7 ways to care for the mental health of young employees

A quick insight: Young employees often begin their careers with limited experience in managing workplace stress, expectations and boundaries, which can strain their mental health and confidence. Supporting them means creating psychological safety from day one, setting clear boundaries around work, giving regular meaningful feedback, promoting wellbeing genuinely and helping them build connections so they feel supported, understood and able to thrive.

It takes more than good tech and polite onboarding to support young employees entering the workforce for the first time. A great deal of graduate and early-career professionals start their roles with limited knowledge of how to manage workplace stress, communicate concerns or draw healthy boundaries.

While these skills often naturally develop with time, the pressure to perform and ‘fit in’ can very quickly overwhelm younger employees. If businesses don’t actively support the mental health of young employees, they risk higher turnover, presenteeism and, of course, disengagement.

Recent statistics can be hard to come by, but according to Mind, nearly one-third (31%) of 16–24 year olds in the UK reported symptoms of depression or anxiety in 2017–2018, which was up from 26% five years earlier. Clearly, this indicates a significant rise in mental health issues among young people over time. Employers have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to support this group meaningfully from day one.

Our benchmark data here at People Insight (sourced from hundreds of thousands of data points) shows us that 70% of employees aged between 18-29 feel that their company does enough to support their health and wellbeing at work. This is a great start. But there’s always more we can do to ensure the remaining 30% feel supported enough to do their best work.

How to support the mental health of young employees

Knowing where to start isn’t always easy. What exactly is it that younger people need to feel engaged with their work, supported and motivated? Our HR consultants and company culture experts have joined together with their decades of workplace experience to compile this list of 7 tips.

1. Understand what younger employees are up against

It goes without saying that those new to the world of work face unique challenges compared to their older colleagues. Understanding these challenges, what they are and why they matter, is the first step to alleviating the stress and strain younger employees experience. 

The stressors themselves will vary, but may likely include:

• Fear of speaking up. They may lack the confidence to ask questions or admit when they’re struggling.
  
• Unclear expectations. Without prior experience, they may be unsure what ‘good’ looks like.
  
• Digital overload. Remote and hybrid working comes with a whole host of benefits for companies and employees, but it can be isolating, with limited visibility of how others work or collaborate.
  
• Life transitions. Many young employees are moving cities, living independently for the first time or managing financial pressures.

Taken together, these factors can undermine the mental health of young employees. They also impact performance, team dynamics and long-term engagement.

Related: Supporting mental health in emergency services: What needs to change?

2. Create psychological safety from day one

Psychological safety is the belief that you can speak up without fear of embarrassment or punishment, and it plays a major role in the mental health of young employees. Those new to the workplace are especially sensitive to how mistakes or uncertainty are handled.

To create a psychologically safe environment:

• Normalise asking questions. Encourage managers to say “That’s a great question” or “I had the same one when I joined” to reduce shame around not knowing.
  
• Be transparent. If you’re still figuring something out as a business or team, say so. It shows that even experienced employees don’t have all the answers.
  
• Avoid blame culture. Focus on learning rather than fault-finding when mistakes occur.

3. Set boundaries around work and downtime

It’s tempting for early-career employees to go above and beyond in an effort to impress. But when boundaries aren’t respected (or clearly modelled by others) this can lead to burnout and low morale. Helping young employees understand and hold their boundaries is one of the most effective ways to protect their mental health.

Organisations should:

• Discourage out-of-hours communication. Managers should avoid sending messages late at night, or use scheduling tools to time delivery for the next morning.
  
• Talk about boundaries openly. Normalise conversations like “What working hours do you prefer?” or “Let me know if you need uninterrupted time”.
  
• Respect holiday time. Avoid praising those who work while on leave, and reinforce the importance of switching off.

4. Build confidence through meaningful feedback

Constructive feedback is invaluable, especially for those early in their careers. Without it, young employees may assume silence means disapproval or that they’re not doing well. That uncertainty takes a toll on confidence and wellbeing. Feedback that’s regular, thoughtful and two-way contributes to confidence and a greater sense of belonging.

To support the mental health of young employees, make feedback a habit, not a high-stakes event:

• Use structured tools like 360 feedback platforms to create balanced, actionable insights from multiple perspectives.
  
• Be specific. Vague comments like “Good job” are less helpful than “You explained the report clearly and kept it concise.”
  
• Invite feedback from them. Show that you’re also open to learning. Use an actionable employee experience platform and employee surveys to gather their views on onboarding, workload and culture.

5. Show that wellbeing is something you actually care about

If employees see mental health mentioned only on posters or during Mental Health Awareness Week, it’s easy to assume the business isn’t genuinely invested. Make wellbeing part of the culture, not a side conversation.

Here’s how:

• Train managers to spot warning signs. A lot of managers still don’t feel confident when it comes to discussing or supporting mental health. They don’t want to accidentally do or say the wrong thing, so they need the right training in place to spot warning signs, and to know what to do afterwards.
  
• Offer practical support. Signpost counselling services, mental health days and relevant benefits. Lots of companies provide wellness apps to their employees. If this is the case, make sure they’re well-promoted and used.
  
• Create safe spaces. Peer support groups or optional drop-in sessions can help young employees speak openly without judgement.

6. Make relationships feel human, not transactional

While hybrid and remote work certainly have their advantages, they can be particularly difficult for those new to work. Without informal chats or day-to-day visibility, young employees may feel isolated or uncertain about how others are doing things.

To reduce this:

• Pair new starters with a buddy. Ideally someone closer to their own level, who they can speak to informally.
  
• Allow for sociable interactions. Some companies have active Slack or Teams channels that allow for watercooler conversations and discussions about things unrelated to work. Talking about books, movies and TV shows might sound trivial, but they can create really meaningful bonds.
  
• Encourage face time. Whether through regular check-ins or occasional office days, human connection matters. We say so much with our facial expressions! We recommend turning the camera on during video calls and really putting a face to a name.
  
• Model vulnerability. Leaders who admit when they’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure help set a tone of honesty and humanity.

7. Encourage feedback through listening tools

Employee listening isn’t just about collecting data. It’s about understanding what matters, especially to younger employees who may not speak up directly. Use anonymous employee surveys, listening sessions and feedback platforms to surface hidden concerns.

For example:

• Use an employee survey platform to check in on mental health, psychological safety and confidence in management.
  
• Break data down by tenure or age group to spot early-career trends.
  
• Close that feedback loop and act visibly on what you hear. People are far more likely to give feedback if they believe it leads to meaningful change.

It’s important that we welcome, support and motivate people at the earliest stages of their careers. A workplace where younger employees feel safe to speak up, ask for help and be themselves is one that attracts and keeps talent.

Regular employee surveys, combined with honest conversations and day-to-day listening, offer more than metrics. They reflect the real experience of your people. And when you act on those insights, you create the kind of culture where mental health is promoted in the best possible ways.

Want to understand how your younger employees are really feeling? Our employee survey platform helps businesses to track wellbeing, psychological safety and early-career engagement. With impactful survey results and actionable feedback, you can create meaningful change that supports the mental health of young employees from day one.

Talk to us today about how we can support you and how you can create the perfect environment for remarkable performance. Get your next survey started now. Or click here for a sample of free wellbeing survey questions.