The overall scope

Have you personally experienced any mental health challenges that impacted your work?

Now, is it getting worse or better? Turns out that nearly half (45.6%) of all our respondents say they’ve had challenges but it’s actually getting better. That’s a much higher number than the 21.8% who say they have (or have had) challenges and it’s getting worse.

The overall sentiment 

Regardless of whether you’re working or not, are you:

And nearly half (46.6%) are feeling more positive about that trend, compared with just 29.5% who feel more negative about it.

So, we can call this progress in terms of opening up the conversation, and there are generally more good feelings than bad feelings about that. 

That’s great. But (and there’s always a but):

Not everyone thinks the same

The opposite held true for the Travel and Hospitality sectors, which led in terms of having mental health challenges impacting their work and for that experience to be getting worse (35.1% and 34.1% respectively). Those two sectors, of course, have been disproportionately impacted by the events of the last two years – with both taking a major hit in terms of job retention and the bottom line.

And those that have no challenges whatsoever? Again, the leaders in this area are those working in IT / Technology / SaaS (12.9%), followed by Healthcare (10.3%) and Retail (10.2%) in terms of not having mental health challenges. 

Have you personally experienced any mental health challenges that impacted your work? (by industry)

Men think it’s getting better

We found differences across gender identities as well. The standouts are that those identifying as male are more likely to say the overall trend of mental health conversations at work is getting better (43.2% vs. 37.9%), whereas those identifying as female are more likely to say it’s largely unchanged from before (33.9% vs. 29.1%).

What is the overall trend of mental health conversations in your workplace? (by gender)

Minorities feeling less sunny than non-minorities

Now, let’s talk about minorities. An important demographic question we asked in our survey was: “Do you identify as a member of a minority group (be it race, ethnicity, language, religion, country of origin, sexual orientation, gender, or another characteristic)?” Because of the complexity of the ‘minority’ conversation, we wanted to instead establish whether someone identified as a minority, which would shed light on how they perceive their status in society.

There, of course, will be cases where someone could be classified as a minority but doesn’t identify as one, and vice-versa. So, the way they answer this question gives nuanced insight into the rest of the dataset.

And the differences in answers between those identifying and not identifying as a minority are an eye-opener.

For starters, let’s go back to that same question above. We found that those who don’t identify as a minority are considerably more likely to say they do not have mental health challenges that impacted their work (9.3% vs. 5.3%).

Have you personally experienced any mental health challenges that impacted your work? (by minority status)

Meanwhile, those identifying as minorities are more likely to say they had mental health challenges predating 2020 that impacted their work (68.4% vs. 61.8%). 

As for the trend of mental health conversations in their workplace, a full third of minorities (33.5%) say that’s getting worse for them, compared with just over one in five non-minorities (22.9%).

Non-minorities are more likely to say the overall trend has not really changed from before (35.8% vs. 28%).

It’s pretty clear – the ‘minority’ experience differs hugely from the ‘non-minority’ experience. 

What we’ve learned here

What does this tell us? First off, mental health challenges exist, and are being felt by nearly everyone regardless of the pandemic.

But it’s getting better, right? Sure. Are people talking about it more? Yes, they are, and there are positive feelings about that.

Still, the differences in minority/non-minority answers deserves attention. Someone who considers themselves to be a minority would likely consider themselves not part of the majority status quo – so this requires a conversation around inclusion. We’ve defined “inclusion” in a past report:

“[Inclusion is] the sense of belonging, value, support, and respect that one feels in society and in a company – and that’s largely impacted by individual behavior and collective company culture.”

And right now, the difference in experiences related to mental health suggests there isn’t a fully inclusive environment in many workplaces. The more pessimistic outlook of those identifying as a minority tells us that we collectively have a lot of work to do in that area and that the “status quo” perspective is not sufficient.

Let’s talk about mental health – or not

First off, we find that less than three in 10 respondents (29%) feel they can be fully open in talking about mental health at work. And nearly half say it really depends on the situation or the person they’re talking with, with 45.4% choosing that as the level of comfort that they have in this regard.

