Workplace Wellbeing? Start with Mental Health Checks

Irish business owners are increasingly concerned about employees’ mental health.

A recent survey shows that 24% of employees in Ireland took leave for their mental health last year, while 29% admit that working in their organisation negatively impacts their mental wellbeing.

At BetterCare Mental Health Services, we see that many employers are eager to create a positive, supportive workplace. Sometimes, however, they aren’t sure where to start.

Rethinking Workplace Health Checks

When we think of health checks at work, we usually picture physical screenings such as blood pressure, cholesterol, or other risks we’re trained to identify and manage.

But there’s another set of risks beneath the surface: long hours, unrealistic deadlines, poor communication, and workplace conflict. Over time, these can slowly erode mental health.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) calls these psychosocial risks — hazards arising from how work is designed, organised, and managed. True wellbeing extends beyond physical health to include mental, emotional, and social dimensions.

A high-pressure, low-support environment can be just as dangerous over time as high blood pressure or heart disease. Yet unlike physical conditions, psychosocial hazards often go unnoticed until harm has already occurred.

Benefits of mental health checks

By taking a mental health assessment, employees can proactively monitor their emotional wellbeing, both in the moment and over time.

Almost everyone experiences periods of sadness, low motivation, or other mood changes that make them feel “off.” These are normal.

However, when these moods linger longer than is healthy, they can begin to disrupt daily life. Like an engine running low on oil, prolonged sadness or anxiety can impair how we function.

A mental health assessment helps highlight areas that need attention. Even those with a history of good mental health face unexpected challenges. Life events such as grief, financial shocks, or extended stress can have hidden impacts that often go unnoticed until they become serious problems.

Some mental health issues emerge later in life, and many hesitate to seek help due to lingering stigma or the belief that they “should cope on their own.”

In reality, asking for help is a mature and proactive way to manage stress. Even better, by taking an assessment, we can prevent our issues from becoming problems.

Is a mental health check a worthwhile investment?

Recruit Ireland predicts that employee well-being will define workplace trends in 2025, particularly among younger workers. Millennials and Gen Z now form the majority of the workforce, and they explicitly expect psychologically safe, supportive work environments.

This expectation is reflected in MetLife’s recent Employee Benefit Trends Study, which found that most workers now consider wellness programmes “essential”: 78% of Gen X and 79% of baby boomers, compared with just 56% in each group back in 2019.

The financial stakes are significant. IBEC estimates that poor mental health can cost up to €2,000 per employee annually — though the true cost is likely even higher when factoring in productivity loss, absenteeism, and turnover.