A majority of Brits have felt they needed mental health support at work, according to a new piece of research from Pipslay.

The global consumer research platform polled 8,000 working Britons to understand their opinions about digital health services and workplace mental health.

It said the pandemic has both ‘underlined the need for and accelerated the efforts made by companies to address their employees’ mental well-being’.

Focus on mental health

The report comes during a week when Nike has has joined a growing list of high profile companies like Microsoft, Barclays, Amazon and EY that are prioritising employee mental wellbeing. Workers have been offered paid leave, in-person workshops, or extra time off.

Seven in 10 Brits were aware of these positive moves made by some larger companies to help their employees’ mental health, and 76% supported the initiatives.

But only 45% of UK respondents said their own company offered any type of mental health support.

Not willing to seek support

Despite 54% saying they needed mental health support at work, the research revealed that only 39% actually sought that help. This varied according to age group, with 33% of millennial respondents having sought mental health support at work compared to just 24% of Gen Xers and 43% of Gen Zers.

Overall six in 10 admitted doing nothing to get support from their employer.

Common reasons given for this lack of action include being worried about giving a bad impression at work, cited by 22% and being uncomfortable seeking help (14%).

A minority (16%) said they didn’t think it would be helpful while, surprisingly, 6% of workers were actually discouraged from seeking help from others, such as a colleague or family member.