And a full quarter (25.6%) are not comfortable at all talking about it.

What’s the level of comfort you have when talking about the topic of mental health at your workplace?

What prevents or would prevent you from communicating mental health concerns and challenges in the workplace?

Which begs the question: how do our respondents feel about communicating their own mental health concerns and challenges? Let’s take a look at the factors that prevent them from doing so.

We found that nearly two out of every five respondents (39.4%) say that mental health is generally not discussed and they don’t want to be the first to bring it up. Likewise, a little more than a third (35.2%) don’t communicate it because of a fear of stigmatization and discrimination. 

Finally – 35.9% of respondents say there’s no clear support or messaging about it in their company.

It’s clear – mental health isn’t the easiest topic for many. One may come down ill with a stomach flu and they’ll easily be able to talk about those struggles on their first day back at work – but when it comes to mental wellness, there’s an intimidating diffraction in the air that discourages a conversation from taking place; more so when the climate isn’t an accommodating one.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t brought up at all. Most of us have someone we can confide in. It’s worth looking at who people feel communicating their challenges with.

When we asked that of our respondents, we found that 34.8% say they can openly communicate mental health concerns and challenges with their colleagues. But ‘colleagues’ is, of course, a vague term – so let’s look at the other answers. Nearly a third (31.8%) said they can talk with their direct manager (i.e. in a 1-1 meeting), while 29.2% feel comfortable talking to HR and 28.3% feel OK discussing their concerns with upper management.

In the workplace, who do you feel you can openly communicate mental health concerns and challenges with?

But what about talking with one’s own direct reports? It’s not nearly as high – just one in five (20.1%).

Now, let’s look at another form of communication. When we asked respondents if they found their company’s mental health resources and services were sufficient enough for their needs, the most popular answer was “Somewhat, but I do have to ask for it” (36.5%). Considering the minimal level of comfort that many individuals have about raising mental health concerns and challenges with those they don’t necessarily know all that well, making it such that they have to ask for support adds even more discomfort.

Which makes one wonder – would employees feel better (and safer) talking about their concerns and challenges if their employer preemptively opened up a company-wide dialogue on mental health? And opened up channels for private dialogue, and provided a healthy range of services and support? Perhaps. And we’ll touch on that a little later in the next chapter.

Do you find your company’s mental health resources and services to be sufficient
for your needs?

Not everyone thinks the same

Again, not everyone is cut from the same fabric. It’s worth looking at how different groups like to communicate (or don’t like to communicate).

Men aren’t nearly as open

First off, we found that those identifying as male do not feel as comfortable as others when talking about mental health at work.

For instance, 28.9% of males say they don’t feel comfortable about it at all, compared with 23.1% of females – a difference of 5.8 percentage points.

What’s the level of comfort you have when talking about the topic of mental health at your workplace? (by gender)

Perhaps men are raised to be more closed off about their feelings and emotions compared with women. Even though it’s not nearly as rigid as before, and even though it’s a potential generalization, the evidence here still points to that element of our culture.

That adds nuance to our next insight: men are also more likely to say their company’s services are somewhat sufficient, but they have to ask for it (38.4% vs. 34.7%).

It’s not as comfortable for minorities

Meanwhile, like those identifying as male, those identifying as minorities (30.4%) also are overwhelmingly more likely than non-minorities (20.7%) to say they are not comfortable at all talking about the topic at work.

What’s the level of comfort you have when talking about the topic of mental health at your workplace? (by minority status)

Do you find your company’s mental health resources and services to be sufficient for your needs? (by minority status)

Minorities are also more likely to say they have to ask for it than non-minorities – 40.5% compared with 32.3%

In the workplace, who do you feel you can openly communicate mental health concerns and challenges with (tick all that apply)? (by minority status)

One potential explanation for all of this is that minorities may regularly find themselves in a situation more unique to them than is common to everyone – and therefore, minorities may not have the same level of like-minded peers at work with whom they can discuss mental health. 

