“South African businesses are being urged to make employee mental health and wellbeing a year-round priority as financial pressures, heavy workloads and approaching year-end deadlines increase stress among workers. The report highlights the consequences of overlooking psychological wellbeing, including reduced concentration, lower productivity, absenteeism and employees who remain physically present at work but struggle to perform effectively.”
Expanded news article: South Africa must make workplace mental health a year-round priority
South African employers are being encouraged to place mental health and employee wellbeing at the centre of workplace culture as economic uncertainty, rising living costs and demanding year-end schedules increase pressure on workers. A report published by Eyewitness News on 14 October 2026 highlights the importance of addressing psychological, financial and physical wellbeing throughout the year rather than limiting support to occasional awareness campaigns. The discussion comes during October, the month in which South Africa observes Mental Health Awareness Month, following World Mental Health Day on 10 October.
Growing pressure on South African employees
For many employees, the workplace has become a setting where professional responsibilities overlap with personal challenges. Workers may be expected to meet strict deadlines, achieve performance targets, manage difficult relationships and maintain productivity while worrying about household expenses, family responsibilities and their financial future.
These pressures can accumulate gradually. Someone who initially feels tired after a demanding week may eventually experience persistent exhaustion, irritability, anxiety, sleep difficulties or reduced motivation. When employees have little opportunity to recover, ordinary workplace demands can become increasingly difficult to manage.
According to the Eyewitness News report, Thionay Morgan, Human Capital Executive at Old Mutual Mass and Foundation Cluster, warned that the combination of heavier workloads, tighter deadlines and financial or family pressures can affect concentration, motivation and performance. Her comments underline the importance of recognising that employee difficulties may have several interconnected causes rather than assuming that poor performance reflects a lack of commitment.
The year-end period deserves particular attention because organisations often face reporting deadlines, sales targets, staffing pressures and preparations for the following financial year. Employees may also be managing school expenses, travel arrangements, family obligations and concerns about whether their income will cover essential costs.
However, workplace stress is not restricted to the final months of the year. When organisations repeatedly operate with inadequate staffing, unrealistic expectations or limited managerial support, pressure can persist long after seasonal deadlines have passed.
Understanding presenteeism and declining productivity
One important issue raised in the report is the experience of employees who attend work physically but struggle to participate effectively because of mental, financial or physical difficulties. Morgan describes this situation using the expression “philosophical zombie”. The underlying concern is that physical attendance does not necessarily mean an employee is functioning at their best.
This experience is commonly associated with presenteeism: being present at work while illness, distress or exhaustion limits effectiveness. It can be less visible than absenteeism because the employee continues arriving, attending meetings and attempting to complete tasks.
Nevertheless, concentration may deteriorate, mistakes may become more frequent and decision-making may take longer. Employees can also find communication difficult, withdraw from colleagues or struggle to manage responsibilities they previously handled confidently.
Presenteeism should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of a mental health disorder. Temporary fatigue, physical illness, financial anxiety and personal circumstances can also affect performance. Employers therefore need supportive conversations and appropriate assessment rather than assumptions or blame.
Absenteeism presents a different challenge. Employees experiencing serious distress may need time away from work to recover, attend appointments or receive treatment. Organisations that respond with punishment or stigma may discourage workers from seeking assistance until their difficulties become more disruptive.
A healthier approach recognises that timely support can benefit employees while helping organisations maintain continuity, morale and sustainable performance.
The economic consequences of neglecting wellbeing
The Eyewitness News report cites an October 2024 report from the Gordon Institute of Business Science, which estimated that employee mental health challenges cost the South African economy approximately R250 billion annually in lost productivity, primarily through absenteeism and presenteeism.
This estimate illustrates the potential economic significance of workplace mental health. It should be understood as a figure attributed to the cited report, rather than a newly calculated total for 2026.
The financial consequences can extend beyond missed working hours. Organisations may face recruitment costs when employees leave, increased pressure on remaining staff, disrupted customer relationships and additional expenditure associated with replacing experienced workers.
Employees also carry personal costs. Sustained distress can affect relationships, family life, confidence and the ability to manage everyday responsibilities. Where access to professional support is limited or expensive, workers may postpone seeking assistance while their circumstances become harder to manage.
Investing in wellbeing should therefore not be viewed solely as a charitable activity or an optional employee benefit. It can form part of responsible workforce planning, risk management and long-term organisational sustainability.
However, the business case must not overshadow the human one. Employees deserve respectful treatment and reasonable working conditions because their dignity and health matter, regardless of whether a particular intervention produces measurable financial savings.
Why mental and physical wellbeing must be connected
Another important lesson from the report is that wellbeing involves an interconnected set of circumstances. Mental health cannot always be separated from physical health, financial security, family relationships and working conditions. Morgan emphasises the need to consider this broader ecosystem when addressing employee difficulties.
For example, an employee experiencing persistent pain or another physical health problem may struggle to sleep and concentrate. Someone worried about rent, food or debt may find it difficult to focus on professional responsibilities. A worker facing family conflict may arrive at the office already emotionally exhausted.
