Read: A perfect storm for young professionals in the workplace

Mental wellbeing affects how we feel about ourselves and how we envisage our future. Poor mental health can have a profound effect on our lives, including how well we can do our jobs. 

New research commissioned by the City Mental Health Alliance (CMHA) in partnership with Bupa, has found that the impact of social restrictions imposed during the pandemic and the new working patterns that were introduced, together with anxiety about climate change, has created a perfect storm for young people’s mental health. 

A poll of 1000 professionals found that two thirds of young people believe that the state of their mental health affects their ability to do their jobs well and that being anxious or stressed has a direct impact on their concentration levels. One in five of those surveyed said it happened all the time or often while 41 per cent said it happened sometimes in the past year. Nearly a third took time off work as a result, either as sick leave or annual leave.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have also highlighted the extent of the impact on the public’s mental health with one in six adults, 17 per cent, experiencing some form of depression this summer. Although that had fallen from the high of 21 per cent at the beginning of the year, it is still almost double the pre-pandemic figure of ten per cent. 

Almost half of those surveyed in the CMHA research said that one of the most important things they look for in a prospective employer is the prioritisation of employees’ mental health and wellbeing. Sixty per cent said mental health support from their employer would help them work more effectively and 66 per cent said it would increase job satisfaction and the likelihood that they would stay with the company. They also wanted to see support services signposted from the first day of a new job. However, there was a significant caveat that young professionals would only feel comfortable using mental health services at work if they were sure that it would not impact their career.

There is a clear message here for employers. In order to attract and retain the best talent, they will need to provide effective support for mental wellbeing but also the reassurance that their workforce can feel confident in using it without repercussion or stigma. 

Many businesses are already demonstrating that they understand that this is more important than ever in running a successful organisation where colleagues can thrive. Following COVID-19, they have recognised that looking after their staff’s mental health is as important as their physical health. That care can be offered in a number of ways including practical advice, implementing healthy work practices, mentoring and networking sessions where shared experience can be helpful, especially if senior staff are also willing to get involved. 

A number of the organisations currently working with the Purpose Coalition are looking at wellbeing across their organisations. Sodexo, for example, has recently rebranded its employee assistance programme with very positive feedback from staff who report they are more likely to use the current services than they would have been previously. The company has seen tangible results, with stress-related absences reduced from an average of 27 days to 14 days in 95% of cases where intervention took place as part of the programme from day one. 

Another partner, the Co-op, has created a mental health toolkit designed to encourage colleagues to talk about mental health and to signpost support. It provides a free service for colleagues and family members, LifeWorks, to help with any situation that may be affecting their wellbeing. It also provides 24/7 access to a virtual GP which provides mental health support, nutrition and fitness consultations as well as second opinions.

That illustrates the very real difference that a focus on mental health at work can make, for the business and for its employees, at every level. Everyone in the workplace should feel comfortable having conversations about mental health. Young people have been particularly clear that it should be on the agenda in any organisation they work for. They want to see purposeful intention by businesses that will help to ensure more positive mental wellbeing and will make their job choices on that basis. Businesses which fail to deliver risk losing out on attracting and retaining the very best talent.

Seema Kennedy OBE, Levelling Up Goals Co-Chair; former Minister for Public Health, Home Office Minister, and the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Private Secretary