89% of corporate workers are facing mental health challenges

Mental health resources have become a crucial corporate benefit among employers who are looking to recruit the best talent, with more and more companies now offering access to therapy and wellness apps. Even so, many workers report feeling like they don’t have the support they are seeking—particularly as they encounter rising levels of stress in and out of the workplace.

In a new report from mental-health-benefits provider Lyra Health, 89% of the 7,500 employees surveyed said they had faced at least one mental health challenge over the past year, citing stress and anxiety as the biggest issues. In many cases, work was the leading source of their stress—namely, overwhelming workloads and staff shortages—and 73% of employees believed that those work-related mental health issues were, in turn, impacting their performance in the workplace.

There are, of course, other factors driving these mental health challenges, from the political climate to financial stress. Women were more likely to cite caregiving responsibilities as a reason for their stress—though in comparison to their male counterparts, they also reported higher levels of anxiety and mental health struggles on the whole.

Despite all this—not to mention, the growing investment in mental health benefits across corporate workplaces—many employees claimed to have limited access to the support they need or want. While the majority of workers said their employers care about their mental health and take stock of their well-being, only 29% of respondents think their workplace provides adequate mental health resources. (Of the 500 HR and benefits leaders who were surveyed, however, 45% argued that their companies offer those resources.)

More than half of younger workers are likely to switch jobs in the next year to find more comprehensive mental health support, with millennials being the most likely to take advantage of those resources. But nearly all employees surveyed said they strongly consider mental health benefits when looking for jobs.

There are signs that employees don’t always use mental health benefits even when they are available to them; also, that there can be a disconnect between which benefits employers typically offer and what their workers might be looking for. But companies have also seen the effects of securing these benefits for their workers: 81% of HR and benefits leaders said that mental health offerings had boosted their company’s reputation and made it a more appealing opportunity for job candidates.

It’s clear that workers are clamoring for more mental health support—and that along with fertility and family-building benefits, these resources can be a real differentiator for employers who are looking to attract and retain top talent.

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