These experiences do not necessarily indicate a diagnosable mental illness. Nevertheless, they can affect emotional wellbeing and may increase vulnerability to more serious difficulties when pressure persists.
Employers can respond by making support easier to access, improving communication about available services and ensuring managers understand how to respond when staff members express concern.
Employee assistance programmes, counselling referrals, flexible arrangements where practical and access to reliable information may help. Nevertheless, these interventions should complement reasonable workloads, fair management practices and safe working environments rather than substitute for them.
Confidentiality is equally important. Employees should understand how support services operate, who can access their information and what circumstances might require information to be shared. Without trust, workers may avoid programmes that organisations have invested in establishing.
Practical steps employers can take
South African businesses can take several practical steps to make workplace mental health support more meaningful.
First, managers should review workloads regularly. Repeated overtime, permanently urgent deadlines and unclear responsibilities can create avoidable pressure. Teams should have realistic priorities, sufficient resources and opportunities to discuss competing demands before problems escalate.
Second, organisations should train managers to recognise changes that may warrant a supportive conversation. These might include persistent withdrawal, unusual difficulties concentrating, repeated exhaustion or a noticeable change in performance. Such signs are not diagnoses, and managers should avoid attempting to act as mental health professionals.
Third, employers should communicate available support clearly. Staff need accessible information about counselling, employee assistance programmes, healthcare benefits and procedures for requesting reasonable workplace adjustments.
Fourth, organisations should create an environment in which employees can raise concerns without automatically fearing punishment, humiliation or damage to their careers. Leaders can help establish this culture by responding respectfully and avoiding language that portrays distress as weakness.
Fifth, employers should examine whether their policies match their public commitments. An organisation may promote wellbeing while maintaining unrealistic workloads or rewarding managers for results achieved through unsustainable pressure. Meaningful action requires reviewing the working conditions that contribute to distress.
Finally, employers should assess whether their interventions are useful. Confidential employee feedback, service uptake, staff retention and carefully interpreted absence patterns can help identify areas requiring improvement. Personal health information must be protected throughout this process.
The role of employees and communities
Although employers have important responsibilities, workplace wellbeing also depends on accessible community support and broader social conditions.
Employees can benefit from recognising early signs of prolonged stress, maintaining supportive relationships and seeking appropriate professional assistance when difficulties persist. Rest, regular physical activity and healthy routines may support general wellbeing, although they cannot replace necessary treatment or resolve structural problems by themselves.
Colleagues can also contribute by listening without judgement, respecting boundaries and avoiding gossip about another person’s circumstances. A supportive conversation may help someone feel less isolated, but serious or persistent symptoms deserve appropriate professional attention.
Families and communities can help challenge the belief that people should remain silent about emotional difficulties. Encouraging honest conversations and seeking assistance when needed can make it easier for individuals to access support.
Nevertheless, responsibility should not be placed entirely on workers to become more resilient. People cannot reliably overcome every workplace problem through personal coping strategies when staffing, management practices or financial pressures remain unchanged.
Addressing stigma and improving access to care
Stigma remains a significant concern in mental health discussions. Employees may worry that disclosing emotional difficulties will cause colleagues to question their competence or supervisors to overlook them for promotion.
Some workers may also struggle to distinguish ordinary stress from symptoms that warrant clinical assessment. Others may know they need help but face financial, geographical or practical barriers to accessing services.
Employers can reduce these obstacles by sharing accurate information, maintaining appropriate confidentiality and providing clear routes to assistance. Where resources are limited, partnerships with established healthcare providers and community organisations may help employees identify suitable services.
Workplace initiatives must also recognise differences in employees’ circumstances. Workers in lower-paid positions may have less flexibility, fewer benefits or limited control over their schedules than senior staff. A wellbeing programme that requires expensive appointments or unpaid time away from work may therefore be inaccessible to those who need it most.
Support should be designed around these practical realities, with employees given opportunities to explain which arrangements would help them participate.
Looking beyond October’s awareness campaigns
World Mental Health Day provides an opportunity to discuss psychological wellbeing, but awareness alone cannot guarantee lasting improvements. The challenge is translating public commitments into everyday organisational decisions.
That means reviewing workloads in January as well as October, checking in with employees after difficult periods and making professional support available before a crisis develops. It also means recognising that wellbeing can change over time and that a worker who appears capable today may need assistance in the future.
For South African businesses facing economic uncertainty, this approach may require careful planning. However, ignoring persistent distress can create human and organisational consequences that are more difficult to address later.
Morgan’s central message, as reported by Eyewitness News, is that wellbeing should be embedded in how businesses lead, manage and sustain performance throughout the year.
Ultimately, the measure of progress will not be the number of awareness posters displayed or campaigns launched. It will be whether employees can raise concerns safely, access appropriate help and perform their jobs under conditions that respect their health and dignity.
As South Africa continues to confront financial pressures and workplace demands, sustained attention to mental health offers an opportunity to build healthier organisations. Treating wellbeing as an ongoing responsibility can support workers, strengthen workplace relationships and encourage a more sustainable approach to productivity.
