Rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout continue to climb, posing both a human and business challenge. For L&D professionals, the task is twofold: addressing the organisational impact while equipping individuals with the resilience and skills to manage their own wellbeing in an increasingly digital workplace.
In this article, we asked Matt Balfour—subject matter expert and founder of Let’s Go Wellbeing—to share his insights behind the latest mental health data and explore how L&D teams can play a pivotal role in supporting their people's mental wellbeing and helping them achieve their full potential.
Modern mental health: The data behind the headlines
The latest mental health insights paint a clear picture. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey highlights a significant increase in common mental health disorders, a trend that directly impacts business outcomes. This isn't just about personal struggles—it's a critical business issue. An increase in common mental health disorders directly impacts productivity and can even contribute to higher staff turnover.
The latest release highlights a concerning rise in common mental health conditions (CMHCs) such as depression and anxiety, as well as lifetime non-suicidal self-harm among 16–64 year olds.
CMHC diagnoses rose from 17.6% to 22.6% between 2007 and 2023/24. Lifetime non-suicidal self-harm increased from 8.2% to 13.9% in the same period.
As for contributing factors, the usual patterns remain:
- CMHC prevalence is higher in the most deprived areas (26.2%) vs. the least deprived (16.0%).
- 32.9% of people with a limiting physical health condition also have a CMHC, compared with 12.6% without.
- Regional disparities are also stark: prevalence reaches 24.6% in the North East and East Midlands, compared with 16.3% in the South East.
What does this mean for the workplace and the role of L&D?
Job quality research from the CIPD has shown health and wellbeing as having the strongest relationship with job satisfaction and enthusiasm out of all job quality dimensions, therefore in addition to its impact on individual wellbeing, good mental health by extension also impacts organisational performance.
Naturally, there is also a cost to getting this wrong. Try £110 billion as a result of Absenteeism, Staff Turnover, Presenteeism and Economic Inactivity directly attributable to mental illness in England as of 2024.
I’m often asked: “So, is mental health getting worse?” Based on the evidence, you’d be forgiven for thinking so. And yet the answer is far from straightforward.
Macroeconomic pressures such as inflation, the cost of living, and global conflicts play a role. But we’ve also become more open about discussing mental health, and diagnostic criteria have evolved, meaning more people are identified and able to access treatment.
All of this adds nuance to the headline figures. For businesses, it underscores the need to focus scarce resources on the aspects of working life that challenge employees most.
With blurred boundaries between home and work, employees are facing significant challenges related to time management, burnout, and their relationship with technology.
The AI paradox: Support system or silent strain?
AI is driving a paradigm shift that will soon make it hard to imagine a world without it. This shift is reshaping behaviour at every level of society—including how we work.
Consider this: by August 2025, ChatGPT had reached 700 million weekly active users, up from 500 million in March. Of these, 5 million were paid business users (up from 3 million in June), signalling growing reliance on AI for learning, productivity, and problem-solving.
According to Sensor Tower, users engage with ChatGPT more than 12 days a month, for an average of 16 minutes a day.
On the one hand, tools like ChatGPT can eliminate repetitive or mundane tasks—a gift for busy professionals balancing work, family, and social commitments. Which in and of itself could be argued is a great way to reduce stress.
During a recent interview with Samaritans CEO Julie Bentley, we explored how AI could also enhance human connection:
“AI could be used to identify, in written correspondence, when people are at a particular point of crisis and might need help sooner. Triaging calls and connecting people to the help they need would then be more efficient.”
On the flip side, over-reliance on AI—particularly in mental health contexts—risks dependence, misdiagnosis, and missed warning signs for vulnerable people.
So much so that OpenAI recently outlined changes to how ChatGPT will support users:
- Directing people to evidence-based resources when needed.
- Offering gentle reminders during long sessions to encourage breaks.
- Adapting behaviour for high-stakes personal decisions.
- Collaborating with medical experts and advisory groups to improve responses in critical moments.