Also, human resources traditionally offers a private channel for employees to address concerns, grievances, and other elements impacting them at work; in some cases, HR might be the only ‘safe space’ at work for many minorities when raising mental health challenges. 

And the other side of that coin is that non-minorities feel much more comfortable talking about this sensitive topic with anyone, simply because they are part of the overall status quo.

Not everyone thinks the same

But, again, there are differences when we dig into the demographic segments.

Insecurity and instability impact females more

When we compared responses from those identifying as female with those identifying as male, we found more insights. For instance, 24.3% of females say they’re struggling more now with financial insecurity compared with 19.6% of males. Likewise, 22.7% of females say that their struggle with the fear of job loss and job uncertainty is also getting worse, compared with 18.5% of males.

Of the major workplace stressors below, please share with us how each one is affecting you right now. (by gender)

On the flip side, 26.4% of males say they’re unaffected by struggles related to financial insecurity, compared with 22.2% of females.

We are well aware of the gender pay gap that exists in many societies, along with the differences in career opportunities be it perceived or real. Also, in a past survey, we identified a strong link between work opportunities and the prioritization of family. In short, the onus often falls on women to meet home priorities – and as a result, their careers take a back seat. The resultant stress on women is very evident in our dataset.

“Mental health is something I regard should be of high priority in our working spaces. Balancing work life and home is the main problem currently. Women in particular are mostly affected as they are often expected to work hard at home compared to their partners.”

Percentage of those struggling with financial insecurity (by minority status)

Percentage of those struggling with lack of training/development (by minority status)

We see an even starker discrepancy in the “lack of training / development” stressor, with 26.1% of minorities who struggle with it saying it’s getting worse and 32.7% saying it’s getting better – compared with 22.5% and 43.9% for non-minorities who struggle with the same thing. So, the future in terms of career growth certainly seems brighter for non-minorities.

Percentage of those struggling with Inappropriate behavior / discrimination

Workplace support

Before looking at the actual policies and resources offered by companies – which we explore in depth in the next chapter – let’s look at how our respondents seek out mental health support and services.

In short – we found that 43.3% used some of their company’s mental health services, while 30.1% procured their own professional help and services.

Have you sought professional help or other types of mental health support recently?

Just over one quarter (26.6%) of respondents did not procure any professional help or support in relation to mental health. It’s worth noting that this number is much higher than the number of respondents who say they haven’t had any mental health challenges whatsoever (7.4%, as noted in Chapter 1).

“We ran workshops on well-being and not many attended, but the ones who did felt they needed such actions. so it’s a work in progress and employee buy-in and being open to such assistance and direction are key.”

Not everyone thinks the same

Again, when we dig into the demographics, the differences really stand out. Let’s look at that.

Males get what they need from their employer

For instance, those identifying as male are far more likely than those identifying as female to use their company’s mental health services (49.5% vs. 38.5%) – a percentage point differential of 11.

Meanwhile, females are more likely to seek help outside of what their company has to offer, with 33.5% procuring their own services compared with 24.3% of males.

Have you sought professional help or other types of mental health support recently? (by gender)

Does this suggest that – at the risk of generalization – company policies are “built and designed by men” and therefore are sufficient “for men”, and not necessarily inclusive of women-specific mental health concerns? That’s worth thinking about. Keep that in mind as we go on.

So do minorities – but for different reasons

When we look at the differences in minority vs. non-minority responses, the differences are even more prominent, and differently so than the differences across genders.

More than half of those identifying as a minority used their company’s mental health services (53.4%) compared with just under one-third of non-minorities (32.3%) – that’s a difference of 21.1 percentage points. 

Meanwhile, 35.8% of non-minorities procured their own services, compared with 25.7% of minorities. 

Have you sought professional help or other types of mental health support recently? (by minority status)

And again, very telling: 31.9% of non-minorities have not sought professional help or other types of mental health support recently, compared with 20.9% of minorities.

The discrepancies here don’t simply indicate that minorities experience more workplace stressors than their non-minority counterparts – there’s also the possibility that those identifying as minorities are less financially and socially privileged, and therefore don’t have as many resources or means to pursue outside services.

