2024
Voice of the Workplace Report
Mental Health Trends for
HR Leaders and Executives
Despite your hard work to improve workforce mental health, employees told us they’re not feeling better.
69 said their mental health has stayed the same or worsened in the past year
61 said they've felt down, depressed or hopeless over the past month
68 said they've had trouble falling asleep over the past month
Where do you go from here?
Start with our 2024 Voice of the Workplace Report
You’ll find insights and recommendations based on survey research of 4,000+ employees around the world and 150+ US HR/benefits leaders. We’ve also analyzed the Calm usage patterns of more than 4 million Calm users globally.
Based on our September 2023 research, here are the:
Workplace mental health trends in 2024
Financial woes are the top stressor for employees
Even with inflation beginning to cool in the US and other countries, many employees are feeling the weight of high prices.
Top 3 mental health stressors in 2024
Cost of living/inflation
Financial instability
Being overworked
Technology is contributing to burnout
With smartphones, messaging apps, and instant access to the cloud from anywhere, employees often feel pressure to be “always-on” and respond in the moment.
Nearly 6 of 10
global workers agree that they are always connected or available for work
Managers are the problem and the solution
Most employees (65%) say that a caring and supportive manager can improve their mental health, while a stress-inducing manager can have a negative impact.
55%
of managers feel confident having mental health conversations with their employees
Only 38%
of employees say their manager fosters a low-stress work environment
Women need more mental health support for life stages
90% of women said challenges such as infertility, miscarriage, abortion, or menopause can affect their overall mental health as well as their ability to focus at work.
61 increase
in Calm search topics related to women’s health and family planning—e.g., pregnancy, menopause, fertility, abortion, and miscarriage—from 2022 to 2023
Only 35
of employees said their workplace is supportive of reproductive health (pregnancy, fertility, abortion)
Gen Z is leading the charge towards change
Gen Z is the most stressed, anxious, and depressed generation, but they’re also leading the charge to change workplaces for the better.
66
of Gen Z said they feel down or depressed – compared to only 50% of Gen X and Baby Boomers
76
of Gen Z employees have advocated for specific benefits at their employer
How employers plan to evolve workplace mental health benefits in 2024
Top 5 emerging employer mental health benefit focus areas in next 1-2 years, according to HR/benefits leaders
Youth mental health (includes Gen Z)
Grief
Fertility and pregnancy/postpartum
Financial stress
Menopause support
For a deeper dive into key trends driving global workplace mental health in 2024 and actionable takeaways on how HR/benefits leaders can move the needle on employee mental health.
Sources: Global General Audience Survey conducted by Calm, September 2023; EBN/Arizent survey research of US HR benefit leaders conducted on behalf of Calm, September 2023; and Global Calm User Data, 2021-2023.