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Employee Relations

Mental health responsibility should not only rest with line managers

Dr Rishi Patel, clinical operations director at VitalityHealth UK, discusses why responsibility for workplace mental health should not rest solely with line managers.

Opinion
5 min read
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Dr rishi patel
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Just 5% of employees would speak to their manager about mental health concerns, according to Vitality’s research. That’s a concern, when you consider that over the last decade, line managers were – and still are – largely relied upon to act as first port of call for employees; whatever their health condition, worries or burdens.

Regardless of gender, age, working status or social status, manager came bottom when our respondents were asked: When it comes to talking about your mental health, who would you feel comfortable speaking to at all.

This is perhaps unsurprising when you consider the top responses were partner/spouse, mental health professional or friend. But it does raise questions for mental health policies and practices in workplaces; especially considering in 2023/2024 nearly half of all self-reported ill health is due to work-related stress, anxiety or depression. It is well reported that failing to manage stress effectively can result in reduced productivity and higher staff turnover.

So, considering our findings showed that more than nine in 10 employees reported feeling too uncomfortable to raise mental health concerns with their line managers, businesses are arguably at risk of a hidden productivity crisis. Our research revealed that 41% of employees have considered taking time off work due to stress, burnout or poor mental wellbeing; rising to 53% among Generation Z employees.

Ultimately, our findings challenge a long-held workplace assumption: that employees will raise concerns with their manager when they need support.

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The issue may not be that managers are having the wrong conversations. It may be that many employees do not want to have those conversations with managers at all. If employers want to support mental wellbeing more effectively, they need to think beyond manager-led interventions and create multiple routes into support that people feel comfortable using before issues escalate.

Mental health is a shared responsibility

Balancing an onus on managers with an onus on the ‘environment’ – in other words, on organisations – is likely to be welcomed by the so-called ‘squeezed middle’.

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Their traditional challenge was arguably enough to deal with; namely, being promoted because they’re good at their job, but not always receiving people management training or experience. That challenge expanded over the last decade. Now, as well as the usual responsibilities of motivating, mentoring and appraising, line managers need to be ready, willing and able to provide appropriate support and interventions; whatever a team member’s health condition or personal struggle.

Media and professional bodies regularly feature well-meaning advice about the role of line managers; how they need to be trained and equipped to ‘spot the signs’, ‘have good conversations’ and know ‘where to signpost’. Effectively a one-person triage service.

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All these aspects remain important. But placing ever-greater expectations on line managers risks overlooking a more fundamental question: are employees willing to seek support through their manager in the first place?

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Our research suggests many are not. Which means improving workplace mental health is not simply about equipping managers with more training. It’s about creating systems, cultures and support pathways that work for people who may never raise concerns with their manager at all.

Mental health support needs to start with understanding

Line managers still have an important role to play. They can help create open, supportive teams, spot when someone may be struggling and signpost to appropriate support. But they cannot, and should not, be expected to carry the full responsibility for workplace mental health.

Rather than assuming how people want to access support, employers need to start by listening.

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Understanding that employees’ needs will vary depending on their role, working pattern, life stage, health status and personal circumstances is vital. For some, the biggest barrier may be stigma. For others, it may be workload, lack of flexibility, poor awareness of available support, or simply not wanting to discuss something personal with their manager.

Understanding these barriers matters because many wellbeing strategies are still designed around assumptions rather than evidence. Employers should be asking where pressure is building, what the make up of their business is, which groups are least likely to seek support, and whether existing services are visible, trusted and easy to access. Without that insight, even well-intentioned wellbeing programmes risk missing the people who need them most.

In practice, a more effective approach means combining supportive management with clear, confidential and accessible routes into help. That could include digital tools to support day-to-day mental wellbeing, guided self-management programmes, access to talking therapies for the employee and their children, and practical workplace adjustments where needed. The key is making support available earlier, before stress, burnout or poor mental wellbeing escalates into absence or crisis.

For employers, this is not just a duty of care. It is a business issue. Poor mental wellbeing often affects concentration, energy, confidence and performance long before it leads to sickness absence.

If organisations want healthier, more productive and more resilient workforces, they need to challenge the assumption that support begins and ends with line managers. The real opportunity lies in understanding who your employees are, how they want to access help and designing support around those preferences.

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Because prevention starts long before a difficult conversation with a manager. It starts by building a workplace where people can access the right support, in the right way, before they reach crisis point.

Dr Rishi Patel is clinical operations director at VitalityHealth UK

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