So, when it comes to mental health support, those identifying as minorities will use what’s already available to them – i.e. those services that are in their benefits package at their current job. This may tie into why they’re more likely to go to HR and more likely to learn about – and use – their employer’s resources and services than their non-minority counterparts.

In fact, we found that those identifying as a minority are much more likely than non-minorities to have a clear understanding of the resources and services made available to them at work (74.6% vs. 60.6%). 

Do you have a clear understanding of your company’s resources and services available to you in regards to mental health support?

“Every mental illness has its own unique symptoms, and no two conditions are the same. Some people may hide their symptoms, while others may do very well despite persistent signs. It is best to express concern or assumptions when a sudden change in a co-worker's mood and behavior is observed. Offer support, but don't force stories and let them decide when to share what they're going through.”

And second, being inclusive is crucial to a successful mental health strategy, especially due to the broad variations in responses. You want to be sure there’s something in your company for everyone – not just the mainstream status quo. There are unique challenges faced by different people. Don’t make it uncomfortable by bringing in support only when the need is voiced (or at least, recognized). That just adds to the stress for many.

What employers need to do, consequently, is get ahead of the curve. Establish an emotionally and socially healthy workplace – and adopt the mentality that “it’s better to have it and not need it” when it comes to providing mental health resources and services. And open up those channels of conversation, create safe spaces, and make those resources and services known and accessible to everyone.

“Learn how to create an environment that is more supportive of the mental health of yourself, your colleagues, and your organization as a whole. Since every workplace is different, it is critical to gather the necessary information about the work environment in which you operate before deciding on the policies that best suit your company.”

Where employers are at

A third of our respondents say that their employer has always prioritized mental health (32%), and an additional three out of 10 say it became a priority after 2020 – making 62.1% in total who say their company is prioritizing mental health.

Plus, one in four respondents (23.7%) say that it’s going to be a priority for their company going forward.

When did workplace mental health become a priority for your company?

However, prioritizing mental health and having actual initiatives in place can be two different things altogether. So we asked our respondents what the current status of mental health support looks like in their company.

A combined half of respondents (50.3%) say their company has some initiatives in place, or it’s a permanent part of the company’s mission / vision / values.

But what jumps out is that one in 10 respondents (10.4%) say it’s not a priority for their company at all, and 32.6% say their company wants to do something but they don’t know where to start. That makes 43% who are effectively saying that their company isn’t tangibly doing anything in terms of mental health support.

What is the current status of mental health support in your company?

“I'm almost happy COVID happened so there's more awareness. Unfortunately, though, awareness alone is useless, if companies do little to improve their employees' well being.”

Why isn’t workplace mental health a priority at your company?

We then asked those 10.4% of respondents why it isn’t a priority for their company. The most popular answer is “I don’t know”, with 39.8% choosing that answer. In a distant second, 23.2% of respondents say their company’s executives aren’t interested or there’s no executive buy-in.

Costs don’t seem to be as much of an issue, with just one in 23 respondents (4.3%) checking off that box as a reason why their company isn’t prioritizing mental health at work.

Not every employer is the same

We found that when we segmented companies based on their various firmographics, some interesting data points start to surface.

Many non-US workers don’t know what their employer’s priority is

When comparing US companies with non-US companies, we found that employees in non-US companies are more than three times as likely to say they didn’t know when mental health became a priority in their company (20% vs. 6.1%) and less than one-third as likely to say mental health would be a priority for their company going forward (10.9% vs. 31.1%).

When did workplace mental health become a priority for your company? (by region)

Highly impacted employers jumped to action after 2020

When breaking down this same data across industries, we found that those in Legal (46.3%) and Retail (44.9%) are most likely to say mental health has always been a priority, with those in Healthcare (42.5%) and Travel (42.1%) most likely to say it became a priority after 2020. Those latter two sectors have been hugely impacted over the last two years – especially at the employee base – so, prioritizing mental health may be a response to that.

