There might seem little connection between the sad death of a TV presenter and retail, but industry leaders know otherwise – the link is mental health.

When Love Island host Caroline Flack took her own life last week it prompted countless calls for reflection. While the exact reasons and circumstances are unknown, it is clear she suffered in a world of trolling, bullying and online shaming, which many people who are not celebrities identify with.

It’s an issue that, just a few years ago, would not have featured on the retail agenda, dictated as it was by weekly trading performance and a command-and-control approach that was deemed essential to manage extensive store estates and vast numbers of employees.

But the world has changed and mental health is now, rightly, a prominent item on retailers’ agendas – both because employers take their responsibilities to staff seriously and because to do otherwise is likely to undermine commercial performance.

“It’s no surprise that some feel ground down when they’re just trying to do their jobs”

According to the organisation Time to Change, mental ill-health is “the leading cause of sickness absence in the UK, costing an average of £1,035 per employee per year”. The group puts the annual cost to employers at between £33bn and £42bn.

You don’t need to speak to many store or area managers, or even chief executives, to hear about the amount of time they spend dealing with mental health concerns affecting colleagues. It affects business leaders too; an obvious example being Lloyds Bank chief executive António Horta-Osório.

In 2011, the banking boss took temporary leave due to exhaustion, which the Evening Standard termed the most high-profile sick leave in the City. Horta-Osório, who still leads the bank, said that the role “almost shattered” his mental health.

But there is lots of good work going on. Late last year, seven of the biggest names in retail united to help improve the mental health of staff, working in partnership with Samaritans.

Asosthe Co-opJohn Lewis Partnership, Marks & Spencer, Next, Sainsbury’s and Tesco funded an online training guide, Wellbeing in Retail, so employees could better take care of their own mental health, support others who might be suffering and find out where to go for help.

Former JLP chair Sir Charlie Mayfield said at the time: “Mental health issues can affect us all and stigmas and barriers that once prevented people talking about the issues are starting to erode. The world of work, and retail in particular, is fast-paced and constantly changing and we want employees to feel supported.”

Social stress

Among the concerns raised by Flack’s death was the role that social media played. That’s something retailers will understand too.

There should always be space for robust conversation, criticism and satire, but no wonder few chief executives are very active on Twitter – they would be the targets for constant complaints and bile.

The most innocent photographs posted by stores, or the most minor of mistakes in-store, take on an unexpected life of their own on social media, drawing a deluge of belittling and rude comments. It’s no surprise that some feel ground down when they’re just trying to do their jobs.

But that is the norm these days and it’s one more reason why mental health has a place on the retail agenda as the industry adapts to a shifting landscape.

On the trading front, the new generations coming into the workplace have different attitudes and expectations to their predecessors, and getting the best out of them – indeed even attracting them to work for you in the first place – takes different tactics from those of the past.

The need for operational consistency at huge scale remains, but the ways of ensuring that have changed. Kindness and empathy – accompanied by high expectations – are more likely to deliver retail results than calling people out.

Optimism is core to retail’s heritage. It has always been an industry that has improved quality of life, whether democratising high-quality food or enabling people to feel and look their best with great fashion. And for success now, keeping colleagues happy is just as vital as keeping the customer satisfied.