By Samantha Rockson

Last Saturday, I attended a family funeral with my mum and happened to bump into a close family friend, Linda, who is also a highly experienced senior HR professional. As we caught up, our conversation naturally shifted to the It’s Not Your Fault campaign. Linda spoke passionately about the rising number of mental health cases she is currently managing at work, noting that there has been an overwhelming increase in employees struggling with their mental wellbeing.

This morning, I came across a report by Deloitte—one of the world’s leading professional services firms—on mental health in the workplace. Published on 22 January 2020, the report highlights the growing mental health epidemic and the significant financial burden it places on employers. In 2018 alone, UK businesses spent over £43 billion on issues related to poor mental health—a staggering 16% increase since 2016. Key contributing factors identified in the report include presenteeism and burnout.

The findings also show that young people are the most vulnerable, experiencing workplace‑related mental health challenges at disproportionately higher rates than other age groups.

However, the report does offer a positive takeaway: investment works. Forward‑thinking employers who invest in staff wellbeing are seeing substantial returns. On average, for every £1 spent on mental health support, organisations gain £5 back through reduced presenteeism, absenteeism, and staff turnover.

Linda has kindly agreed to join us for a future It’s Not Your Fault discussion, where she will share her insights and experiences as a senior HR professional. We will also explore how these workplace mental health challenges specifically affect the AfroGlobal community, and whether unique contributing factors are at play.

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we will be posting all episodes of our It’s Not Your Fault campaign discussions.