In regards to respondents who say mental health will be a priority going forward, companies in HR / Recruiting (35.9%), Logistics / Supply Chain (34.5%), and Hospitality (34%) lead the way.

When did workplace mental health become a priority for your company? (by industry)

Initiation and action

Now, let’s look at what started the conversation around mental health for employers. Who or what sparked the discussion? This is crucial, because these sorts of initiatives don’t happen in a vacuum – they are a response or reaction, even if proactively done so in anticipation of a greater need for resources and services.

First, we asked respondents who initiated the conversation that ultimately put a higher priority on workplace mental health. A little more than one in four (26.3%) say it was executives / management. Another 23.6% say it was the employees. Roughly one in six (16.3%) say it was the company’s customers who sparked that conversation.

Who initiated the conversation that ultimately put a higher priority on workplace mental health in your company?

What are your company’s top three motivators in considering workplace mental health as part of the overall strategy?

There will also be a cause or at least a catalyst that drives mental health prioritization, ultimately leading to it being part of the overall strategy. So, we also asked respondents what the top motivators are for their respective employers.

The top response was “employee productivity and performance” at 40.6% – which makes sense, considering that this is one of the core components of a smoothly running operation. You want your employees to be productive and excelling in what they do in their job – and in order for that to happen, you need them to be happy, healthy, and motivated. Mental health is crucial to that.

More than a third (36.7%) of respondents say their company is morally motivated – in other words, it’s absolutely the right thing to do for their employees as a business. And one-third (33%) say it’s about maintaining their external company reputation and public image as an employer.

A little deeper now – we found that the top measurable data point to measure progress in mental health initiatives and goals is employee retention at 40.8%, closely followed by performance reviews (38.3%) and employee feedback (38%).

Naturally, companies want to retain their employees. That, combined with the above focus on productivity and performance, makes a compelling case for having a solid well-thought-out strategy for mental health support and services as an employer.

Which of the following measurable data points does your company use to measure progress towards workplace mental health initiatives and goals? 

Not every employer is the same

Again, when segmenting the data across firmographics, we found differences in the way respondents answered.

US biz listens to HR – and worries about image and retention

One standout data point is in terms of who initiated the conversation – with respondents in US-based companies more than twice as likely as non-US companies to say it’s their HR representative (24.4% vs. 11.5%). Meanwhile, workers in non-US companies are three times as likely to say they don’t know who sparked that conversation (18.7% vs. 5.1%).

Who initiated the conversation that ultimately put a higher priority on workplace mental health in your company?

Those working in US-based companies are also far more likely to chalk the motivation up to external company reputation and public image (38.5% vs. 23.6%), talent attraction / engagement / retention (35.7% vs. 15.9%) and current events and trends (34.5% vs. 14.1%) than those in non-US companies.

What are your company’s top three motivators in considering workplace mental health as part of the overall strategy?

Manufacturing’s top brass sets the tone

When we look at the answers across industries, those in Manufacturing (42.2%) are most likely to say executives / management initiated the conversation, and those in Construction (40.9%) and Retail (40.8%) are most likely to credit employees.

Those in Consulting / Business Services (37.9%) are the most likely to say it was their HR representative(s) who sparked the discussion.

Who initiated the conversation that ultimately put a higher priority on workplace mental health in your company? (by industry)

What are your company’s top three motivators in considering workplace mental health as part of the overall strategy?

Now, let’s look at motivators. We mentioned above how much employee productivity and performance play a role – that is especially the case for those in Travel (52.6%) and HR / Recruiting (50%), but those in Construction are most likely to say it’s the moral obligation that drives workplace mental health strategy (50.9%).

And those in Healthcare (50.6%) are most likely to be motivated by external branding and company image – their sector, after all, is hugely impacted by the events of the last two years, and their work is highly visible and widely monitored. So those in this space will do what it takes to maintain their reputation as employers – including taking care of their employees’ mental health.

The challenges and hurdles

We’ve taken a healthy dive into who started the conversation and what the primary movers are in terms of workplace mental health – now, let’s come up for air and go to another area of the data pool: the challenges and blockers that impede progress in that direction.

