What workplace mental health support did experts say was needed?

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An expert survey was designed to help develop a workplace-based, multi-country intervention addressing depression, anxiety and mental illness-related stigma in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Academic experts and representatives of SME organisations, specific sector organisations, labour or advocacy groups, and occupational health organisations were contacted across eight European countries and Australia.

The survey used closed and open-text questions to gather expert opinions on interventions for employees with mental health difficulties, support for their managers, and anti-stigma interventions. It was available in six languages. Data were collected using the online platform Qualtrics. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data using thematic analysis. Sixty-five of 146 experts responded, with a reported response rate of 42%.

Only 26.2% of experts agreed that employees could speak openly about mental health issues, while 81.5% indicated a large or medium unmet need for support for employees with mental health issues. Psychoeducational materials, face-to-face workshops and cognitive behavioural therapy-based interventions were ranked as the approaches employees would be most likely to take up. Experts rated guidelines on how managers should act if an employee has mental health issues as the most useful support for managers (67.7%). The greatest number of experts identified workshops involving people with lived experience of mental illness (80.0%) and awareness campaigns (78.5%) as most needed to tackle stigma. Responses were consistent across countries and areas of expertise.

Experts in this multinational survey assessed that workplace mental health support and anti-stigma interventions are greatly needed. The findings support a multicomponent intervention with a wide range of materials and tools.