How HR can get a handle on mental wellbeing at work (before it’s too late)

Burnout doesn’t creep into your organisation gradually. It’s already there.

• One in four employees say their mental health would be a reason to quit their job.
• Hybrid working is making employees more isolated than ever.
• Absenteeism is rising—and HR is left to pick up the pieces.
• Meanwhile, retaining staff is becoming harder than ever.

HR leaders know that mental wellbeing is crucial. Yet it remains difficult to translate employee satisfaction surveys into real action.

At askemo, we recently organised a webinar with psychologist Fiorella Colantorno from OpenUp to tackle this problem. The harsh truth?

• HR is still playing catch-up when it comes to mental wellbeing.
• Mental wellbeing is seen as an individual problem, rather than a shared responsibility.
• Organisations are losing top talent — and failing to retain their staff — because they react too late.

So, how do we turn this around?

In this post, we discuss:

• The true cost of ignoring mental wellbeing
• The 3 biggest HR challenges (and how to solve them)
• A simple system to embed mental wellbeing into your company culture

This isn’t theory—this is what really works.

The price of ignoring mental wellbeing

A recent report by NOS shows that more than half of young professionals in the Netherlands rate their mental health as “poor” or “very poor”.

This isn’t just a random statistic. This is your workforce.

When employees are struggling with stress, anxiety or burnout, this is what happens in your organisation:

• Higher absenteeism → More sick days, longer recovery times, higher costs.
• Lower engagement → Employees lose motivation, productivity plummets.
• Higher turnover → Talented staff leave for companies that do invest in wellbeing.

The biggest problem? HR often realises it too late.
By the time an employee openly admits they are struggling, the damage has already been done—both for them and for the organisation.

Why traditional employee satisfaction surveys don’t work

Most companies are still stuck in reactive HR policies. They:
❌ Wait until employees ask for help themselves
❌ Use traditional employee satisfaction surveys, but do too little with the results
❌ Offer mental health benefits, but employees don’t make use of them

HR needs a new approach—one that identifies mental wellbeing issues early on, creates a culture of openness and truly engages employees.

What does that mean?

The 3 biggest challenges in mental wellbeing (and how to solve them)

Challenge #1: Employees feel more disconnected than ever

Fiorella highlighted a major shift in the workplace:
Employees feel less connected to colleagues, managers and even their work.

Hybrid working, remote policies and rapid change are undermining the sense of belonging.
And without connection, there is no engagement.

The solution: restore workplace connections

• One-to-one check-ins that go beyond work. Don’t just ask “How’s work going?”, but have genuine conversations.
• Manager training to recognise signs of stress and initiate genuine check-ins.
• Community-building through internal networks, mentoring programmes and informal get-togethers.

Pro Tip: Companies that invest in strong peer relationships have higher retention and engagement. Ensure employees support one another—not just top-down communication.

Challenge #2: HR misses early warning signs

Most HR teams only hear about wellbeing issues once they’ve already spiralled out of control.
Burnout signs aren’t always obvious.
Managers aren’t trained to recognise them.
Employees only speak up when it’s too late.

The solution: detect problems early (and act quickly)

• Use real-time employee insights instead of waiting for annual reports.
• Conduct short, frequent pulse surveys that are accessible and easy to complete.
• Train managers to recognise subtle signs of burnout (withdrawal, loss of motivation, increased errors).

Pro Tip: Companies that monitor wellbeing signals in real time see up to twice the employee retention rate. Employees don’t just want to be heard—they want action.

Challenge #3: HR’s role in mental wellbeing is unclear

Many HR leaders are unsure about their role:

“How much of this is our responsibility?”
“Are we overstepping personal boundaries?”
“How do we balance work and private life?”

The solution: integrate mental wellbeing into your culture

HR isn’t there to ‘fix’ employees. But it is there to:

• Create a culture where employees feel safe to talk about stress.
• Provide accessible, low-threshold support for mental wellbeing.
• Encourage a work-life balance (and lead by example).

Pro Tip: If leaders never talk about mental wellbeing, employees won’t either. Senior management must be open about this, share their own experiences and normalise these conversations.

From insight to action: your next steps

The best HR teams don’t just collect wellbeing data—they act on it.

• Make wellbeing check-ins a regular part of your culture.
• Train managers to recognise early signs of burnout.
• Use HR technology to measure employee sentiment in real time.
• Act on wellbeing insights immediately—no delay.

At askemo, we help HR teams turn employee insights into action.

With our real-time employee engagement software, companies can:

• Measure employee satisfaction continuously—not just once a year
• Gain actionable insights into wellbeing, burnout risk and absenteeism
• Act quickly—before small issues lead to major consequences

Ready to get a handle on mental wellbeing within your organisation?

Let’s talk. See how askemo can help your HR team move from reactive to proactive—fast.