03/09/2025
🔗 Proud to share my latest piece from HealthBridge, where we explore the real challenges SMEs face in supporting staff wellbeing and practical steps forward. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts! Also please feel free to follow my new business if you have not done so already! Thank you kindly 🙏 James
🚨 The Hidden Cost of Burnout in SMEs And How We Can Do Better
Have you ever felt ground down by admin, stretched too thin by deadlines, or quietly wondered how long your team can keep going at this pace?
In my NHS work I’ve seen this story daily: talented, hard-working people pushed tothe point where health, both physical and mental, begins to crack.
And for SMEs, the pressure can be even greater. Here’s the challenge SMEs face:
👉 No big HR or health department to lean on
👉 Managers constantly firefighting instead of planning ahead
👉 Warning signs of stress and mental health strain missed until someone suddenly needs weeks off work
The result?
❌ Lost productivity.
❌ Rising costs.
❌ Good people suffering in silence.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Preventive occupational health can completely change the trajectory.
At HealthBridge, we give SMEs access to the kind of support larger companies take for granted:
✅ Mental health assessments that prioritise early intervention
✅ Return-to-work plans that balance employee needs with business goals
✅ Practical advice HR and managers can actually use, not jargon
✅ Clear reporting so you’re never left in the dark
Because when people feel supported, businesses don’t just survive, they thrive. 🌱
🔑 My key message to SME leaders: Don’t wait until crisis hits. The earlier you bring occupational health into the conversation, the stronger your team, and your bottom line, will be.
🙋♂️ I’d love to hear from SME leaders: what’s been your biggest challenge in supporting your team’s health and wellbeing?
Dr James Stanley
GP and Founder of HealthBridge Occupational Health Ltd
