At Mansfield Innovation Centre, we work closely with businesses of all sizes and understand the growing importance of creating healthy, supportive workplaces. One area that continues to come into sharper focus is mental health. While awareness has improved significantly, many organisations are still unsure how to recognise early signs of poor mental health or how best to support their teams. We caught up with mental health expert Lee Morris at Optimise Learning, and asked him about the most common challenges employees face today—and what can be done about them. From your experience, what are the most common mental health challenges people face at work today? From my experience, the most common challenge I see in the workplace is stress. I also see a considerable amount of anxiety and worry. Of course, they can often be linked. One thing I always highlight is that when people hear ‘mental health’, they often think of mental illness. In reality, what we’re much more likely to see in the workplace is poor mental health, things like feeling overwhelmed, struggling to cope, or being under sustained pressure. A lot of this stress comes down to the way we’re working. Heavy workloads, tight deadlines, and the expectation to always be ‘on’ can make it difficult to switch off. Over time, that pressure builds, and if it’s not managed, it can lead to burnout. The workplace is not the only reason for high amounts of stress. Personal stressors such as financial pressures, job insecurities, technology/information overload, time pressures, family challenges and wider societal factors, can all lead to increased stress levels. I also see a lack of confidence in talking about mental health at work. Even though awareness has improved, many people still worry about being judged or seen differently, so they keep things to themselves. That’s why it’s so important for organisations, no matter their size, to have people who can recognise early signs, have supportive conversations, and help guide people towards the right support. This can be owners, senior leaders, managers but also Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAiders) or Wellbeing Champions. How can someone tell the difference between normal work stress and something more serious? Stress in itself isn’t always a bad thing. In small amounts, it can help us stay focused and perform well. The difference comes when stress becomes constant, overwhelming, or starts to affect other areas of life. I like to get people to look at their own ‘stress signature’. We are all different, and understanding what happens to you physically, emotionally and behaviourally is key to spotting the early warning signs of stress. Some key things to look out for:
- Struggling to switch off, even outside of work
- Changes in sleep or energy levels
- Feeling more irritable or emotional than usual
- Increased aches and pains
- Losing motivation or enjoyment in work
If those feelings stick around for a couple of weeks or more, or start to impact day-to-day life, it could be a sign that it’s something more serious and support is needed. This is where having trained people in the workplace, such as Managers and MHFAiders, can make a real difference by giving individuals a safe, approachable first point of contact before things escalate further. Are there early warning signs that individuals or managers often miss? Yes, and this is something I focus on a lot in my training. I love the word ‘curious’, and I think it’s so important for all of us to have a level of ‘professional curiosity’. Check-in with people, ask questions and listen (and I mean really listen) to their responses. Also, when you ask how someone is doing, don’t take the answer of, “I’m fine.”, “I’m ok.”, ‘Not bad.” as being the definitive answer. Often it can be a way of deflecting and masking. Ask more questions. Early signs are often subtle and easy to overlook, especially in busy workplaces. Things like:
- Someone becoming quieter or more withdrawn
- Changes in behaviour or mood
- Increased sickness absence or lateness
- A drop in performance or concentration
For individuals, it might feel like:
- “I’m just tired”
- “I just need to push through”
- “There are people a lot worse off than me”
But these can often be early indicators of poor mental health, rather than something more severe, and catching it early is key. For managers, the key is knowing your team well enough to notice when something changes and feeling confident to start a supportive conversation early, rather than waiting until things escalate. Again, this is where MHFAiders can play a vital role in supporting both individuals and managers, helping to spot those early signs and guide people to the right support. About Lee and Optimise Learning If you’re looking to build confidence in your team to spot the signs early, have supportive conversations, and create a more open culture around mental health, Lee delivers both accredited and bespoke workplace mental health training and talks tailored to your organisation. He is an award-winning workplace mental health trainer, working with organisations across the UK to create healthier, more supportive workplaces. Feel free to get in touch to find out more. A big thank you to Lee for providing such helpful insights.Here at Mansfield Innovation Centre, we want all of our customers to know that you’re not alone. If you need a short break or someone to talk to, our reception team is always available for a private chat away from the office. Please feel free to reach out—sometimes a small conversation can make a big difference.