Honestly, when we asked what the top challenges one’s company faces in meeting stated mental health targets, there’s no standout answer – although the leading answer is “creating a sustainable strategy that lasts over time” at 31%.

The least popular answer is that the mental health goals feel unattainable, with just 17.7% of respondents ticking that box in their answers. This indicates that it’s not about being unable to succeed in that direction – it’s more about how to put together a good package that really drives progress in this area.

Overall, what are the top three challenges your company faces in meeting stated mental health targets?

Clarity and communication

We’ve talked earlier about the importance of opening up the channels of communication about mental health, and making your resources and services known from the get-go. What calls attention to this here is how many respondents said they “don’t know” to many of the questions in our survey – for example: 12.6% say they don’t know when mental health became a priority; 39.8% say they don’t know why it’s not a priority in their company; and 11.3% say they don’t know who sparked the conversation.

Better communication from an employer will drive down those “I don’t know” numbers, so let’s look at what people do know about the mental health resources and services that exist at their workplace.  

As it happens, nearly a third of respondents (31.9%) do not have a clear understanding of their employer’s resources and services that are available to them.

Do you have a clear understanding of your company’s resources and services available to you in regards to mental health support?

Not every employer is the same

Again, there will be differences when slicing the data based on firmographics. Some sectors may be better than others at communicating. Some locations may have employers with more resources than others. So:

Manufacturing workers know a lot about their services

When looking at this across industries, those in Manufacturing (85.5%), Design / Creative (79.6%), and Construction (78.2%) are the ones most likely to know what their company has to offer in terms of mental health support.

Do you have a clear understanding of your company’s resources and services available to you in regards to mental health support?

On the flip side, those in Hospitality (46.8%), Consulting / Business Services (46.6%), Travel (45.6%), and Logistics / Supply Chain (43.1%) are most likely to not know about their company’s resources and services.

It’s possible that Manufacturing and Construction are higher-risk and higher-stress industries and therefore it’s a priority for employers in those areas to ensure that their workers are well-informed of the benefits available to them.

Actionables

Now, finally, let’s take a broad look at the action items that respondents in our survey say are being implemented in their companies. We found that the top action items are flexible work and increased compensation, with 59.4% and 53.4% respectively saying their companies have either already had this action item in place or recently introduced it.

Considering that some of the top workplace stressors mentioned above include work-life balance and financial instability, it’s clear that companies are listening in this regard.

What’s the status of each of the following mental health action items in your company?

However, what we also found is that 31.7% of respondents say there are no plans in place for leadership training in their company. Those companies may want to give it another think, considering the growing discussion around more inclusive leadership, whole-person leadership, mindful leadership, and psychological safety in the workplace.

What we’ve learned here

The easy opportunity for optimism is that the majority of employers are at least thinking about mental health in their workers, are aware of the potential fallout of not providing those services and, in many cases, have taken action in various ways.

Also, many employers – especially in the United States – are understandably worried about their public image and their employer brand, and the impact of mental health on their talent retention metrics – which ties into employee productivity and performance.

Those employers are responding and reacting to those stimuli by putting a higher priority on employee mental wellness in recent years. But what’s gaping here is that, as seen in Chapter 2, most employees’ struggles date back to pre-2020 (or the ‘before times’). Yes, mental health is being discussed more widely in our communities, and that is perhaps one of the good outcomes from the pandemic – but at greater stake is the apparent disconnect between employees and employers here.

“My company is overall doing a great job on ensuring we work in a positive environment and promoting employees wellbeing, however, we are lacking a focus on mental health (it’s part of the benefits we get if we want to but never really discussed much about it).”

That disconnect remains, as we’ve seen in the answers across the board. Employees have their needs, and employers aren’t necessarily meeting those needs and, much less so, aren’t always anticipating those needs ahead of time. There is a lot of ground to cover in terms of education and communication within a company in regards to mental wellness – and the resources and services made available to employees.