Mental health is increasingly shaping who is able to stay in work, do their job well, and sustain employment over time. Absence, early exit, and workforce instability linked to poor mental health are rising, but not evenly. For many people, the difference between coping and burning out comes down to how work is designed and supported, including autonomy, flexibility, workload pressure, and the consistency of everyday management.
When these conditions are poorly designed, capable people often withdraw quietly, stop contributing their best thinking, or leave altogether, long before issues surface formally. Over time, this reduces capacity, narrows talent pipelines, and places additional strain on teams already under pressure. Mental health at work can no longer be treated as separate from decisions about hiring, retention, and workforce planning.
This Inclusion Lab, taking place on the Randstad Clipper on the Thames in London, will unpack the Randstad-supported State of the Nation deep dive from our partners at the Mental Health Foundation. The session will explore where psychological risk concentrates in organisations, the patterns leaders should pay attention to, and the practical actions that support mentally healthier, more sustainable ways of working at scale.
