EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

 

Unquestionably, mental health has been a big workplace topic over the past decade. But rather than diminishing, the focus on employees’ emotional well-being seems to be growing with each passing year.

This increased emphasis is understandable, given a number of statistics that are hard for workplace leaders to ignore. For instance, a 2024 survey from LIMRA, a Windsor, Conn.-based insurance and financial firm, found that 75% of U.S. workers say they have experienced at least one mental health challenge, such as anxiety, depression, grief, or thoughts of suicide, either “sometimes” or “often” in the past year, with 37% dealing with mental health issues “often.”

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, here’s an overview of what to know about the topic — from which workers are struggling to the state of benefits and support and where employers need to do more.

Jobs are impacting workers’ mental health. Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. workers (31%) say their job makes them stressed “always or often,” according to a February 2025 pulse survey of 1,193 U.S.-based workers by SHRM. The same survey found that nearly 1 in 4 U.S. workers (22%) said their job made them anxious “always or often.” Among those who said their job made them feel stressed at least sometimes, most U.S. workers said workload most contributed to their stress (37%), followed by pay/compensation (33%), understaffing (31%), and poor leadership (29%). Other stressors include co-workers, lack of recognition, job insecurity, toxic workplace culture, commuting, and inflexible schedules.

On the flip side, 54% of employees said their job made them feel fulfilled, compared with 40% in 2024. Research indicates that those who feel more fulfilled by their job and cared for by their employer have better mental health.

SHRM Toolkit: Creating a Mental-Health-Friendly Workplace

Women are struggling in particular. Several statistics point to women experiencing a mental health crisis. According to ComPsych data, women have driven a stunning surge in mental-health-related leaves of absence: In the first quarter of 2024, 11% of all leaves of absence were due to mental health, a 22% increase in mental health leaves versus those taken in the first quarter of 2023. That’s a trend driven by female workers, who accounted for 69% of all mental health leaves of absence in 2023, and 71% of all mental health leaves in the first quarter of 2024. Separate data from ComPsych, a mental health provider that works with employers, shows that women have accounted for 60% of U.S. depression cases over the past two years.

Additionally, the Aflac WorkForces Report found that while 57% of workers reported experiencing at least moderate levels of burnout, women are more vulnerable to this particular issue, with 75% reporting burnout at work compared to 58% of men. 

“This is absolutely a significant problem for women in the workforce,” said Jennifer Birdsall, clinical psychologist and clinical director at ComPsych. “It’s something that’s been accelerating for the past few years going back to the pandemic.”