Spotting the signs of mental health struggles in the workplace is a difficult responsibility. And there are growing resources that highlight behavioural, social and performance indicators of the individual struggling.
But what if there are barriers to spotting these signs that lie within our own subconscious mental shortcuts (biases and heuristics) as managers?
It is important to state that these biases are not our fault; they are simply natural shortcuts our brains rely on to process information – but we may not realise how they influence our ability to recognise the signs that others may need our support.
This article introduces a fresh perspective and practical advice rooted in behavioural science to help you spot the hidden signs of mental health struggles at work. We’ll uncover three biases that shape our thinking and explore how we can overcome them.
Let’s dive in!
The confirmation bias
Definition: We tend to interpret information or behaviours in a way that confirms our pre-existing beliefs or assumptions, while undervaluing contradictory evidence.
How this impacts us:
- Managers may unconsciously evaluate wellbeing based on an existing mental “template” of what mental health struggles look like. An employee we perceive as highly resilient, sociable, or generally “happy” may cause us to seek out information that confirms this is still the case while subconsciously missing signs of struggle.
For example: a manager might think, “They have always been able to handle pressure in the past” or “They are generally the more social member of the team, so they must be doing fine.”
Practical Tips to Overcome:
- Ask for others’ perspectives: Project leaders, team members, or close colleagues may have noticed signals, changes in behaviour, or conversations you haven’t seen.
You might ask: “Hi X, I’m always looking to proactively support Y as best I can – how do you feel they are doing themselves? Have you noticed any changes at all?”
- Resetting our assumptions: Regular check-ins are essential. Scheduling monthly or bi-monthly conversations to discuss life circumstances and overall wellbeing allows managers to spot underlying issues.
Openly stating that you care about their wellbeing and are looking to understand how best you can support them allows you to ask empathetic questions as simple as:
“How is life treating you these days?”
“I know work has been busy recently – how have you been doing outside of all of this?”
“Is there anything you’ve been juggling outside of work?”
- Flip the mental script: We often assume others are doing “fine” until signs show otherwise. Instead, hypothetically assume someone is “not fine” and write down any evidence or behaviours that challenge this assumption.
The availability heuristic
Definition: We tend to rely on information that readily comes to mind when evaluating situations or making decisions.
How this may impact us: Managers may focus only on clear, observable signs of struggle, such as emotional breakdowns or missed deadlines, which often occur when someone is already in crisis. By understanding the more subtle signs of struggle, managers can ensure employees receive support before they hit a crisis.
For example: someone may seem fine simply because they haven’t explicitly said they are struggling, haven’t shown visible distress like crying, or haven’t fallen behind on deadlines.
Practical Tips to Overcome:
Try not to ignore the high performers:
- The Availability Heuristic often causes us to overlook high performers who mask their struggles through productivity. This can reinforce unhealthy productivity myths and presenteeism. To counteract this, regularly check in with high-performing employees to uncover potential hidden struggles.
A simple question like: “I’ve noticed you’ve been really busy at the moment—your work is great, but I just wanted to check in to see how you’re holding up in general?”
Be aware of the more subtle signs of struggle:
Working Behaviours & Performance:
- Employees may arrive late or leave early more frequently.
- They may struggle with concentration or decision-making.
- Small mistakes may occur more often, even in routine tasks.
- Employees might stay off-camera or muted more frequently during video calls.
Social and Emotional
- Avoiding social activities or becoming unusually withdrawn.
- Eating lunch alone or at their desk more often.
- Showing increased irritability, defensiveness, or frustration.
- Appearing more stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed.
- Displaying lower motivation or disinterest in their work.
Language Indicators
- “I’m not sleeping well at the moment.”
- “I’m just feeling tired or exhausted a lot recently.”
- “I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.”
- “I’ve got some personal things going on.”
- “I’m not enjoying my work at the moment.”
The fundamental attribution error
Definition: We tend to attribute the behaviours of others to their innate personality or character, rather than to situational, external, or contextual factors.
How this may impact us:
- Misattributing performance issues to an individual’s character can cause managers to overlook stress, burnout, or personal challenges as the true causes of struggle.
- Employees who feel misunderstood, unsupported, or unfairly judged may experience worsening mental health and performance.
- Managers may also overlook contextual factors such as consistently high workloads, tight deadlines, team conflicts, longer working hours, or challenges outside of work like family or health issues.
For example: We might assume an employee who is missing deadlines is unorganised or uncommitted, that someone appearing distracted in meetings is disinterested, or an employee arriving late or working from home frequently doesn’t care about their job.
Practical tips to overcome:
Seek to understand the context behind an employee’s behaviour.
- Take a supportive and empathetic approach by asking open-ended questions that allow employees to share their circumstances.
For example:
“I’ve noticed you’ve been a bit quieter recently. How are you feeling in general, both in and out of work?”
“There are a couple of small mistakes I’ve noticed, which isn’t like you. Are there other pressures or challenges I should know about?”
Focus on observing patterns rather than isolated incidents.
- Avoid jumping to conclusions based on a single event and instead look for trends over time.
- Keeping notes on workload changes, team dynamics, or personal pressures can help you identify patterns and provide a clearer understanding of what may be contributing to an employee’s struggles.
Centre conversations on solutions.
- Ensure your conversations and check-ins focus on finding a solution going forward and any support needed which could address an underlying issue or cause for performance.
- Collaboratively find ways to adjust workloads, offer practical support, or provide reassurance.
For instance, you might say:
“You mentioned you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed—let’s look at how we can adjust the workload or how the team can help out,”
“I noticed a few small mistakes, which isn’t like you. I’m more than happy to help with any final checks or proofreads so I can help support”
As we mentioned, these biases are not our fault; they are natural shortcuts our brains use to process information quickly – but by making ourselves aware of our own biases we can create a new lens to identify and support employees’ mental health. When we approach our teams with curiosity, compassion, and an open mind, we not only support individual wellbeing but also foster healthier, more connected, and resilient workplaces.
References:
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Kayhan, V.O. (2015). Confirmation Bias: Roles of Search Engines and Search Contexts. International Conference on Interaction Sciences.
Wang, Z. (2023). Research on the Application of Availability Bias on Decision Making. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media.
Goldhahn, A. (1992). Effects of Culture and Debate Experience on the Fundamental Attribution Error.
About the author:
Jack Duddy is the Founder of Kind., a mental health startup that empowers the social circles (co-workers, friends, families) of those struggling to become effective supporters through practical tools and behavioural science. With a career as a Behavioural Science consultant, Jack is dedicated to understanding human behaviour and creating meaningful change. Informed by his own lived experiences of mental health struggles, he blends professional knowledge with personal insight to craft effective solutions. Jack focuses on creating collective wellbeing, strengthening social connections, empowering individuals and organisations to improve mental health.
