Employee wellbeing and mental health

Wellbeing

There was a time that the duty of care of employers was focused almost exclusively on health and safety, stress, and absence management. These issues all have one thing in common - they have a direct and measurable impact on the workplace. A shift has occurred, however, more recently, whereby a more holistic approach is taken to the protection and promotion of the employees as an individual. This is known as 'wellbeing'. 

Mental Health 

Poor mental health is a serious issue that affects a growing number of individuals. Employers are therefore encouraged to incorporate mental health support into their wider wellbeing strategy, and follow an approach that proactively seeks to avoid mental health issues developing, and supports those in cases where poor mental health has developed. 

See our toolkit for resources across the site Wellbeing and mental health toolkit.

Key points

• Employee wellbeing should be approached holistically, caring for the physical, mental, and even financial health of individual employees. 
• Wellbeing and mental health support should be incorporated as part of an organisation's people strategy.
• They are both relevant throughout the employee lifecycle, with employee's offered support for their wellbeing and mental health at every stage of their career with the organisation. 
• Focusing on wellbeing and mental health can bring many benefits, including increased retention and productivity, and decreased absenteeism.