Employers risk “revolving door” as young workers quit over poor psychological safety 

Employers risk losing a generation of young talent unless workplace mental health support starts from day one, according to new research from MHFA England. 

The findings, based on a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK workers, paint a stark picture of early-career experiences across the UK, suggesting a growing disconnect between the effort young people put into entering the labour market and the environments they encounter once inside it. MHFA England’s research shows more than one in four young employees say their mental health has been affected because they do not feel safe enough to speak up or ask for help at work, while nearly one in three has considered leaving their job for the same reason. 

The data lands amid mounting pressure on young workers. Youth unemployment among 16–24-year-olds has reached 15.8 per cent, according to House of Commons Library analysis of ONS data, while employers and business groups have warned that rising labour costs and tightening entry-level recruitment are making it harder for younger people to enter the workforce. 

For Alicia Nagar, Head of People, Wellbeing, and Equity at MHFA England, this creates a clear dividing line between employers. 

“Young people are working harder than ever to get into the labour market. The organisations that are ready to receive them, and keep them, are going to be at a real advantage,” she says. 

“The employers who move now to build genuinely supportive cultures will have access to a motivated, ambitious generation that has a lot to offer.” 

The risk, however, is that employers are inadvertently creating a “revolving door” effect: bringing young people into organisations but failing to retain them due to cultures that do not support psychological safety. 

MHFA England’s research suggests this is already happening. Nearly 43 per cent of younger employees report high stress linked to feeling unable to speak up at work, almost double the rate of older colleagues. Meanwhile, 78 per cent of young workers say poor psychological safety damages their motivation, compared with 50 per cent of older workers. 

“Our research shows that nearly one in three young workers has considered leaving their job because they don’t feel psychologically safe,” Nagar says. 

“That’s a significant signal and an opportunity for employers who take it seriously. Young workers who feel safe to speak up bring honest thinking and fresh perspective. Building the conditions for that from day one pays off in retention, in team performance and in the kind of culture that sustains a business long-term.” 

The findings raise questions about the effectiveness of the UK’s growing investment in workplace health and wellbeing. Over the past decade, organisations have expanded mental health awareness initiatives and increased access to support, yet the data suggests that awareness alone is not translating into lived experience. 

Nagar says: “Investment in wellbeing has grown considerably, and that’s brilliant – but awareness alone doesn’t change how safe someone feels asking their manager for help on a Monday morning.” 

Instead, she points to a gap between strategy and day-to-day reality. 

“The organisations seeing real results are the ones where that investment reaches the everyday moments, like onboarding conversations, line manager confidence, or the normalisation of talking about mental health as part of how work gets done.” 

This gap between intention and experience is emerging as a defining issue for UK workplace health and wellbeing. While employers may have policies in place, young workers are often encountering environments where speaking up still carries perceived risk. 

MHFA England’s research also shows more than a quarter of young employees say their mental health has been negatively affected because they did not feel safe enough to ask for help, while almost a third have avoided giving honest feedback to their manager, more than twice the rate of older colleagues. 

For employers, the implications extend beyond individual wellbeing. They affect retention, engagement and productivity at a time when early-career talent is critical to long-term workforce planning. 

“When 78 per cent of young workers say poor psychological safety reduces their motivation – the widest gap of any question in our survey compared to older colleagues – you’re looking at a drag on productivity and team development that compounds quietly over time,” Nagar says. 

The economic case for action is also clear. Employers who invest in staff wellbeing see an average return of £4.70 for every £1 spent, rising to £6.30 for early-intervention approaches such as building psychological safety and awareness, according to MHFA England. 

“The business case is strong, and it’s strongest when you start early,” Nagar adds. 

The issue also highlights a structural imbalance in how young people are prepared for work, compared with how workplaces are prepared for them. Education systems have focused heavily on technical and academic readiness, but less attention has been given to whether organisations are equipped to support early-career employees once they arrive. 

“There is a gap here, and the good news is that the organisations closing it are seeing real results,” Nagar says. 

“We’ve invested a lot in equipping young people with technical skills. The employers who stand out are the ones who match that by building cultures where asking for help is normal from day one, and where managers are equipped to have honest conversations.” 

This shift requires rethinking onboarding, management capability and organisational culture as part of a broader workplace health and wellbeing strategy. It also aligns with wider policy developments, including the implementation of the Employment Rights Act and the Keep Britain Working review, both of which emphasise the role of mental health in employment participation. 

Sarah McIntosh, Chief Executive of MHFA England, frames the issue in terms of long-term economic impact. 

“Young people don’t just need a route into work, they need workplaces that feel safe once they get there,” she says. 

“When people cannot ask for help, speak honestly, or manage stress openly, employers lose the fresh-thinking that early-career talent brings. We simply cannot afford to lose more young people from the workplace.” 

The challenge is not limited to employers alone. Francesca Coleman, Head of Programmes and Development at Student Minds, points to the transition between education and employment as a critical moment for mental health. 

“We know that too many graduates start employment feeling they must hide their true selves, often burdened by a ‘perceived need for perfection’ and a fear that being honest about their mental health will jeopardise their future.” She says. 

The result is a cohort entering the workforce under pressure, then encountering environments that may reinforce rather than relieve that strain. 

For Nagar, the solution is not about adapting workplaces to a specific generation, but about recognising psychological safety as a core condition for performance. 

“The employers getting this right aren’t thinking about it as adaptation. They’re thinking about it as performance,” she says. 

“Psychological safety isn’t a generational preference; it’s a condition for good work.” 

“What the data shows us is that young people have a particularly acute experience of what happens when that safety is absent.” 

As organisations compete for talent in a tightening labour market, the ability to create psychologically safe environments is emerging as a differentiator within UK workplace health and wellbeing strategy. Those that invest early, embedding support from recruitment through to retention, are more likely to build engaged, productive teams. 

“The employers who invest in their experience now are building organisations that will attract and retain the next generation of talent,” Nagar says. 

“That’s a huge competitive advantage, and it’s available to any organisation willing to act on it.” 

Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, with its theme of ‘Action’, underscores the urgency of moving beyond awareness towards practical change. For employers, the message is clear: the experience of young workers is not a marginal issue, but a central test of whether workplace health and wellbeing strategies are fit for the future. 

And for a generation entering work under mounting pressure, the difference between staying and leaving may come down to whether they feel safe enough to speak on day one.