Poor mental health could be costing the film and TV industry up to £400m a year, much of it driven by loneliness, according to a report.
Drawing on interviews, focus groups, academic literature and the Film and TV Charity’s annual Looking Glass report, the research finds that the industry's working culture and conditions create high levels of loneliness, to the detriment of individuals’ mental health.
The report, compiled by the F&TVC and the Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University, identifies long and unsocial hours, high-pressure working environments, the transient nature of TV production, and a culture of stigma around mental health, coupled with insufficient polices for addressing bullying and harassment, as factors in perpetuating loneliness.
Workplace loneliness specifically, it says, can lead to burnout, reduced creativity, poor job performance, lower job satisfaction, attrition and poor management relationships, with freelancers among the groups most vulnerable to feelings of loneliness.
In the 2024 Looking Glass Survey, 35% of respondents described their mental health as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ – almost double the national figure of 18%.
Some 30% said they often felt lonely, far above the national average of 8%. Moreover, 52% of respondents agreed that they are ‘often lonely at work’ compared to an average of 20% among UK workers in general.
Based on Deloitte’s recent estimates that poor mental health in the workforce costs UK employers £51bn a year, and with film and TV contributing around 0.8% of national Gross Value Added, the report calculates that poor mental health could be costing the film and TV industry up to £400m a year.
Identifying tackling loneliness as an industry-wide responsibility, the report recommends a series of interventions:
Employers should maintain communication and relationships with freelancers after/between projects (updates, check-ins, invitations to events) in order to mitigate the damaging effects of project-based working on social connection
Encourage measurement and tracking of loneliness (for example, through workplace wellbeing surveys) so that the scale of the problem and effectiveness of interventions is understood on the ground in individual companies
Create inclusive opportunities for meaningful connections in the workplace and between productions, ensuring these are designed for freelance workforce. These could take the form of events, activities or community networks based on shared interests, shared identities or shared professional experiences
Create formal ‘buddy’ and peer support systems (such as pairing new or at-risk workers with trained peers, encouraging light-touch opt-in emotional check-ins to promote connection and early support)
Destigmatise loneliness and educate the industry on the links between loneliness and mental health (for example, through awareness campaigns and encouraging industry leaders to share their experiences)
