Mental health will be the top employee concern in 2025, with 31 per cent of employers expecting increased demand for support, according to Towergate Employee Benefits.
This rises to 62 per cent when including male mental health and line manager wellbeing. Other major concerns include financial wellbeing 19 per cent, overall fitness 18 per cent, and caregiving responsibilities 16 per cent.
According to Towergate, employers should consult professionals to find a balance between mental health support and other demands because mental wellbeing is impacted by caring, physical health, and financial hardship.
Employers may want assistance navigating the various possibilities, which range from basic benefits like access to a general practitioner to specific advice for eldercare and educational support, due to the wide range of issues and solutions.
Towergate Employee Benefits head of wellbeing Debra Clark says: “The good news is that there are a growing number of ways in which employers are able to support the mental health needs of employees, from providing access to an Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) to inpatient psychiatric care. This greater provision has corresponded with increased awareness of the support available and an increased propensity to access it. All of this is hugely positive for the employee, but it does create growing expectations for the employer to provide ever-expanding support.
“Support is becoming not only more diverse but also more specific. For instance, rather than just ‘mental health’, support can be tailored for each gender, or by age-group, and will often include a more holistic approach that looks at lifestyle, nutrition and building resilience too.
“Employees are being pulled in so many different directions, with a need to keep themselves, older relatives and younger dependants healthy and happy. Increasingly, people are now turning to their employer for assistance. Employers cannot and should not be expected to be experts in all these areas. They therefore need support and guidance, just as much as their employees do.”
