Ongoing international conflicts, civil unrest, a volatile economy and political polarization are all likely reasons why mental health leaves are up “so tremendously,” Jennifer Birdsall, ComPsych’s chief clinical officer, tells CNBC Make It.<\/p>\n
Plus, the Covid-19 pandemic brought on larger conversations<\/a> about mental health<\/a>, which both reduced the stigma of seeking support, and encouraged people to learn about their options and resources through work, Birdsall says. A majority of large businesses made new investments<\/a> in employee mental health benefits in the years following the pandemic, though some recent reports<\/a> show workers feel their workplace’s mental health support has waned since the pandemic.<\/p>\n The increase in leaves of absence have stabilized in recent years and signal a “new normal” in the prevalence of people pausing their careers, ComPsych CEO Paul Posey said in a release. For example, mental health leaves increased 33% in 2023 compared to the year prior but remained stable in 2024.<\/p>\n The report, which covers 6 million people, considers unpaid leave provided under federal law, like the Family and Medical Leave Act and accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, <\/strong>which don’t require employers to provide paid leave to their workers. However, some employers may provide paid leave based on their internal company policies.<\/p>\n People take less leave when they have mental health resources at work<\/p>\n The findings underscore why employers should address the root causes driving increased mental health leaves and offer adequate behavior health programs<\/a>, including preventive care, to support their workers, Birdsall says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Workers who took leave and used their employer-provided behavioral health services returned to their jobs six days sooner than those who didn’t, on average, including for mental health, surgery, and pregnancy or maternity-related leave.<\/p>\n On the mental health front, “the more we can support resiliency-building, teaching self-care and prioritizing work-life harmony before things escalate into significant symptoms with functional impacts, the better,” she says. “This includes self-guided resources, well-being coaching, and work-life support.”<\/p>\n Addressing mental health strains at work is also a management issue<\/a>, Birdsall says.<\/p>\n “Teaching managers how to identify team members who are struggling, how to have supportive conversations, and how to refer to various employee benefits makes huge impacts,” she says. The right support from leadership can help resolve challenges and provide resources before a leave of absence is necessary, she says.<\/p>\n More than 75% of employers say they’ll offer digital resources for better mental health and resiliency in 2026, according to a recent report from Mercer<\/a>. Companies say they’re providing more in-person counseling opportunities for those returning to the office, and they’re increasing the number of covered therapy sessions provided through their employee assistance programs.<\/p>\n Want to stand out, grow your network, and get more job opportunities?<\/strong>\u00a0Sign up for Smarter by CNBC Make It’s new online course,\u00a0How to Build a Standout Personal Brand: Online, In Person, and At Work<\/a>. Learn from three expert instructors how to showcase your skills, build a stellar reputation, and create a digital presence that AI can’t replicate.<\/p>\n Plus,\u00a0sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life, and\u00a0request to join our exclusive community on LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0to connect with experts and peers.<\/p>\n![\"I](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/108188518-250730-mg-08-mm-wichmann-lisbon_D_clean.png\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Workers are taking extended breaks from their jobs at higher rates today than before the pandemic. The share…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":215842,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[16778,38904,107021,210,517,2578,36827,9159,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-215841","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-careers","9":"tag-employee-benefits","10":"tag-employee-healthcare-benefits","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-mental-health","13":"tag-personnel","14":"tag-salary-and-benefits","15":"tag-social-issues","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115180764050065677","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}