Mental health at work
When work asks more than you can carry, the answer can involve the conditions around you as well as personal support. Explore what feels difficult and what would make a useful conversation.
Workload and support are part of wellbeing.
High demands, little control, unclear roles and difficult working relationships can affect mental health. Support can involve changes to working conditions, not only helping someone cope.
People can also experience a mental health condition while working. A workplace questionnaire cannot decide its cause, your ability to do a job or what care you need.
Based on World Health Organization
Working conditions belong beside personal support.
- Demands
Workload, priorities and time
- Control & clarity
A say in the work and clear expectations
- People & support
Communication and available help
- Possible changes
What could make the demands more manageable?
Working conditions are a legitimate part of the conversation.
Workload, control, job insecurity, discrimination and support can affect mental health. An explanation focused only on personal coping can miss the conditions that need to change.
A concrete difficulty
Describe a task, demand or barrier rather than proving resilience.
A possible adjustment
Ask what change could help participation.
A review point
Clarify who will respond and when the arrangement will be reconsidered.
Based on WHO
What would you like understood about work?
Areas to describe, rather than a fitness-for-work assessment.
Demands & time
The demands and time available do not seem to fit.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities or priorities feel unclear.
Control
You have little say in how work gets done.
Your support needs
You need support with a relationship, health need or return to work.
Based on World Health Organization · NHS · Every Mind Matters
Keep the purpose of a measure clear.
A conversation can cover working conditions and the effect on your health. You can also speak privately to a health professional about difficulties beyond work.
CBI distinguishes personal, work-related and client-related exhaustion. Client-related questions are relevant only where that domain fits; they must not be silently treated as zero when it does not.
Based on World Health Organization · NHS · Every Mind Matters · National Research Centre for the Working Environment · Denmark
- 1What is difficult?
One demand, uncertainty or working condition.
- 2What is the effect on you?
Your health, energy or day outside work, if you want to share.
- 3What would help?
A practical change or a private conversation about support.
Make one request easier to explain.
You can prepare privately, without identifying your workplace.
A concrete demand
Which responsibility or part of the day needs attention?
A change that could help
A clearer priority, a shared task or a conversation about support.
A person to ask
Who could help discuss the practical issue or your health needs?
Based on World Health Organization · NHS · Every Mind Matters
Support can include a change in the way work is arranged.
You can choose what feels useful, with room for your circumstances and preferences.
Based on World Health Organization · NHS · Every Mind Matters
Ask about support and information-sharing arrangements.
Depending on your setting, occupational health, a worker representative or an appropriate manager may help. Ask what information is required and how it will be handled before disclosing details.
Local processes and employment rights vary. This page does not determine entitlement, fitness for work or the outcome of a workplace request.
A little clarity. A place to start.
Explore a tool, prepare a conversation or find someone to talk to. Choose what feels useful to you.
Prepare for a conversation
A few prompts to help you explain what you have noticed and what you would like help with.
- A simple notes builder
- Copy your notes to keep
- No account needed
You decide how much to write and share.
Find your wordsFind your next kind of support
Explore where to begin with everyday support, professional help or an urgent conversation.
- Ways to ask for help
- Country-specific crisis contacts
- Support at your own pace
If you need urgent help, go straight to support.
Find supportYour first sentence does not need to be perfect.
You could describe a demand and the change that would help, or begin with a private health conversation. You do not have to record your employer, job title or medical history here.
Based on World Health Organization · NHS · Every Mind Matters
“I would like to discuss a work demand that is affecting me. Can we look at what could change and what support is available?”Make it sound like you
Your questions, with room for nuance.
You can read just the answer you need.
Must I solve this through self-care?
No. Organizational changes and practical support may be needed alongside individual care.
Based on WHO
Where this information comes from.
Use this hub to learn and prepare questions. It does not diagnose you or recommend a personal treatment plan. By Selfmora editorial; sources checked . Updated .
Additional explanations and examples: sources consulted . Examples illustrate ideas; they do not assess your personal health. Your questions
Our editorial approach