Mental Health First Aid for Managers – Spotting Summer Stress and Burnout

Summer is often marketed as a time for slowing down, taking holidays, and recharging — but for many workplaces, it brings quite the opposite. With staff shortages, annual leave, and year-end pressure building in sectors like education, hospitality, construction and healthcare, managers often find themselves holding everything together.

At Essex First Aid & Wellbeing, we train dozens of managers and team leaders every year in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) — giving them the tools to identify, understand, and respond to mental health challenges in their teams.

In this blog, we explore why MHFA matters for managers during the summer months, and how to spot signs of stress and burnout before they become critical.

Summer Pressures: Why Burnout Doesn’t Take a Holiday

Managers might expect a quieter summer, but often face:

• Covering for absent colleagues

• Year-end financial deadlines

• Staff disengagement or presenteeism

• Increased customer demand (especially in tourism, education, retail)

• Emotional fatigue from high workloads

In fact, many managers report higher stress levels in July and August — right when they’re expected to keep things running smoothly.

Burnout vs Stress: Know the Difference

Stress	Burnout
Short-term, situational	Long-term, chronic
High energy, anxiety	Exhaustion, disengagement
Feels like “too much”	Feels like “not enough”
Still care about outcomes	Feel numb or hopeless

1. Spotting the Signs Early

As a manager, you’re uniquely placed to notice changes in your team’s behaviour.

Look out for:

• Sudden drop in engagement

• Repeated minor mistakes or missed deadlines

• Always appearing “fine” — but never quite present

• Avoiding meetings or social interactions

• Complaints of tiredness, lack of motivation, or sleeplessness

Early intervention is key. That’s where MHFA skills come in.

2. Starting the Conversation

MHFA training helps managers:

• Open up safe, stigma-free dialogue

• Use active listening and non-judgemental communication

• Ask open questions like:

  “I’ve noticed you seem a bit quiet lately – how are things?”“Is there anything you’d like support with at the moment?”

Even simple check-ins, done regularly and genuinely, can prevent escalation.

3. Taking Action: Supporting a Stressed Team Member

MHFA teaches the ALGEE approach:

• A – Approach and assess

• L – Listen non-judgementally

• G – Give reassurance and information

• E – Encourage professional help

• E – Encourage self-help and support strategies

Managers don’t need to “fix” people — but they do need to notice, listen, and signpost.

4. Protecting Your Own Mental Health

Managers are often the last to care for themselves. MHFA includes vital tools for self-care and boundary setting:

• Setting realistic workload limits

• Delegating when necessary

• Taking microbreaks and leave without guilt

• Building peer support networks

• Using reflective practices

As we say in training: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

5. MHFA as a Leadership Skill

Adding MHFA to your skillset:

• Demonstrates emotional intelligence

• Enhances team trust and communication

• Reduces absenteeism and presenteeism

• Improves staff retention

• Aligns with HSE and HR best practices

In short — it makes you a better manager.

Workplace Benefits of MHFA Training

MHFA can help your organisation:

• Respond to HSE and ISO 45003 mental health requirements

• Lower stress-related sick leave

• Build psychologically safe cultures

• Address issues like burnout, bullying, and anxiety

We offer on-site MHFA training for managers and team leaders, either as standalone courses or part of wellbeing strategies.