It is estimated that the average person spends 3515 days at work in their lifetime. This calculates to be roughly 1795 hours a year based on a 34.5 hour working week and 84 365 hours over a lifetime. These figures, however, do not take into account overtime hours or a commute, so in reality, these numbers are much higher. It is a remarkable amount of time for us to spend at work, as well as a long time to spend with our colleagues. If this number is broken down further, during the course of a day, a person sleeps on average for 8 hours and works for eight, leaving another 8 for recreation. These recreational hours, however, get divided up into day-to-day chores, commuting to and from work, cooking, shopping, childcare and whatever else is left to fit into a day. Out of a 24-hour-period, those 8 hours spent at work are the longest amount of time we spend awake and with the same group of people. We actually spend more time with our coworkers than we do our own families. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2017), at any given time, one in six people of the working age population of Britain experience symptoms associated with mental ill health. Though we do not get to choose our colleagues, and they certainly are not selected on the basis of friendship and compatibility, the time we all spend together at work actually puts us in the perfect position to spot signs of mental ill health among our team members.
Spotting signs
The NHS defines mental illnesses, or mental health disorders, as various conditions that affect an individual’s mood, behaviour, feelings, thoughts and how they interact with others. This can affect normal day-to-day functioning and can impact someone in both their personal and professional life. People's mental health issues and struggles manifest differently. However, the most common mental health issues are anxiety and depression (Mind, 2020), with stress often being the main aggravator.
The causes of a mental health problem are not always obvious; they could be related to a difficult life event (divorce or bereavement), financial worries, a hereditary problem or a medical condition, for example. In some cases, there may be no obvious cause at all. Despite the narrative surrounding mental health conditions now improving—it has become more widely accepted to not be ok—not everyone will be outspoken about how they are feeling. Therefore, recognising when a member of staff is struggling and feeling equipped to be able to support them is essential for early intervention of a mental health problem that could potentially escalate, if left ignored.
The following, though not an exhaustive list, are some of the more common signs that an employee, or fellow team member, could be struggling with their mental health.
Mood and behaviour
Any changes in mood or temperament, like snapping and a lack of patience, disorganisation, forgetfulness, zoning out and seeming otherwise preoccupied. It could be as obvious as the usually funny, happy, smiling coworker becoming steadily moodier or despondent. However, it could also manifest as an overreaction to change or an allocated task, like crying or an aggressive outburst to another colleague. In the workplace, sometimes an emotional eruption such as this can be seen as being disruptive but often, a change in mood and behaviour could be a sign that they need some help.
Change in habits
Certain habits can be a crutch when people are struggling with their mental health and do not feel like they can control what is going on around them. For example, someone who had previously stopped smoking may take it up again or someone who is a smoker may be smoking a lot more to help with any anxiety they are feeling. Similarly with eating habits, stress can affect people's appetites; if someone is struggling to eat or is eating very little, leaving meals untouched or half finished, this is a possible indicator of mental health issues, as is the opposite (excessive overeating). Other habits could be biting nails, constant fidgeting, obsessive cleaning, grinding their teeth—all could be small coping mechanisms for someone under an increased amount of stress.
Timekeeping
Sometimes, mental ill health can make a person feel overwhelmed, so much so that they may struggle to stick to time and are often late or absent from work. Again, this puts pressures on the other team members sparking irritation, which could prevent enquiry into the real reasons behind the absences and lateness. This is why it is important to investigate the issue and not let these absences go ignored without helpful and supportive intervention.
Appearance
Signs of depression can manifest in one's appearance; having a shower, washing clothes or even brushing their hair can seem like a task for someone who is struggling, so a decline in personal hygiene and not caring as much about one's appearance is a sign to look out for. While this might seem quite obvious, there are other ways stress and anxiety can become apparent in someone's appearance. For example, some may get flare-ups of pre-existing skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea or psoriasis, bags under their eyes could become more prominent and something as extreme as hair loss could occur as a result of prolonged mental ill health.
