Mental Wellness

Mental Health in the Workplace: What Employees and Managers Should Know

9 min read · Jan 3, 2025

In This Article

From recognizing distress to understanding available resources, this guide covers mental wellness at work for both employees and those in managing roles.

Key Takeaways

Mental health challenges are common in the workplace and affect performance, relationships, and attendance.
Recognizing early warning signs — in yourself or a colleague — can lead to faster, more effective support.
Employees have practical strategies available to protect their wellbeing, including EAP resources and boundary-setting.
Managers play a critical role in shaping a culture where speaking up feels safe, not risky.
Stigma remains a major barrier to seeking help; normalizing the conversation is everyone's responsibility.
This article is general information only — consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal concerns.

When checking in on a colleague, ask open-ended questions like "How have things been feeling lately?" rather than "Are you okay?" — a yes/no question almost always gets a yes.

Open questions lower the social risk of disclosing and give the other person space to share at whatever level they choose, making genuine connection more likely.

If you manage people, document supportive actions you take — not to build a paper trail against employees, but to track what is working and demonstrate a consistent pattern of care.

Consistency matters both for building trust and for organizational accountability; informal records help managers reflect on whether their actions match their intentions.

Why Workplace Mental Health Matters

Work occupies a significant portion of most adults' waking lives, which means the workplace environment has an outsized influence on overall mental wellbeing. According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety cost the global economy an estimated $1 trillion per year in lost productivity — a figure that underscores why this issue reaches well beyond individual experience.

Mental health at work is not simply about avoiding a breakdown. It encompasses daily stress levels, the quality of relationships with colleagues and managers, a sense of purpose and autonomy, and whether employees feel psychologically safe enough to raise concerns. To understand what the term "mental health" fully covers, see our plain-language explanation of what mental health actually means.

Poor workplace mental health affects everyone: the individual experiencing distress, team members absorbing extra workload, and organizations facing higher absenteeism, turnover, and liability. Addressing it is not a fringe benefit — it is a core component of a functioning, productive organization.

Recognizing Signs of Distress — In Yourself and Others

Early recognition is one of the most powerful tools available. When distress goes unnoticed — or is dismissed as a performance issue — it tends to escalate. The signs are not always dramatic.

Common individual signals

Persistent fatigue that does not improve with rest
Difficulty concentrating or making routine decisions
Increased irritability or emotional withdrawal from colleagues
Declining work quality or missed deadlines without clear cause
Physical complaints such as frequent headaches or stomach problems

What to look for in colleagues

Changes in behavior are often more telling than any single moment. A usually engaged colleague who becomes quiet and disconnected, or someone whose punctuality and output shift noticeably, may be struggling. Avoid assuming; instead, create an opening for conversation.

When checking in on a colleague, ask open-ended questions like "How have things been feeling lately?" rather than "Are you okay?" — a yes/no question almost always gets a yes.

Open questions lower the social risk of disclosing and give the other person space to share at whatever level they choose, making genuine connection more likely.

If you manage people, document supportive actions you take — not to build a paper trail against employees, but to track what is working and demonstrate a consistent pattern of care.

Consistency matters both for building trust and for organizational accountability; informal records help managers reflect on whether their actions match their intentions.

If you are new to thinking about mental health concepts, our beginner's introduction to mental health provides a solid foundation for understanding what you're observing.

What Employees Can Do to Protect Their Wellbeing

Employees are not passive recipients of whatever culture exists around them. There are concrete, evidence-informed steps individuals can take to manage their own mental wellness at work.

Set realistic boundaries. Chronic overwork is a well-documented driver of burnout. Communicating your limits — around hours, workload, and availability — is not weakness; it is sustainable practice.
Use your Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Most mid-to-large employers offer EAPs that include confidential counseling sessions, often at no cost. Many employees are unaware these exist or hesitate to use them. They are confidential — your employer does not receive details of your use.
Build in recovery time. Short breaks, lunch away from screens, and genuine use of vacation time all support cognitive recovery. Research consistently links recovery time to sustained performance and lower burnout rates.
Seek professional support early. Waiting until you are in crisis makes recovery harder. If you are struggling, speaking with your primary care provider or a mental health professional is appropriate at any point — not just at a breaking point.

For anyone unsure of what type of professional to consult, our guide on the differences between therapy, counseling, and psychiatry breaks down each role clearly.

This content is general health information and is not a substitute for personalized advice from a qualified healthcare professional.

What Managers Can Do to Build a Supportive Culture

Managers have a disproportionate impact on team mental health — research suggests that a person's direct supervisor influences wellbeing more than many other workplace factors. That is both a responsibility and an opportunity.

Practical steps for managers

Check in regularly — not just about output. Brief one-on-ones that include a genuine "How are you doing?" signal that the person, not just the task, matters.
Model healthy behavior. Managers who routinely send emails at midnight or skip leave set an implicit standard that others feel pressured to match. Visible boundary-setting from leadership normalizes it for everyone.
Respond to disclosure with care, not fixes. When someone shares that they are struggling, the instinct to immediately problem-solve can feel dismissive. Listening first, acknowledging the experience, and then offering options is more effective.
Know what resources exist and communicate them proactively. Employees in distress rarely go looking for information. Managers who mention the EAP, HR support, or mental health leave policies during team meetings make that information accessible before a crisis arrives.

Our resource on supporting someone who is struggling offers practical language for these sensitive conversations.

Workplace Resources and When to Use Them

Understanding what is available is half the battle. The most common resources in U.S. workplaces include:

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): Short-term, confidential counseling and referral services offered by many employers. Typically free to use and accessible by phone or app.
Health insurance mental health benefits: Under federal law (the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act), most employer-sponsored health plans must cover mental health services at parity with medical ones. Check your plan's summary of benefits.
FMLA and medical leave: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows eligible employees at covered employers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for qualifying mental health conditions. Eligibility rules apply — consult HR for specifics.
Workplace accommodations: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employees with qualifying mental health conditions may be entitled to reasonable accommodations, such as schedule flexibility or a quieter workspace. HR is the right starting point for these conversations.

Laws and benefits vary by employer size, state, and individual circumstances. Consult your HR department or a qualified advisor for guidance specific to your situation.

Reducing Stigma: A Shared Responsibility

Stigma — the fear of being judged, penalized, or seen as less capable — remains the single biggest barrier to employees seeking help. It operates in both directions: people fear how colleagues will perceive them, and they internalize negative beliefs about their own struggles.

Reducing stigma is not accomplished by one poster in a break room or a single awareness email. It requires consistent, repeated signals that mental health is treated with the same seriousness as physical health. That means:

Leaders speaking openly about their own experiences of stress or burnout (without oversharing or pressuring others)
Mental health topics included in regular team conversations, not just crisis moments
Policies that match rhetoric — flexible leave is meaningless if taking it carries an invisible career penalty
Language that is neutral and descriptive rather than dramatizing or minimizing

Every conversation that treats mental health as a normal part of human experience chips away at stigma. Employees and managers alike contribute to that shift — or undermine it — through everyday choices in how they speak and respond.

This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or HR advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional or licensed advisor for concerns specific to your circumstances.

Health Editorial Team

Health Editorial Team is the collective byline for our editorial team and contributor network. Articles published under this byline or an editorial pen name are researched, written, and reviewed according to our editorial standards for clarity, consistency, and independence before publication.