Arlington, VA — Despite strong demand for mental health-related training and resources, less than a third of employees receive any at work, results of a recent survey show.
For its third annual StigmaFree Workplace Mental Health Survey, the National Alliance on Mental Illness collected responses from nearly 2,200 full-time workers at organizations with at least 100 employees.
Around 70% of respondents said they feel stressed about the state of the world, with 30% reporting feeling “very stressed” – an increase of 11 percentage points from 2024.
Only 54% of the workers believe their employer prioritizes their mental health. Other findings:
- Around half (48%) worry they’ll be judged for discussing mental health struggles. Among managers, 46% said they worry about negative career impacts.
- Stigma and judgment surrounding mental health is a barrier for 41% of the workers who feel uncomfortable talking about the topic.
- Retaliation and fear of losing job opportunities are the reasons 23% of the workers don’t discuss mental health.
- More than 1 out of 4 of the workers have considered quitting because of a job’s effect on their mental health.
More than three-fourths of the workers agreed that it would be helpful to receive training on mental health conditions (79%), identifying and responding to a mental health crisis (80%), and stress or burnout management (81%). Most of the workers said they feel comfortable talking about mental health with colleagues they consider a friend (83%), teammates (61%) and their manager (57%). Fewer than half are comfortable talking with human resources (39%) or senior leadership (30%).
The workers whose employers offer mental health training were more likely to report feeling supported by their managers (86% vs. 70%) and company leaders (58% vs. 43%) and were less likely to worry about mental health-related stigma on the job (43% vs. 52%).
“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 enhances well-being throughout the organization,” NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison Jr. said in a press release.
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication