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One reason employees struggle with mental wellbeing is that they expect work to deplete them, but when employers truly support their health and wellbeing, they can find themselves returning home with more energy than when they left, an organisational coach and mediator says.

Because exhaustion is perceived as normal, employees often don't realise they have a problem until they have a breakdown, says Sharon Darmody, the founding director of Strive Occupational Rehabilitation, in her new book Work Your Magic.

A contributing factor is a work environment where a person doesn't feel they can be themselves, because they don't think they'd be accepted. This can lead to constantly self-doubting and almost feeling "under attack". This feeling compromises their interactions with others and their capacity to weigh up the consequences of decisions, Darmody says...