‘Young professionals are facing a mental health crisis’: Research calls on employers to increase wellbeing support in the workplace

As three in five people report that the state of their mental wellbeing impacts their work, Saman Javed takes a closer look at what employers can do to help those struggling

A young professional has a virtual meeting with colleagues (Getty Images)

Changes to working patterns, more than a year of social restrictions and worries about the climate crisis have had a last impact on young people’s mental health, and it is affecting their ability to do their jobs well, new research has found.

Two-thirds of young people believe that the state of their mental health impacts their work and that it is time their employers offer better support. A poll of 1,000 professionals, carried out by YouGov and commissioned by the City Mental Health Alliance (CMHA) in partnership with Bupa, found that being anxious or stressed has a direct impact on concentration levels.

Of those surveyed, one in five people said this happened either “all the time” or “often”, while 41 per cent said it happened “sometimes” in the past year. Additionally, nearly one-third of people (28 per cent) took time off work, either as sick leave or annual leave, because they were struggling with their mental health.