Blog Post
May 13, 2025
How financial stress is hurting your business: And how to address it
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- 1 trillion reasons why employee mental health matters year round
1 trillion reasons why employee mental health matters year round
When employees thrive, so do their companies. Now more than ever, employers are seeing the benefits of destigmatizing conversations around mental health. On the flip side, they are also seeing the consequences of sweeping those conversations under the rug.
$1T
The global cost of lost productivity due to depression and anxiety disorders.
According to research from Harvard Medical School and the University of Queensland, approximately 50% of people in the world will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime. However, due to low self-identification rates, few people will seek treatment for their symptoms.
The more employees are honest with their leaders—and the more leaders are willing to listen—the higher the likelihood a company has of building a thriving culture based on mutual support and understanding. A recent study from Ipsos revealed that 75% of U.S. employees feel that it's appropriate to discuss mental health concerns at work. Still, only 58% of respondents say they felt comfortable sharing their own experience.
75%
of U.S. employees feel it's appropriate to discuss mental health concerns at work.
So, what does a culture of mental health look like? And more importantly, how is it achieved? Employers should focus on cultivating a people-first mindset that continues 365 days a year, not just during a mental health crisis or national holiday.
Here are a few ways you can create a culture built on mindfulness, mutual understanding, and mental health support.
Provide benefits that acknowledge and support the whole person
At Navigate, we believe in providing resources to support all the parts of life that make people healthy, happy, and whole. This goes for our clients as well as our own Navigate family.
Many factors can impact someone’s mental health. So, whether it’s their financial state, physical activity level, genetics, or a plethora of other things, it’s important for companies to provide impactful support and benefits personalized to their employees' needs—and to talk about those benefits openly.
Whether or not someone wants to disclose their mental health diagnosis, leaders should publicly acknowledge that these issues do exist and communicate their willingness to provide support or accommodation.
If you’re looking for more ways to provide valuable mental health support to your team, our partners at Talkspace, Total Brain and BurnAlong play a key role in helping our clients strengthen their employees’ mental (and physical) wellbeing.
Transform leaders into mental health allies
As with any cultural change, company leaders have a substantial ability to impact and influence their teams. When managers and executive leaders are honest about their experiences, it conveys a powerful message that these types of conversations are not only tolerated but encouraged.
When leaders speak up about their own mental health, it cultivates a culture of support and transparency that can ripple throughout the entire company to create a more holistically healthy organization.
Performing simple, authentic check-ins can also be a powerful tool for understanding your team’s mental health. Company-wide surveys—like our Navigate Pulse Surveys—are an excellent way to collect this data. With a survey, employees may feel more comfortable answering authentically knowing their identities will remain anonymous. This allows employers to gain a clear picture of the organization’s culture (in relation to mental health) to inform strategic company goals and decisions while also reducing the stigma around mental health in the workplace.
Invest in basic education and training
It’s never been more important to recognize, acknowledge, and address mental health in the workplace. This is true for all employees, but especially for managers.
75%
of employees report experiencing low mood due to global political turmoil
81%
of employees believe more mental health benefits should be available.
Final thoughts
Building a culture that supports mental health starts with removing the stigma—and continues by backing that support with action. That means offering benefits that reflect the realities employees face, like financial strain, and creating space for honest conversations year-round, not just during crises. When employers lead with empathy and consistency, they don’t just respond to mental health needs—they help prevent them from being overlooked in the first place.