Stress-free solutions
According to Deloitte’s UK Mental Health Report (2022), mental ill health costs UK employers approximately £56 billion each year. This is through absences, staff turnover and underperformance at work while suffering from mental health disorders. While saving money should not be the focus here, it demonstrates how much is at stake when a workplace does not have any mental health support for their employees. Identifying that a colleague is struggling with their mental health is only half the battle; they may not wish to talk about it. What employers and employees can do is aim to create an environment that supports everyone, making it easier for individuals to ask for help, talk about their problems and take sensible steps towards recovery. As with symptoms of mental health disorders, this can look different from business to business, but the following are some ideas for employers and employees to help colleagues who are suffering from mental health issues.
Take an interest
It is easier to discuss changes in someone's behaviour if there is already a foundation of care and interest in one another. Are they married? Do they have children? Do they live alone? What do they do outside of work? Knowing the answers to simple questions like these may make it easier for someone to explain how they are feeling and for others to understand what they are going through. These days, it is very easy to focus on our own struggles, but asking if someone is ok—really ok—could make all the difference to how that person is feeling and encourage them to open up.
Confidential one-on-one meetings
Senior staff members/managers should make time to have one-on-one meetings with each of their staff members. From a business perspective, this allows time to discuss performance, training and targets, for example, but also provides the opportunity to check in with staff and find out how they are, or bring up any concerns about their welfare. These meetings should be a confidential, safe space to discuss the needs of individual staff members and how they can be supported if they are struggling with their mental health, what changes can be made to help them in the workplace—whether this is a leave of absence, a change in shift pattern or break allocation. Regular meetings like this make it easier for a struggling member of staff to come and discuss their concerns.
Box 1.Mental health statistics1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England (The Mental Health Foundation, 2022)1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week in England (The Mental Health Foundation, 2022)Almost half of workers (46%) say they have worked in recent months despite not feeling physically or mentally well enough to perform their duties—this is known as presenteeism (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2022)1 in 6.8 people experience mental health problems in the workplace (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2008)
Table 1. Useful definitions
| Depression | A common mental disorder that causes people to experience depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration |
| Anxiety | A type of fear usually associated with the thought of a threat or something going wrong in the future, but it can also arise from something happening right now |
| Schizophrenia | A serious disorder of the mind and brain often described as a type of psychosis, which means sufferers might be unable to tell the difference between their thoughts and reality |
| Bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression) | A mood disorder that causes extreme mood swings from high to low. Bipolar is the fourth most common mental health problem worldwide after depression, anxiety and schizophrenia |
Team-building exercises
If a team has bonded, they will be more understanding of one another and more supportive in times of crisis. Team building could be something as simple as a pizza after work or a movie night, it does not have to be some big corporate day out. As long as there is opportunity for everyone to get together outside of the workplace, everyone will become more comfortable with one another. It helps the employees struggling with their mental health to not only take their minds off what is bothering them and offer some respite, but it will also make them feel reassured about discussing their problems. For other employees, team exercises provide even more time to get to know and understand their coworkers, thus making it easier to spot signals when one of them is struggling.
Prioritise mental health
Even if all the above are in place, people cannot be forced into opening up and discussing how they are feeling. However, they may feel more comfortable talking to a professional, which is why mental health initiatives in the workplace are incredibly important. Again, this does not have to be a large and costly enterprise, it could be as simple as allowing staff access to a councillor or a helpline, providing mental health days where people can recharge and reset or generally discussing mental health in the workplace. If there is a continuous narrative, people will feel less afraid to take action, whether this is an employee seeking advice for themselves or for another.
Conclusion
Even with these things in place, it will not stop someone from struggling with life outside of the workplace. Unfortunately, mental ill health is not something that can be prevented as such; what it will do is make employees feel supported, giving them the opportunity to share their burden if they want to.
Research has shown that 34% of people found work to be the most stressful area in their lives (Mind, 2020). If we become more aware and proactive in changing the culture in our workplaces and look out for one another, this will no longer be the case.
For more information on implementing better mental health support for employees, see these useful resources:
Deloitte: Mental health and employers: the case for investment—pandemic and beyond
Mind: How to support staff who are experiencing a mental health problem