May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. The 2025 theme is “Turn Awareness into Action,” encouraging individuals and communities to translate understanding into meaningful steps toward change. One critical area where this call to action can make a tangible difference is the workplace, where mental health conditions continue to impact employees and organizational well-being alike.

June is Men’s Mental Health month.  Mental health has become a crucial aspect of overall wellbeing. For employers, recognizing the importance of mental health in the workplace is not just an ethical obligation but a strategic one. Healthy employees are the backbone of a thriving business, and mental wellbeing is integral to their productivity, creativity, and engagement.

Organizations can improve the work-life balance of their employees by training line managers in work-life support. This training reduces burnout in employees who have little control of when or where they work and increases family engagement of employees who have high work-life flexibility.

Recent data from a study by MetLife reveals a concerning trend: employees are experiencing heightened levels of stress, burnout, and depression in the workplace. The pressures of the ongoing permacrisis state, compounded by financial concerns and persistently high living costs, have created a challenging environment for employees to navigate.

For a significant portion of the American workforce, the experience of work is anything but uplifting. According to a 2023 Work in America survey conducted by the APA (American Psychological Association), nearly one-fifth (19%) of respondents characterized their workplace as toxic. Additionally, over one-fifth (22%) reported that their work environment had negatively impacted their mental well-being.

Before you say there is no such a thing as the holiday blues, I have had it, and it is serious. I am a person that loves the holidays, particularly, the ones in December. Every year I see the play “A Christmas Carol” at the Meadowbrook Theater near the university in Rochester. I eat dinner in downtown Rochester with the friends I have made from my years of working and traveling. I stop by Toyology and pick up some gifts for my nieces and nephews or the family I adopted, and I end...

With remote work and the new reality of the workplace since the pandemic, employee loneliness has grown dramatically. Studies show that loneliness brings health problems, reduced productivity, turnover, and burnout. A BetterUp report demonstrates how the pandemic fractured workplace relationships — with 43% of respondents saying they don’t feel a connection to their coworkers.  Some 38% said they don’t trust their coworkers, and 22% said they don’t have a single...

A recent Gartner survey has revealed a concerning rise in burnout cases among HR staff. A significant majority—close to 75%—of HR leaders who participated in Gartner's survey expressed that burnout among HR staff has become more challenging compared to the period before the pandemic.

In recent years, mental health has become a priority for employers. Numerous companies are introducing additional personal days for their employees to specifically address stressful events occurring outside of the workplace. In addition to these personal days, they are also implementing companywide mental health days.