March 18, 2026 • 28 mins
NAMI released its third annual workplace mental health poll yesterday. In this episode, NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison Jr. is joined by Brit Wanstrath, manager of workplace mental health for NAMI. As they explore the key findings from the poll release, listeners will find out what makes employees feel comfortable talking about mental health at work, the scale of burnout impacting American workers, the importance of mental health workplace trainings, and more. With the information from this year’s NAMI-Ipsos Workplace Mental Health poll, companies can begin making plans for increased support for their employees.
Learn more at nami.org/MentalHealthAtWork2026
Find the new NAMI StigmaFree workplace training, You Can Ask by NAMI, online now.
You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.
"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.
Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.
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(00:00):
Leadership sets the tone.
78% of people do feel thattheir manager cares about them.
Only halfbelieve their C-suite cares about them.
If you depend on your managersto keep your workforce productive.
You need to model the behaviorsthat will keep your managers healthy.
Setting those clear expectations.
(00:20):
Having honest communicationand you yourself maintaining a healthy
work life balance so that they can seethat that's something that you value.
Welcome to Hope Starts With Us, a podcastby NAMI,
the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
I'm your host, Dan Gillison, NAMI's CEO.
NAMI started this podcast becausewe believe that hope starts with us.
(00:43):
All of us.
Hope starts with ustalking about mental health.
Hope starts with us making informationaccessible.
Hope starts with usproviding resources and practical advice.
Hope starts with us sharingour stories, and hope starts
with us breaking the stigma.
If you or a loved one, is strugglingwith a mental health condition
(01:04):
and have been looking for hope,we made this podcast for you.
All starts with all of us.
Hope is a collective.
We hope that each episodewith each conversation
brings you into that collectiveso that you know you are not alone.
Now, I'd like to introduce our guestfor today, Brett Wanstrath.
(01:26):
They are a Manager of WorkplaceMental Health and a key team member
driving our workplacemental health initiative, NAMI StigmaFree.
They have a background studyingpost-trauma stress and pain
and use their keen partnershipbuilding and data analysis
skills to support NAMI'sworkplace mental health initiatives.
(01:47):
Today's episode is an opportunityto explore fresh data
about mental health supportemployees are looking
for from companies.
NAMI's third annual WorkplaceMental Health Poll conducted
by Ipsos was released yesterday,March 17th.
The poll was conducted between the 27thof January and February 2nd, and collected
(02:09):
2153 responses from full time employeesat companies with at least 100 employees.
Brit, beforewe dive into these new poll results,
can you tell--wouldyou tell our audience more about yourself
and why talking about mentalhealth in the workplace is so important?
Yes, absolutely.
So, Dan, as you mentioned,I originally come from research,
(02:33):
but I got really interestedin workplace mental health
after I experienced some really severeburnout at a previous job.
I had been in a positionwhere I was doing a lot of work.
I was working a lot on the weekends,and I was also just isolated in my lab.
I was alone most of the time, andI really just didn't have the resources
(02:55):
I needed to be able to feel likeI was doing my best work.
And after a few years of this happening,I just started to feel really cynical
about my job,and it was really disturbing to me
to experience how detached I wasand how I was getting really forgetful
and just,you know, fogging out during meetings.
(03:18):
It got so bad that eventuallyI ended up quitting that job
because of the impact on my mental health.
And, you know, that brought on thiswhole new set of problems,
financial challenges,not having my routine,
which was really importantto managing my depression.
And it was just a really difficult cycleto pull out of.
But thankfully, now I work at NAMI,so I actually get to help people
(03:43):
who are going through similar challenges,and I still get to flex
those research skills.
And that's why I'm here todayto talk about workplace mental health.
Because for about 160 million of us, USadults,
your job is a major part of your life.
You know, it's your routine.
It's your financial security,it's your community.
(04:06):
It's all of the people around you.
I was actually reading a report recentlythat found managers have more of an impact
on respondent's mental healththan their therapists,
and about the same amountas their spouses or partners.
So, Dan, you were saying to us earlier,you are a self-confessed nerd,
so I know I have to bring you the numbers.
Last year's Gallup reporton the global workplace found that lost
(04:30):
productivity alone cost the world economy$438 billion.
So when your work is really at oddswith your mental health,
that impact, it's not just felt by you,it's felt by your family, your friends,
your neighbors, your community,and really the whole global economy.
(04:51):
You know, this is fantastic, Brit,what you're sharing.
And before we get into the key findings,I just want to go back to
some of the things that you saidthat would love for our audience to hear.
So you talked about severe burnout.
You talked aboutyou did not have the resources
and that you were working weekendsand you felt overworked.
You felt isolated and detached andthat was significant
(05:12):
in terms of how you were navigatingyour mental health at the time,
or it was navigating you.
