Half of business owners have experienced poor mental health in the last year

Almost half (47 per cent) of small business owners have experienced poor mental health in the last 12 months, while nine in 10 (90 per cent) say the government isn't doing enough to support their mental health.

This is according to a study by Simply Business in partnership with Mental Health at Work. After launching a similar study last year, we’ve revisited the topic to see how things have changed after a challenging year for small business.

There are worrying similarities between the reports, with many business owners just as overworked and under-supported as last year. However, there are some green shoots of resilience for the mental wellbeing of the nation's self-employed.

Read on for the key findings of this year's research as well as the positive and negative changes since the last report.

Key findings: what is driving poor mental health among SMEs?

After a challenging year, it’s not surprising to see that almost half (47 per cent) of small business owners have experienced poor mental health in the last 12 months. With financial worries like increasing costs, irregular income, and debt being highlighted as the main reasons.

Other contributing factors included:

• lack of networks or support
• not enough time for admin
• competition with other businesses
• not being able to take care of employees

Green shoots of resilience

However, in comparison to last year, there’s been some improvement among small business owners. While 47 per cent have experienced poor mental health in the last 12 months, this is down from 56 per cent in 2023.

The resilient spirit of small business owners is clear to see. Other signs of improvement include:

• a 9.2 per cent increase in SME owners who say running own business is good for mental health
• a 7.7 per cent decrease in SME owners who say running own business is bad for mental health
• a 12.5 per cent decrease in owners with ‘financial worries’

Revealed: impact of poor mental health on business owners

When comparing to last year's results, there have been a some positive shifts in how poor mental health has impacted small business owners:

• 34 per cent find it difficult to concentrate (a decrease from 41 per cent last year)
• almost a third (32 per cent) fell back into unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, or eating unhealthily (down from 38 per cent last year)
• almost one in five (18 per cent) have had to adapt or reduce their working hours or hours of business (a fall from 26 per cent last year)

It’s encouraging to see improvements in these areas, meaning that small business owners are finding ways to manage in these difficult circumstances.

Overworking continues to be an issue

But the same issues persist in terms of taking a break. When experiencing poor mental health, 61 per cent of small business owners don’t take time off work – showing that it’s difficult to put the demands of running a business on hold.

The self-employed also work much longer hours than employed people. Almost a third (30 per cent) of respondents said they work more than 46 hours a week. This is much more than the average 36.9 hours employed people work each week, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Changes in the mental health stigma

Talking about mental health can sometimes be difficult. In last year's survey, it stood out that 51 per cent of respondents said they wouldn’t feel comfortable disclosing poor mental health as a reason for time off or delaying deadlines.

But there are signs that things are changing. Almost half (46 per cent) of those surveyed would now feel comfortable taking time off to improve their mental health – an increase from 41 per cent in 2023.

And almost two in five (38 per cent) of respondents agreed that their sector encourages openness and discussion about mental health.

Strategies for managing mental health

When you’re running a business, it’s natural that you’re going to be dealing with some level of stress and uncertainty. Something many small business owners have improved at is using a range of strategies to take care of their mental wellbeing during stressful times:

• 71 per cent try to spend time in nature or outdoors during their working day
• 57 per cent make sure they take regular breaks
• 41 per cent try to connect with friends and family
• 38 per cent try to exercise
• 36 per cent watch TV and films

More government support is needed

A worrying feature of both reports is that small business owners don’t feel their mental health is supported enough by the government. In both 2023 and 2024, a huge 90 per cent of respondents said that the government doesn’t do enough to support the mental health of small business owners.

And when asked how they would like the government to support them:

• 62 per cent said they’d like access to a flexible statutory sick pay scheme
• 33 per cent said they'd like central service where self-employed people can reach out for support with their mental health
• 26 per cent said they’d like a central hub focused on mental health support

More useful guides for small business owners

• A complete guide to business strategy
• Everything you need to know about small business grants
• A free budget calculator and template
• What is business insurance?