This week marks Eating Disorders Awareness Week (23rd February to 1st March), and this year's theme of community is especially relevant in the workplace.
Eating disorders are among the most misunderstood mental health conditions. They are highly stigmatised, often dismissed as lifestyle choices or phases, and can be invisible, particularly in performance-driven workplaces.
But here's what we know: recovery from an eating disorder is not a solo journey. Research consistently shows that connection, understanding, and the right kind of support from the people around us play a critical role in whether someone gets better or continues to struggle in silence.
For employers, this is more than a statistic—it's a call to action. Small leadership steps can create ripple effects of support for employees. Consider opening mental health conversations, reviewing support pathways, or encouraging managers to check in on their teams. These actions can be the first step to a genuinely supportive workplace.
What We're Actually Talking About
Eating disorders in the UK are estimated to affect at least 1.25 million people at any one time, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) and other specified disorders. Anorexia in particular is repeatedly cited as having the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric or mental health disorder, with deaths driven by both medical complications and suicide.
Most of those affected are adolescents and adults, meaning the majority fall into “working age” brackets, and eating disorders are associated with reduced work participation, higher absenteeism and presenteeism, and even long‑term unemployment in some cases.
Yet in most workplaces, they're rarely spoken about. Managers don't know the signs. Colleagues don't know what to say. HR policies don't account for them. The people living with these conditions learn very quickly that work is not a safe place to be honest about what they're going through.
That silence has a cost – not just to the individual, but to your team and your organisation.
The Workplace Isn't Neutral Ground
It would be comforting to think that eating disorders are a personal issue that people manage outside of work. But that's not how it works. The days of leaving personal issues “at the door” are outdated as we recognise our work and personal lives are intrinsically linked.
Workplace culture can actively worsen eating disorder symptoms. Comments about bodies and food – even well-meaning ones – can be deeply harmful. Diet culture is rife in many office environments, from "detox January" conversations to remarks about what someone has on their plate at a lunch meeting. Stress, a lack of control, and poor work-life balance are all known triggers.
On the other hand, workplaces that prioritise psychological safety, where people genuinely feel seen, supported, and not judged, can be a stabilising force. They can be part of the community that makes recovery possible.
Community in Recovery: What the Research Tells Us
The theme of this year's Eating Disorders Awareness Week reflects something clinicians and people with lived experience have long understood. Social support is not a nice-to-have in eating disorder recovery. It is a core part of what makes recovery sustainable.
Studies show that people recovering from eating disorders who have strong social connections are more likely to achieve and maintain recovery. They're also more likely to seek help in the first place when they feel they won't be met with judgment or dismissal.
Community doesn't mean everyone has to know someone's diagnosis, or that managers need to become therapists. It means creating an environment where people aren't afraid to say they're struggling, where difference is met with curiosity rather than scrutiny, and where asking for support is treated as a sign of self-awareness, not weakness.
What This Looks Like in Practice
You don't need a specialist wellbeing programme or an unlimited budget to start making a difference. Some of the most impactful changes are cultural, not financial.
Training managers to have supportive, non-judgmental conversations about mental health is a significant step. When a manager notices that something seems off with a team member and responds with genuine care rather than discomfort, that matters enormously. Many people have disclosed an eating disorder for the first time to a manager who simply asked how they were doing and meant it.
Creating clear pathways to support also helps. If someone in your team is struggling, do they know what's available to them? Is your Employee Assistance Programme actually signposted? Are your wellbeing policies genuinely inclusive of mental health conditions – including eating disorders?
And then there's the culture piece. Tackling diet culture and body commentary in the workplace, even when it feels like a minor thing, sends a message that your organisation takes these issues seriously.
A Note on Early Intervention
Eating disorders are complex conditions that require professional treatment. Employers are not expected to diagnose, treat, or fix them. But early identification and a warm, supportive response can be the difference between someone getting help quickly or spending months, sometimes years, trying to manage alone.
The sooner someone feels safe enough to seek support, the better their chances of recovery. That safety starts with the environment you create. Supportive workplaces are not just vital for individual wellbeing—they can also reduce absenteeism, improve retention, and help teams perform more effectively. By developing a culture where people feel genuinely supported, organisations can positively impact both their people and their overall business performance.
This Week Is a Starting Point, Not a Full Stop
Eating Disorders Awareness Week gives us a moment to pause and reflect. But the work of building a genuinely supportive workplace doesn't start and end on the calendar.
If this week has prompted you to think about how equipped your team is to support employees through mental health challenges, this one or any other, that's a really good sign. The next step is doing something about it.
Ready to Build a More Supportive Workplace?
At Mental Health in Business, we help organisations build the knowledge, skills, and culture to genuinely support employee mental health – not just tick a box.
Whether that means training your managers to have better conversations, raising awareness around specific mental health conditions, or developing a whole-organisation wellbeing strategy, our team is here to help you make it happen.
Get in touch at info@mhib.co.uk or visit mhib.co.uk to find out more about how we work.