And you also mentionedsomething that I thought
was very interesting,and that work becomes your community,
because it'swhere you spend the most time.
And you also talkedabout the dynamics of a manager
(05:34):
and how important they are toyour mental wellness
in terms of them versus,you know, the others that you may interact
with from a mental health standpoint.
So you have given us some nuggets alreadyand really appreciate
it, and I know that we can talk about thatsome more.
And, I appreciate youstarting off this way.
And then the other thing isI am a data nerd, so I love the
(05:57):
I think it was it 438million dollars of lost productivity?
Billion, actually, yeah.
$438 billion of lost productivity.
The other thing is that you mentionedthat we're talking about 160 million
US workers,160 million US workers, people
that come to work every dayto make a difference where they are
(06:17):
and what they do.
And I think this 438 billion goesinto this other concept
of something called presenteeism,where the employee comes to work,
their physical selfis there, they are present,
but they're not connected.
That's presenteeism,almost like absenteeism,
but they're presentbut they're not engaged.
(06:41):
So it's very interesting.
And I can't wait to hear more from youabout all of that.
So why don't we start with the keyfindings from this year's workplace
mental health poll?
Would you give us the top threethat you think are crucial for companies
and leadersin workplace mental health to hear?
Yeah, absolutely.
So I've got all my numbers.
(07:03):
I brought upearlier how important managers
are to your mental health.
So to me, one of the most striking thingswe saw from our poll
is that whether or notyour manager has the proper resources
to support the mental healthof their direct reports,
it's actuallyaffecting their mental health, too.
(07:23):
So 73% of managerswho don't have the resources
that they need reportedfeeling burned out last year, 73%
and 41% at least consideredquitting their jobs because of the impact
on their mental health.
So managers are really feeling thatpressure from both their senior leadership
(07:45):
and also that pressureto support their direct reports.
So another thing we always ask,we have some questions to see if people
are feeling that sense of belongingin the workplace, that community.
And this actually made me really happy.
We found that 78% of people do feel thattheir manager cares about them.
(08:07):
So that's really greatthat they're really feeling
the supportthat the managers are trying to provide.
However, only halfbelieve their C-suite cares about them.
And that's a really interesting connectionthere, because mental health
and perceptions of leadership,you know, people who feel comfortable
discussing workplace mentalhealth, employees that are companies
(08:29):
that offer mental healthtraining or companies
that offer mental health benefits,those people are more likely to feel
their leadership cares about them.
So there's a really strong correlationthere.
Now, I know thatif there are any business leaders
listening that are thinking to themselves,well we've got great benefits.
You know, employees, they feel great.
(08:53):
One thing we also sawabout, 1 in 4 employees don't even know
what their mental health benefits are.
They don't even knowif their company offers them.
So big thing you can do.
HR can communicate more often about themental health benefits that you do offer.
So, you know, not just during onboardingand open enrollment,
but all throughout the year.
(09:14):
That's just one of those little thingsthat you can do
that makes a huge difference.
We know that people get the supportthey need,
and we want them to actually feelcomfortable reaching out to the people
around them for mental health supportwhen they don't know where to go.
So, yeah, I guess that's my top three.
Lots of interesting stats for leaders.
(09:37):
Yeah. Thank you very much.
And I love what you saidabout the sense of belonging.
And 78% of the managers--78% of the employees that were polled here
say that they believethat their managers do care about them.
But then the flip of that is that 70some percent of the managers
(09:57):
don't have the resources, and 41% ofthose managers have considered leaving.
So it is about how do our C-suite leadersretain their folks that they have invested
so much to develop?
So this is also about retainingyour workforce.
So really do appreciate what you shared.
(10:17):
And I'd love to dig a little deeper nowand ask you this, Brit.
What did we learn about whatcauses some employees
to feel uncomfortabletalking about their mental health at work?
And do you have any suggestions forcompanies to increase that comfort level?
Yeah. For sure.
So, you know,just as we think about creating
(10:41):
community belonging,we really want people to feel like
if they are struggling,they can talk to the people around them.
But we are findingstigma is a huge deterrent.
So 48% of workers said thatthey're worried
they'll be judged for sharingmental health struggles with colleagues.
(11:03):
So even though we have, it's about threeand four people say
they are--that it's appropriate to talkabout mental health in the workplace.
They say they're comfortable doing it.
They're still afraid that they're goingto be judged if they actually do open up.
And this also is somethingthat affects managers.
(11:24):
46% of managers are worried talkingabout mental health at work is going
to negatively impact their career.
So that's real consequences.
So that right there, it'sanother big thing that companies can do.
Leadership sets the tone.
If you depend on your managersto keep your workforce productive,
you need to model the behaviorsthat will keep your managers healthy.
