Nearly half of HR managers have considered quitting due to pressure of employee mental health crisis

New research reveals that almost half of HR managers (45%) have considered leaving their current roles due to the pressure of dealing with employee mental health and burnout. Concerningly, the research shows that 90% of HR managers are currently noticing signs of burnout in their workforces. The survey of 200 UK HR managers by Wellbeing Partners, clinical experts in employee mental health, reveals that when handling rising burnout and mental health concerns, HR is struggling to set boundaries for their own psychological safety.

Thirty-eight percent of HR managers admit to having conversations with employees about their mental health outside of working hours, nearly a third (31%) look at emails outside of work and over a quarter (27%) regularly have to complete tasks outside of working hours due to the volume of mental health issues they’re facing.

On top of this, more than 1 in 4 (26%) feel they can become overly involved in employees’ personal lives and/or mental health issues and 23% have compassion fatigue from supporting struggling employees. A lack of boundaries surrounding mental health support is contributing to high numbers of HR professionals contemplating leaving their organisations, according to an expert.

Lou Campbell, Programmes Director at Wellbeing Partners, states: “While HR has a duty of care to support employees suffering with their mental health, they often neglect to look after themselves. For people in supporting roles, it’s useful to know what the appropriate boundaries are when discussing mental health issues with colleagues, to avoid becoming enmeshed or overly involved. Appropriate boundaries ensure that the conversation stays psychologically safe for the employee, and avoids compassion fatigue for HR.”