{"id":54492,"date":"2025-05-22T10:42:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T14:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seramount.com\/?p=54492"},"modified":"2025-12-08T22:21:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T03:21:50","slug":"buzzword-or-bottom-line-issue-lessons-from-hr-leaders-on-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seramount.com\/articles\/buzzword-or-bottom-line-issue-lessons-from-hr-leaders-on-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Buzzword or Bottom-Line Issue? Lessons from HR Leaders on Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Depression and anxiety cost the global workplace an estimated $1 trillion in lost productivity<\/strong> every year, driven by 12 billion lost working days<\/strong> annually (WHO<\/a>). Yet, many organizations still treat mental well-being as a nice-to-have in a benefits brochure instead of a strategic priority. While one in five working-age adults experiences mental health challenges (WHO<\/a>), only one in four US employees strongly agrees that their employer cares about their well-being (Gallup<\/a>). That disconnect has real consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workers who feel supported are 71% less likely to report burnout<\/strong>, 3x more likely to be engaged, and 69% less likely to be actively job-hunting<\/strong>. If you\u2019re seeing higher attrition or lower engagement, your employees\u2019 declining mental health might be the culprit.<\/p> (Gallup<\/a>)<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mental health surfaced as a top concern in Seramount\u2019s recent conversations with CHROs about the future of work. Senior HR leaders consistently pointed to well-being as both a workforce necessity and a business imperative. That\u2019s why we made mental health at work the central theme of our most recent Employee Voice Session (EVS)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well-Being Is Top of Mind in the C-Suite<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Employee Voice Sessions (EVSs) are virtual, anonymous focus groups that allow HR and Talent leaders to uncover real-time sentiment across the organization. Unlike traditional surveys or one-off town halls, EVSs use live facilitators to guide text-based conversations that create a psychologically safe space to surface honest insights and perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHolding one Employee Voice Session is like conducting sixty one-on-one interviews at once. I\u2019ve never seen another tool that can gather employee insights in such an engaging way.\u201d <\/p>\u2013Chief Culture Officer, Global Insurance Company<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In our most recent EVS, HR and Talent leaders across industries discussed how mental health is shaping everything from absenteeism and burnout to retention, productivity, and workplace culture<\/a>. While only one-third of participants said their well-being strategies were \u201cvery or extremely successful,\u201d nearly all agreed: More must be done.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Employers Are Meeting the Moment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

EVS participants reported a significant increase in mental health requests over the past year. Seventy percent of people leaders observed increased requests for well-being support, 55% saw more accommodation requests, and 40% reported a surge in mental health leave requests (excluding short-term disability). They also shared that current efforts to encourage a healthy lifestyle, build awareness, and offer safe spaces for support seem to be working<\/a>. More employees are using on-site wellness facilities, participating in financial wellness workshops, and taking advantage of mental health apps promoted by their teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What HR Leaders Are Seeing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hover over the image below to see more EVS results about the future of mental health at work<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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