Labor Landscape
Despite strong demand for mental health-related training and resources, less than a third of American workers receive any at work, results of a recent survey show.
For its annual StigmaFree Workplace Mental Health Survey, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) collected responses from nearly 2,200 full-time employees at organizations with at least 100 workers.
Around 70 percent of the respondents said they feel stressed about the state of the world, with 30 percent feeling “very stressed”- an increase of 11 percentage points from 2024. The survey found that only 54 percent of the workers believe their employers prioritize their mental health.
The survey also revealed that 48 percent worry they’ll be judged for discussing mental health struggles. Among managers, 46 percent said they worry about negative career impacts.
“Stigma and judgment about mental health issues can be a barrier to successful job careers,’’said James Bowen of Frick Park Psychotherapy in Pittsburgh, Pa. “Workers are worried about the economy,’’ Bowen said. “It’s a very different world we must work in today,’’ Bowen added.
About 41 percent of workers feel uncomfortable talking about mental health issues, according to the survey. Retaliation and fear of losing job opportunities are the reasons 23 percent of the workers don’t discuss mental health.
More than one out of four workers surveyed have considered quitting because of a job’s effect on their mental health. “All workers react differently to stress, so there is no cookie-cutter approach for solving the challenge,’’ Bowen said.
More than three-fourths of the workers — 79 percent — agreed in the survey that it would be helpful to receive training on mental health conditions. Some 83 percent said they would feel comfortable talking about mental health with a colleague they consider a friend. But fewer than half were comfortable talking about mental heath with a human resource officer.
Still, the workers whose employers offer mental health training were more likely to report feeling supported by their managers. And were less likely to worry about mental health stigmas on the job.
“By prioritizing mental health at work – through resources, training and open conversation – employers have the opportunity to build a culture that breaks down stigma and enhance well-being throughout the organization,” said NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison.
Globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of $1 trillion per year in lost productivity.
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