Employee Benefits poll: More than two-fifths (43%) of employers said they were hosting awareness events to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, which took place between 12-18 May, according to a survey of Employee Benefits readers.
Just below one-fifth (17%) of respondents said they were planning other activities to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, while 7% were unsure if they were doing anything to celebrate the week.
Meanwhile, one-third (33%) said they were not doing anything to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week 2025.
Last month, Employee Benefits reported that 11% of employees took time off work for mental health reasons in the past year, according to research by health plan provider Simplyhealth.
Its survey of 500 UK HR managers and 2,000 UK employees also found that more than a quarter (27%) of respondents who said they have taken time off work for mental health reasons took more than two weeks.
Almost a fifth (16%) of 18-34 year-olds said they took time off work for mental health reasons, compared to 10% of respondents aged 35-54 years.
Paul Schreier, chief executive officer at Simplyhealth, said: “With workers increasingly taking time off for mental health issues, employers need access to simple, easy and affordable solutions for their employees. By offering mental health benefits to their employees, employers can support their workers by preventing symptoms from worsening in the first place, encouraging a healthy, happy, and productive workforce.”
