Learn how you can be mentally healthy at work, with suggestions for what you can do and where you can get support if you experience poor mental health.
If your mental health problem is impacting your working life, it can be tricky to know what to do. Fortunately, there are workplace support options available to help you.
On this page:
You may feel unsure whether to tell anyone at work about your ongoing mental health problem, or poor wellbeing. If you are comfortable with sharing, there are some benefits to doing so.
At first you might experience barriers like:
The possible benefits of talking about your mental health at work include:
"Talking to my employer was very hard because of shame and confidentiality reasons, but I was surprised and felt much more supported and understood."
If you want to tell your manager about your mental health problem, it can be hard to know where to start. To make the process easier, you could try the following suggestions:
For further guidance, see our legal rights page on telling your employer.
To help you stay well and work effectively, you might need to change something about your environment or the way you work.
You can make some changes on your own. Others, such as reasonable adjustments, will require action or agreement from your employer.
If you have a diagnosed mental health problem, think about what changes would help the difficulties you experience. Your employer might refer you to an occupational health adviser for advice on how best to support you.
"My employer understands exactly what it is I'm going through. They help and support me any way they can. I'm one of the lucky ones."
The changes you need will depend on the work you do and what you find difficult. You could ask to make changes such as the following examples:
If you need more help than reasonable adjustments, you may be able to get support from the Government. Find out more about the Access to Work scheme.
For ideas and tips on coping, read more in our self-care sections for different mental health problems.
Taking time off for your mental health is just as valid as time off for physical health. If you're too unwell to work, you need time to get better.
Even if you're off for a while, it doesn't mean you'll never go back to work. Your employer should support you when you're ready to return.
If you're off work for more than seven days in a row, you will need a fit note from your GP or hospital doctor. In most cases, you're entitled to statutory sick pay from your employer for the first 28 days you're off sick.
For more information, see the Government information on taking sick leave.
This information was published in December 2020. We will revise it in 2023.
References and bibliography available on request.
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