Business
Why mental health is so important in the workplace
Published by Jessica Weisman-Pitts
Posted on October 18, 2021
3 min readLast updated: January 29, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Jessica Weisman-Pitts
Posted on October 18, 2021
3 min readLast updated: January 29, 2026
Mental health is vital in the workplace. Employers must support employees, educate on mental health, and break the stigma for better wellbeing.
By Tiffany Victoria, Assistant Manager at ZEDRA
Mental health is a uniquely personal topic and can often be seen as something you only discuss with your closest family and friends. However, I think it is so important to dismantle the stigma around mental health in the workplace and encourage people to discuss their mental health with colleagues. Let’s face it, most of us spend more time with colleagues than our own families!
The workplace can be a particularly high-pressure environment and there may be some stresses that people only experience at work. Ensuring that the appropriate support framework is available and employees are encouraged to talk honestly about their state of mind is especially important.
How can employers make a difference to employee wellbeing and mental health?
Breaking the stigma
In the last decade, we have seen a huge increase in the conversation around mental health with more and more people open to discussing their own experiences and willing to share what they’ve learnt with others. However, we still have a long way to go to break the stigma attached with having “mental health difficulties”.
To start with, the terminology around mental health is often completely misguided. We all have mental health and we all have to look after it. It’s not a problem that needs fixing, it’s an integral part of each of us that needs care and attention just as our physical health does.
If you broke your leg, you wouldn’t describe yourself as having “difficulties with your physical health”, you’d say you broke your leg, right? So why if you have anxiety, depression, or PTSD are you labelled as having “difficulties with your mental health”? Why are all diagnoses of mental health conditions grouped together, as if they’re all the same?
The spectrum of people’s experiences with their mental health is incredibly broad and each individual will have a unique response to these experiences, requiring a unique solution. Once we view mental health as an equal, interconnected partner to physical health, we will be able to move forward with providing effective support to those who need it.
The impact of my experience
My own experiences in early adulthood have opened my eyes to the world of mental healthcare, both the good and the bad. It has sparked a passion in me to campaign for quality, timely support, education on the first signs of difficulties and raising awareness and breaking the stigma attached with mental health diagnoses.
The article discusses the importance of mental health in the workplace and how employers can support employee wellbeing.
Employers can support mental health by creating a supportive environment, educating employees, and providing resources.
Breaking the stigma around mental health encourages open discussions and helps employees seek the help they need.
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