“I am struggling and feel unsupported.”
This stark admission, echoed across the Alliance of Independent Agencies’ latest People Pulse, goes to the heart of a persistent, systemic issue: mental health in UK agencies is under strain – and has been for years.
For the past four years, the People Pulse has listened to the voices of over 1,000 agency staff across the UK. The message is consistent and clear: too many people are overwhelmed, under-supported, and just about coping.
What the Data Tells Us
Mental Health Net Promoter Scores (NPS) across agencies continue to hover around or below zero. In this context, NPS is based on how staff rate their well-being on a scale of 0–10.
An NPS of zero may not scream “crisis”, but it’s not a sign of health either. It reflects a workforce caught in a state of low morale and emotional fatigue. It’s the well-being equivalent of “fine”, and fine is not good enough.
As one respondent put it:
“This place is toxic.”
Behind that blunt truth are recurring themes: pressure, exhaustion, feeling undervalued, and a culture that puts deadlines and client demands before people.
What Agency Staff Say They Really Need — And What Leaders Can Actually Do
This isn’t guesswork. These seven priorities come directly from qualitative responses in the many waves of People Pulse data. Below each, we’ve outlined clear actions leaders can take immediately.
1. Measure Mental Health Like You Measure Profit
Use NPS, pulse surveys, and regular wellbeing check-ins. Make mental health data as visible and actionable as your financial performance.
“We have data. What we don’t have is leadership accountability.”
Leadership Action: Set a quarterly mental health KPI at board level. Use brief, anonymous wellbeing pulse surveys and publish results internally. Make mental health a standing agenda item in leadership meetings.
2. Equip Managers to Act Early and Lead with Empathy
Managers are key influencers of culture, but many feel underprepared to support staff wellbeing.
“My line manager listens—but it goes nowhere when it hits senior management.”
Leadership Action: Invest in mental health training for all line managers. Build emotional intelligence, burnout spotting, and active listening into leadership development frameworks. Empower them to escalate issues with confidence.
3. Protect Work-Life Boundaries
The culture of chronic overwork is damaging morale and performance. Staff feel pressured to always be “on.”
“It’s impossible to have fun when the whole team is overworked.”
“I never finish everything in a day.”
Leadership Action: Enforce a ‘right to disconnect’ policy—limit after-hours emails and reward teams that hit goals without burnout. Model it from the top: take your own time off and communicate expectations clearly.
4. Make Support Accessible, Visible & Stigma-Free
Having an Employee Support Programme in place is not enough if people don’t know about it or feel judged for using it.
“Wellbeing support is advertised, but there’s nothing real behind it.”
“Getting the job done comes before mental wellbeing.”
Leadership Action: Re-launch your wellbeing support with clarity and visibility. Host a live session on available services, introduce mental health first aiders, and share stories from staff who’ve benefited.
5. Create a Culture of Psychological Safety
People want to speak up without fear of being dismissed or labelled as “difficult.”
“I voice my concerns, but nothing ever changes.”
Leadership Action: Hold monthly safe-space sessions or anonymous feedback opportunities. Commit to responding publicly to staff concerns and following up with specific action plans.
6. Reduce Chronic Overload
Excessive workloads are pushing people to the edge, and inefficient processes are adding fuel to the fire.
“Processes feel like obstacles, not support.”
“The pressure is too high. It’s bad for mental health.”
Leadership Action: Conduct a workload and process audit across departments. Remove unnecessary admin, rebalance resources, and introduce stop-start-continue reviews to reduce cognitive load.
7. Promote Rest as a Performance Strategy
The culture of “pushing through” is unsustainable. Rest needs to be encouraged, not earned.
“We work constantly but feel overlooked.”
“Design is the most undervalued team.”
Leadership Action: Normalise downtime. Celebrate people who take leave and recover after major pushes. Build rest and recovery into performance frameworks and speak openly about the need for it.
The Consequences of Ignoring This?
People are burning out. Creativity is suffering. And agencies are bleeding talent.
“I’m thinking about leaving.”
“I feel unsupported.”
Clients are watching. So is the talent market. Doing nothing is no longer neutral. It is negligent.
This Mental Health Week, We Challenge You:
Implement at least 3 of these 7 actions by the end of the month.
Start small.
Move fast.
Listen deeply.
Because agency culture isn’t what you say – it’s what your people feel.