From Burnout to Better Workplaces: Why Mental Health Support Starts with Great Management

Petra Wilton reflects on Mental Health Awareness Week by calling for a shift in focus across FE and beyond. As digital tools like wellbeing apps grow in popularity, she argues that real progress relies on training managers to spot the signs, start conversations, and build mentally healthy workplaces.

Mental Health Awareness Week was a good time to take stock of how far workplaces have come and how far they still need to go. Over the past five years or so, we’ve seen a striking rise in how seriously employers are taking mental health. One of the clearest signs? The explosion in digital support.

New data from my organisation shows that two-thirds (66%) of UK employers now provide staff access to mental health and wellbeing apps, up several percentage points from just last year. Google search trends tell the same story: interest in “mental health apps” has surged by 367% since 2015, reflecting both rising demand and growing openness around mental health at work.

This is a welcome shift. From mindfulness tools to therapy platforms, digital solutions are helping normalise conversations and making support more accessible, particularly as NHS services face sustained pressure.

But it’s vital we don’t mistake progress for a silver bullet. While digital tools are an important part of the picture, they cannot and should not replace human leadership. Our research shows that unless employers are also investing in their people, particularly their managers, the job of supporting staff through ill health, be it physical or mental, is only half done.

Managers Matter More than Apps

Management is the missing piece in too many organisations. While digital tools are an important step forward, they can’t replace the human side of support. When employees are struggling, it’s often their manager they turn to or avoid. And yet, too few managers feel equipped to have sensitive conversations about mental health or to spot the signs when something is wrong.

CMI’s latest poll of over 1,200 UK managers found that wellness programmes and peer support are also on the rise. Nearly half (45%) of employers now offer some form of wellbeing programme, and almost a third (31%) offer peer support, connecting staff facing similar challenges. But fewer are going further. Just one in four (24%) offer health insurance that includes mental health cover, and only 17% offer dedicated “mental health days”.

More worryingly, many managers still report that they haven’t received proper training. A study by the Royal Society for Public Health found that the vast majority (64%) of the public want their employers or managers to be trained to have conversations about mental health. 

And research from Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England shows that most managers feel unprepared to provide support, often citing lack of training, time, or confidence as barriers.

This must change. Managers are the front line of workplace wellness. When they are equipped to lead with empathy and confidence, they can help catch problems early, prevent crises, and build cultures where people feel supported, not stigmatised.

The Economic and Legal Case is Clear

It’s not just about doing the right thing, there’s a strong business and economic case, too. The Government’s recent Keep Britain Working review, led by former John Lewis chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield, highlights the enormous cost of poor mental health. Young people with mental health challenges are nearly five times more likely to be economically inactive, contributing to a wider economic cost of up to £150 billion a year. Just last week, Reed recruitment published a survey that found that 85% of workers have experienced burnout symptoms and almost half needed time off due to poor mental health.

At a time when skills shortages are growing and productivity is under pressure, supporting staff wellbeing isn’t a “nice to have” perk. This challenge is too big to ignore and battling it is vital to retaining talent, reducing absenteeism, and boosting performance.

There’s also a legal duty. UK law requires employers to protect their staff’s mental health, just as they must protect their physical health. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Equality Act, employers must assess risks, make reasonable adjustments, and prevent discrimination. In practice, that means creating environments where mental health is taken seriously and where managers know what support to offer.

Building a Culture that Lasts

So what does good look like? It’s not about ticking boxes, it’s about building a culture of support. That means making mental health a core part of management development. It means giving managers the time and tools to check in properly with their teams. And it means rewarding leadership behaviours that prioritise people, not just performance metrics.

From universities to FE colleges, we work with employers of all sizes to build this kind of culture. The organisations that do it well don’t just run awareness weeks. They build mental health into job design, training and everyday conversations.

If there’s one message to take from this, it’s this: apps can help, but supportive managers make the biggest difference. Digital tools might open the door, but it’s trained, trusted managers who help people walk through it.

A healthy workplace starts with leadership. And the best investment an employer can make is in the managers who lead their people.

By Petra Wilton, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Chartered Management Institute (CMI)