rigid schedules can contribute to stress and disengagement.
BW research shows that 31% of organisations are beginning to offer greater flexibility in working arrangements – certainly flexible hours, part-remote options, and reasonable expectations help employees maintain a better balance, fostering a healthier and more productive workforce.
Ensure fast-tracked access to support
Delays in accessing care can worsen mental health issues.
Businesses can partner with mental health services or offer expedited counselling and therapy to prevent prolonged absences and enhance employee resilience.
If you offer benefits such as private medical insurance, see if there are direct services available which can form part of an early detection mental health pathway.
These should be proactively promoted alongside your wellbeing initiatives.
Proactive support pays off
Investing in preventative mental health strategies is both the right thing to do and commercially smart.
Implementing proactive strategies to support mental wellbeing will:
- Reduce stress-related absences;
- Lower turnover;
- Improve retention;
- Boost engagement; and
- Drive productivity.
Even recovering a fraction of lost working days could unlock significant resources for further investment and growth.
But to make a real impact, mental health benefits must evolve beyond traditional models.
When organisations prioritise proactive wellbeing measures, they create environments where employees feel supported, valued, and empowered - laying the foundation for long-term success and resilience.
Explore BW’s Employer DNA research, designed to help your business to evolve and thrive, to find out more: Employer DNA | Barnett Waddingham.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Barnett Waddingham
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