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If you think a colleague is struggling with their mental health, it’s important to approach the issue sensitively and compassionately. Here, a psychologist shares her advice on how to do this.

If you count yourself among the quarter of the UK population who report having a mental health problem, or have supported someone through a period of poor mental health, you’ll know that working can quickly become overwhelming. In fact, your job can even be the cause of mental health issues, with research finding that over 17 million working days each year are lost to work-related stress, anxiety, and depression.

If you’re worried about a colleague, it can be hard to know how to approach this, or to know what warning signs to look out for. After all, you want to deal with the situation sensitively, while also looking out for their well-being. 

Sometimes, it isn’t always obvious when a colleague is struggling. “In today’s fast-paced work environments, mental health challenges often go unnoticed until they become severe, so it’s crucial to understand that distress can manifest in subtle ways,” explains psychologist Dr Ravi Gill.

To ensure that you can best support your colleagues’ mental health, Dr Gill recommends being aware of the following three signs that could mean someone you work with is struggling with their wellbeing. While you should be cautious about making assumptions about another person’s mental health, these signs can be used as indicators to assess the situation.

Observe how they communicate

If a colleague’s communication style changes, this could be a sign of a change in their mental health. “Your colleague’s tone might shift, becoming more curt, emotionally flat or unusually snappy,” explains Dr Gill. “Emails may lack their usual clarity or contain more errors, and they might disengage from collaborative conversations or seem distracted during meetings.

“Some workers may become overly apologetic or anxious in their interactions, seeking constant reassurance despite usually being confident.” 

Look out for changes to behaviour

Everyone acts differently at work – no two colleagues will be the same – but look out for any changes to a colleague’s regular behaviour. “You might notice they become more withdrawn, avoid meetings, team lunches, or casual conversations,” says Dr Gill. 

Watch out for workload

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