Brand see, brand do…except where our own employees' mental health is concerned

While the comms industry knows the power of listening, showing empathy and building human connection, qualities which also sit at the heart of good mental health, new research shows it still has room to grow. Three in ten PR, marketing and communications professionals in SMEs who need mental health support don’t feel able to ask for it as they worry their concerns won’t be taken seriously.

In terms of ‘brand see, brand do’ these findings arguably present a problem. Put simply, the very people tasked with helping organisations communicate better, don’t feel they can communicate within their own firms.

The inability to communicate any mental health needs is only part of the challenge, and those in our industry know that communication is about far more than simply moving a message from A to B. It’s also, fundamentally, about meaning and how people feel when they speak up.

Building on that, the research shows that nearly a quarter of those who feel unable to ask for support, fear their concerns won’t be taken seriously and that the environments they work in don’t have the right systems in place to provide support.

In other words, and critically, the day-to-day signals people pick up in their workplaces aren’t translating into feelings of openness, honesty or trust. In environments where those qualities genuinely underpin the culture, where they’re not just stated values but lived ones, people are better able to manage stress, avoid burnout and ultimately do their best work.

As the adage goes ‘what gets measured gets managed’, and the same is true for employee health. By truly understanding employee health needs, businesses are presented with a unique opportunity to strengthen their workforces by leaning into the investments and options that would make the biggest difference to their organisation. Ultimately, health and wellbeing is more than hosting a yoga class at lunch time – it’s about reframing your culture and understanding of what health at work is, right from the very top of your business.

Traditionally smaller agencies and comms teams are often thought of as offering employees a ‘family feel’, being in a better space to understand employee needs and provide a personal workspace that larger companies simply can’t. This has helped them attract talent, retain clients and build reputations grounded in trust. If that sense of belonging is slipping, the implications are significant.

Good mental health rests on trust, and trust, in turn, rests on communication. It underpins everything from workplace wellbeing schemes to employee support programmes. Without it, even the best-intentioned initiatives struggle to land.

The workplaces where people feel genuinely safe discussing mental health are those where openness, honesty and trust aren’t just posters on the wall but everyday norms, reinforced by leaders and echoed by peers.

And that’s exactly where our research draws a sharper line: identifying the key barriers faced by those who needed mental health support at work but still felt unable to ask for it.

At the top is ‘lack of managerial training’ (47%), closely followed by ‘perceived stigma around mental health’ (45%). Next comes ‘employees not believing their concerns would be taken seriously if raised’ (38%), then ‘not having the right workplace culture in place to provide support’ (37%).

We’ve touched on the management aspect (it’s all about behaviour!), so let’s take a moment to consider stigma, because that arguably feeds into all the other barriers.

While we may assume that stigma is a thing of the past, this unfortunately doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, recent research from King’s College London suggests it’s getting worse instead of better.

It finds that negative rhetoric around mental health is on the increase and risks undoing the progress in attitudes achieved in recent years. For example, researchers have suggested that this discourse includes branding young people as “workshy”.

Stigma has no place in the modern workplace. Our health is a significant contributor to how we operate within the workplace, and the sooner we break down these barriers, the sooner we will improve people’s lives and health.

Businesses have a unique opportunity to play a positive role in providing this support and creating a culture that nurtures rather than isolates. After all, there’s a big knock-on effect on business outcomes here too.

Vitality’s data finds that businesses prioritising mental health are more likely to attract and retain talent. Nearly eight in ten respondents were also shown to be more likely to take a job or stay with their current employer if offered stress and burnout management courses, line manager training for common mental health conditions and easy access to mental support such as counselling. Of course, all of this has to be lived and breathed. All the best training and counselling cannot make up for a culture that fails to walk the talk.

What the research collectively highlights, is the upside for employers who get this right. Healthier cultures don’t just reduce sickness absence; they lift energy, focus and productivity across teams. When that cultural commitment is paired with the right tools like preventive health support, and the right care at any point of need, alongside a strategic approach to health and wellbeing, businesses see the benefits twice over. It becomes a virtuous circle: a workforce that feels supported shows up better, stays longer and delivers more.