In my work, I compared two separately conducted studies. The first involved sales assistants, where I primarily explored their experiences and views regarding the support provided by the company in relation to mental health. The second involved managers in the company, where I aimed to examine their perspectives on influence and involvement as they perceive them. Particular attention was given to factors of organisational dynamics, such as work schedules, workloads, team relationships, communication, and leadership style. The research was qualitative and exploratory. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with four sales assistants and four managers employed at Primark Slovenia. The material was analysed using open and axial coding, on the basis of which the main themes were identified: received support, desired support, self-help, the role of the manager, employee support, employee behaviour, factors, and formal programmes. The results show that employees perceive managerial support as important, but often inconsistent and insufficiently systematic. They experience the greatest support through a direct relationship with the manager, conversation, accessibility, understanding, and the feeling of being heard. Formal support programmes, such as Spark, Let’s Talk, and Speak Up, are recognised as potentially useful; however, employees often do not know them well enough or do not use them. Managers understand their role as important and direct, but emphasise that they are not mental health professionals and that, for more effective support, they would need more training, guidelines, and organisational support. The comparison of the results shows that employees and managers agree on the importance of communication, trust, a personal approach, and support within the team. However, they differ in their perception of the consistency of support: employees often perceive it as dependent on the individual manager, while managers see it as part of their everyday role. The research confirms that employees’ mental health is not only an individual responsibility, but is closely connected to the organisation of work, the quality of relationships, the clarity of communication, and the accessibility of support. The key finding is that formal support programmes need to be presented more clearly, made more accessible, and integrated with the everyday support of managers and a safe organisational culture. In this context, occupational social work also emerges as an important possibility, as it can complement management, the human resources department, and formal support programmes. A social worker could act as a link between employees, managers, the human resources department, and external professional forms of support. Their role would be particularly important in providing initial support to employees, understanding their distress, directing them to appropriate sources of help, resolving conflicts, and creating a more supportive organisational culture.
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