Recently published statistics in relation to workplace stress, depression and anxiety across Northern Ireland highlight the need for employers to proactively manage mental health in the workplace, experts have said.
Laura Gillespie and Jennifer Lee, health and safety experts at Pinsent Masons, were commenting after the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) published its workplace health statistics and analysis for 2025 W (16-page/ 5.5MB PDF).
Employers in Northern Ireland have a statutory duty under Article 5 of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, health, safety, and welfare at work of all employees.
According to the 2025 statistics, workplace stress, depression, and anxiety are among the leading cases of long-term sickness absence, increasing over the last reporting period. These conditions are often linked to factors such as excessive workload, lack of support, poor management practices, and workplace bullying or harassment. The report highlighted that mental health related absences are typically longer in duration than those caused by physical illness or injury, placing a heavier burden on both employees and employers – according to the report, stress, depression and anxiety account for 320,000 days lost work within Northern Ireland.
Stress, depression and anxiety were most prevalent among workers in the human health and social work sectors, 25.9%, followed by public admin and defence, 19.1%, and education, 14.3%.
The report urged employers to adopt a preventative approach, including regular risk assessments, employee engagement, and the implementation of mental health support strategies.
Gillespie said: “Employers must take a proactive approach not only to best protect and support the mental health of their workforce in line with their statutory duties, but also from a commercial perspective, to increase productivity and reduce work absence. Workplace mental health should be a board priority.”
Lee said: "The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland has produced a range of resources to support the mental health of the workforce, including its mental well-being at work advisory service to assist employers in ensuring that they are taking appropriate steps to manage the well-being of their staff.”
In its report, HSENI outlined several best practices for managing workplace mental health. These include training managers to recognise early signs of stress and intervene appropriately, encouraging open communication and reducing stigma around mental health, providing access to counselling services and employee assistance programmes, and reviewing workloads and job design to ensure they are realistic and manageable. Employers were also encouraged to involve employees in decision making processes and to foster a culture of respect and inclusion.
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