There are many benefits of AI in the workplace and it's rapidly becoming a powerful tool for L&D. However, we must emphasise a responsible, human-centered approach to ensure it supports rather than jeopardises mental wellbeing.
Our role in L&D is to build the digital literacy and critical thinking skills needed to navigate this new landscape, positioning AI as a valuable ally, not a replacement for human care.
The real risks: How technology affects mental health
According to the 2025 Great Places to Work, European Workforce Study which aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of workforce culture and leadership across Europe—It found that hybrid workers are more likely to feel psychologically safe than onsite teams.
While this underlines the importance of trust between employees and leadership, it potentially overlooks the shift in behaviour underwritten by the increasingly if not permanently blurred lines between home and the workplace.
Not to mention the ever-pervasive 'always on' culture enabled by remote work and the knock-on effects of excessive screen time on sleep, performance and, over time, a recipe for burnout.
We already spend 143 minutes per day on the top five social platforms—this is in addition to the 16 minutes per day we now spend on ChatGPT and not including time spent on Teams/Zoom or email. It all adds up.
Human connection and the prevalence of loneliness
Recent results of the Community Life Survey published by the department of culture reveal that 7% (around 3.1 million adults) in England feel lonely, often or always, while 10% (around 4 million people) reported that they either lacked companionship, felt left out or isolated from others.
There were also significant differences in outcomes based on subgroup and location. For example, disabled adults were five times more likely to report that they felt lonely often or always than non-disabled adults, while those living in urban areas were at least 30% more likely to report feeling lonely often or always when compared with those living in rural areas.
Loneliness is linked to premature mortality, mental illness and increased use of health services, it’s even been shown that a lack of perceived emotional support increases the risk of hospitalisation, self-harm and death by suicide.
The effects of technology on mental health goes far beyond simple screen time. Modern workplace risks are more subtle and insidious:
- The "always-on" culture: The flexibility of remote work often comes with the expectation of constant availability, blurring the lines between work and personal life and leading to mental fatigue and burnout.
- The pressure of performance metrics: Technology allows us to track productivity with unprecedented detail, creating a culture of surveillance and performance anxiety.
- Erosion of boundaries: The constant stream of notifications from Slack, Teams, and email makes it difficult for employees to truly disconnect and recharge.
This presents a clear challenge for L&D: How do we support our teams to thrive in a digital-first environment without burning out?
Practical digital hygiene for business success
Building a resilient workforce requires actionable strategies. Here are some tips that offer both business and individual benefits:
- Schedule "focus blocks": Encourage teams to block out time in their calendars for uninterrupted, deep work. This not only boosts productivity but also reduces decision fatigue and cognitive overload.
- Mindful communication: Train employees to be intentional with their messages. This simple shift can reduce the anxiety of a constant, reactive communication stream and foster a more collaborative culture.
- Digital detox for mental health: Position these not as a perk, but as a strategic investment in employee wellbeing and long-term creativity. Time away from screens allows for genuine rest and boosts innovative thinking.
- Lead with clarity on AI: Only 25% of companies in Europe are currently investing in AI tools. Yet many employees fear these tools will make their roles obsolete.
- Bring back the human touch: I recently asked an associate for a quick call to clarify some points. Instead they took the time to email me back saying they 'weren't available' and that if I needed anything, I should put it in an email… To build meaningful workplace connections, we need the full spectrum of communication: tone, inflection, pace, and the subtleties you don’t get through email. L&D can help by embedding mindful communication into leadership development and team training. Could dedicated buddy systems also strengthen connection at scale?
Building a future-proof workforce
Your team's wellbeing is the foundation of your business success. Don't let the pressures of the digital world erode your people's potential or their personal wellbeing.
Empower your L&D team to proactively support employee mental health. Discover how our FREE Mental Health Awareness module can help you start addressing these critical challenges head-on, building a healthier, more productive workforce where everyone gets the support they need.
Want to do more? Access our FREE Mental Health Awareness module to start addressing the challenges that matter most—while building a healthier, more productive workforce.
