Mental health in the workplace is no longer a fringe topic. It’s a central part of how businesses perform, grow, and sustain healthy cultures. For founder-led companies in particular—where the pace is fast and the pressure is high—the mental wellbeing of your team can either quietly support your momentum or slowly undermine it.
This isn’t just theory. It’s backed by data and echoed in boardrooms across the UK.
Around 15% of UK workers live with an existing mental health condition. In 2022/23 alone, 875,000 employees reported stress, depression, or anxiety—issues that collectively resulted in 17 million lost workdays (Mental Health Foundation). And perhaps even more concerning: only 13% of employees feel they can speak openly about mental health at work.
So while it might not feel like “new news,” the challenge is both widespread and persistent – and it affects your team, whether you’re aware of it or not.
As a business leader, you’re not expected to solve everything. But you do play a key role in how your people experience work, especially when they’re not OK.
And yet, most leaders hesitate.
You’re not a therapist. You’ve got targets to hit, a team to lead, and Slack notifications piling up. So when someone on your team starts withdrawing, missing deadlines, or seeming emotionally checked out, it’s easy to second-guess yourself. Should you say something? What if you say the wrong thing—or worse, open a conversation you can’t finish?
This is the quiet tension so many founders and managers experience. And here’s the truth: you don’t need to be a counsellor. But you do need to show up as a human.
What to avoid saying
There are some familiar phrases many managers fall back on – often with the best of intentions – that don’t actually help.
- “Let me know if you need anything.” This feels polite and open-ended (see previous post). But it’s too passive and pushes the responsibility back onto the person who may already be overwhelmed or unsure of what they need.
- “We’ve all been stressed lately.” While perhaps meant to show solidarity, this can minimise their personal experience and make them feel dismissed.
- “Just take a few days off.” Time off can certainly help, but suggesting it as a quick fix can feel like you’re trying to brush the issue away – or outsource the solution.
- “What’s going on with you lately?” Even if well-intended, this kind of phrasing can come across as critical or confrontational, particularly if said in a moment of frustration or hurry.
What to say instead
You don’t need perfect phrasing. You just need to be sincere. One of the most effective openers is:
“I’ve noticed you seem a bit quieter than usual (or more stressed, or distracted), and I wanted to check in. How are things with you?”
Then pause. Give space, let them talk and really listen.
If they open up, you don’t need to offer solutions, just acknowledgment and support:
“Thanks for sharing that. I know it’s not always easy to talk about.”
“Would it help to chat through what support might be useful right now?”
The key is to listen without trying to fix. Often, your presence and willingness to hold space will be the most valuable thing you offer.
Why this matters
Managers have significant influence over how people feel at work. Yet most employees never discuss their mental health with their manager. In fact, more than one in three employees say they’ve never had a mental health conversation with their manager (SHRM / Wellable).
That silence doesn’t mean everything is fine. It usually means people are unsure whether they’ll be met with support or judgment.
Your role = support, don’t fix
You’re not expected to diagnose anyone or offer expert help. But you can:
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Create a safe environment where people feel seen and heard
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Adjust workloads, priorities or expectations when someone is struggling
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Point them towards professional help (whether that’s HR, a GP, or an employee assistance programme)
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Check in again later. A one-off chat is rarely enough—follow-up shows you genuinely care
Don’t wait for a crisis to start the conversation
Mental health conversations shouldn’t be saved for when someone’s already in distress. A proactive culture starts with the small things: how you model openness, how you share challenges, and how you talk about pressure.
You can normalise mental health in your team by:
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Being open about how you manage stress, pressure, and workload
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Sharing wellbeing resources throughout the year—not just during Mental Health Awareness Week
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Equipping other managers to feel confident in starting (and sustaining) these conversations
This isn’t therapy. It’s just good leadership.
And in a business where performance, trust and retention matter -showing up in this way might make more of a difference than you realise.
Contact us on hello@thehrhub.co.uk or call on 0203 951 1208 if you’re unsure or want some extra support in this area.
Not a phone or email kind of person? Grab my book, The MAGIC of HR, for more practical tips to build a culture that actually works.
