Workplace Support for Depression
Evidence-Based Support for Depression at Work
Depression can develop for many reasons, and experiencing difficulties at work is a common trigger. If left unaddressed, depression can leave employees struggling and in need of extra support.Â
According to HSE figures for 2024/2025, stress, anxiety, and depression accounted for 52% of work-related ill health, and 62% of working days lost due to work-related ill health. These figures demonstrate why investing in proactive workplace support matters, rather than addressing problems once they have become serious.Â
At Onebright, we provide evidence-based mental health services for employers looking to support their employees with depression at work. We support over 200 businesses across the UK to build happier, healthier workplaces.Â
Get in touch with our team today to find out how we can help protect the mental health and wellbeing of your team.Â
The Impact of Depression on Work Performance
Depression is a common mental health condition in adults, making it important for employers to understand. Knowing how depression can present itself at work and affect day-to-day performance makes it easier to spot patterns early and intervene before it becomes a larger issue.
Difficulty Concentrating
Depression can affect memory and focus, making it harder for individuals to retain information, follow multi-step instructions, or make decisions with the same confidence as before.
Persistent Low Energy
Fatigue is a common symptom of depression, even if the individual is getting enough rest. Feelings of tiredness can slow day-to-day work and make ordinary tasks feel more demanding and difficult to complete.
Loss of Interest & Motivation
Individuals experiencing depression may become less interested in the work they previously found engaging. This can reduce motivation and lead to missed deadlines and a drop in work quality.
Withdrawal from Colleagues
Depressed employees may avoid meetings, informal conversations with colleagues, and team-building activities. This can lead to social isolation, making it harder to reach out for support, and lower team morale.
Increased Absence & Presenteeism
Depression can cause higher levels of sickness absence and presenteeism, which means individuals may be at work but unable to complete tasks to the standard they usually would.
Physical Symptoms
Depression can cause a range of physical symptoms, such as disrupted sleep, appetite changes, and unexplained aches and pains. This can make it more challenging to concentrate and complete tasks to a high standard.
Common Causes of Depression at Work
Unmanageable deadlines and feeling overworked
A lack of control over workload, processes, or decision-making
Poor support from management
Unclear expectations around performance
Job insecurity, financial concerns, or organisational restructuring
Feeling socially isolated, particularly when working remotely
Workplace bullying, harassment, and discrimination
A lack of recognition and successes not being celebrated or acknowledged
Poor work-life balance and working long hours into the evening and weekends
Expert Mental Health Support for Managing Work-Related Depression
At Onebright, we offer a range of mental health services designed to support employees managing depression and help employers build a more open and understanding working environment.
Therapy and Counselling
We offer therapy for adults, including cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling. This approach helps employees understand the thoughts and patterns behind their depression and develop practical strategies for managing their symptoms.
Therapy services 
Mental Health Training
Our mental health training teaches managers how to confidently recognise early warning signs of depression in their team members and how to respond appropriately. This helps develop a workplace culture where employees feel they can seek help sooner.
Mental health training
Wellbeing Consultancy
Mental health consultancy services help organisations identify the underlying causes of depression. This allows them to implement new policies and initiatives that reduce workplace triggers for depression at a structural level, rather than an individual one.
Consultancy services
£45bn annual cost to UK employers of poor mental health
5-6x return on investment in audit and training
350+ training sessions delivered every year
How Our Workplace Depression Support Can Help You
Earlier Intervention
Improving access to mental health support can encourage staff to seek help for their depression while symptoms are manageable, rather than waiting until it significantly impacts their ability to work.
Reduced Absences
Providing timely, appropriate support for depression in the workplace can reduce the length and frequency of depression-related sickness absences. This eases pressure on internal teams for last-minute cover.
Improved Staff Retention
Employees who feel genuinely supported by their employer through poor periods of mental health are more likely to stay with an organisation once they recover. This reduces the time and costs associated with recruiting and training new staff members.
Consistent Work Output
Supporting employees through periods of depression, rather than managing its consequences, helps protect overall team output and morale, making it more consistent over time.
More Confident Managers
Mental health training gives managers the skills to have difficult conversations about depression with confidence, making reaching out for help easier for their team.
Healthier Workplace Culture
Investing in mental health support and provisions builds a healthier workplace culture by normalising conversations about depression, reducing stigma around mental health, and reducing barriers for people seeking help.
Work-Related Depression content
"Access to therapy was sorted for me so quickly and smoothly I was taken aback after fighting so hard for NHS support. I don't have enough kind words for the care and professionalism I've experienced."
FAQs
Yes, employees can be signed off work with depression. A GP can issue a fit (or sick) note if depression is impacting that individual’s ability to work. They can be signed off work for a short recovery period or as part of a longer-term return-to-work plan.
Yes, we offer online therapy sessions as well as in-person appointments. This means employees can access therapy in the way that suits them best.
If you want to raise your depression with your employer, you can arrange a private conversation with your manager or HR. This will allow you to discuss what you are currently experiencing, how it is impacting you at work, and what support or adjustments can be made to help.
If you think a member of your team is struggling with depression, consider doing the following:
Have a private conversation with them focused on the changes you have noticed in their behaviour, rather than assuming a diagnosis.
Encourage them to speak to HR or a GP about how they are feeling.
Let them know where they can seek support within the workplace to help them manage their depression.
Have a private conversation with them focused on the changes you have noticed in their behaviour, rather than assuming a diagnosis.
Encourage them to speak to HR or a GP about how they are feeling.
Let them know where they can seek support within the workplace to help them manage their depression.
Supporting your employees