(11:47):
So setting those clear expectations,having honest communication,
and you yourselfmaintaining a healthy work life balance,
so that they can see thatthat's something that you value.
But, you know, most of all, just reallylisten to what your managers say
they need to support their direct reports.
Again, those managersthat don't have adequate resources,
(12:11):
only 16% said they believe their companymakes employee mental health
a priority versus 74% of managers who havewhat they need saying the same thing.
So that's a massive jump.
Just whether or not a manager feelsthey can support their employees,
it really changes the perception aroundwhat the company values.
(12:34):
And those managers who do have enoughresources, they're also way more likely
to believe their senior leadershipdoes actually care about them.
So again, that's another thing.
We want managers to feel likethey are in this community, too,
and that they're getting support.
Only 74% of managers that have the supportthey need are saying, yes,
(12:56):
our C-suite cares about us.
Only 32% of managers without whatthey need are saying the same thing.
So again, that's a 40% jump,whether or not managers
have what they need,or they're just way more likely
to feel liketheir senior leadership is better for them
(13:16):
and supporting them.
Yeah, this is fantastic.
And you mentioned something about rolemodeling that.
So, you know,employees, they hear what we say,
but they watch what we do.
So it's about the leadersalso role modeling that work life balance.
And, and the whole person concept,in terms of work. So,
(13:41):
what does the data say aboutwho employees feel is responsible
for creating a workplace culturethat supports mental health?
Yeah, that's a great question.
So actually, this is somethingthat really brought me hope this year.
We asked workerswho is responsible for helping
employees feel comfortablediscussing mental health at work.
(14:03):
You know, no surprise here.
Top of the list.
Direct managers.
H.R., very close second.
Now, senior leadership isn't off the hook.
They came in third.
But 58% said coworkers and teammates.
So that actually is telling methat employees
believe we all have a role to play increating a workplace culture
(14:26):
where we can be openwhen we need that extra support.
And I actually thinkthat's really empowering.
It says to me that your teammatesare actually ready to step up and be
part of the solution.
Yeah, it does say that.
And that is fantastic.
And that talks about communityand the collective.
And we spend so many hoursof our work week or our week,
(14:48):
excuse me, at work.
So it is a community that you constructeither by design
or just by the fact that that's your,your, your work environment.
So, yeah, that--the community and peers and employees
talking to each other is important.
So, Brit, did we learn anythingabout the scale of burnout
(15:12):
impacting employees through this survey?
You mentioned burnout at the beginningin terms of your own experience.
So did we learn anything in the surveyabout burnout?
Yeah. We did.
So burnout is actually holdingpretty steady, unfortunately.
You know, you mentioned before, this isthe third year we've done this survey.
So we are starting to actually build outsome of that trend data.
(15:35):
And burnout is averaging at 53%,which is about what it's been
the last couple of years.
You know, people are also feelingoverwhelmed.
That's 39% of people saidthat they felt overwhelmed
by the amount of work they had to do,and it was impacting their mental health.
(15:55):
So all of that's about the same,what we are seeing this year
is that significantly more peopleare concerned about their stress levels,
their physical and mental health,and their work-life balance.
So it's a trend upward.
It's small, but it is absolutely there.
It is significant.
(16:17):
So we are you know, we're watching that.
We're also seeing a smallbut again, significant trend.
More people are reporting thattheir mental health is poor this year.
And, you know, all of those numbers,they feel very personal to me
after my own experience with burnout,you know, having all of that brain fog
(16:38):
and just feeling so low and like,I didn't have a lot of support
or ability to even just growor be my best self.
You know, after experiencinghow bad that felt firsthand, I'm just,
I'm very concerned that overhalf of the workforce is feeling this way.
(17:01):
So, you know, I'm reallyhoping that going forward this year,
we can think of ourselves as a communityand really all come together
to make the workplace feel likeit's that place where we can,
you know, really flourish.
That's excellent. That's excellent.
And as you talk about thatand flourishing in the workplace
and really wanting to be productivein the workplace when an individual
(17:24):
comes to work, they want to be productive,they want to make a difference.
And, you know, you mentioned some thingsthat I'll mention at the end,
but I wanted to ask you,at the top of the episode,
you mentioned that workplacetrainings about mental
health are a big themethat shines through in this data.
(17:45):
Would you would you tell us more?
What are the gaps?
What are we learningthat employees want based on this survey?
Yeah.
So that's actually a great questionbecause education and awareness
is something we knowNAMI does really, really well.
So we always ask about training.
(18:06):
We see thatas an area of great opportunity.
And we found that even though fourand five people
say training on topics like burnout,mental health benefits, conditions,
what to say to peoplewho are experiencing challenges.
Four and five people are saying thatthat would be helpful.
(18:27):
Only 32% say that they have received anykind of mental health training at work.
So, thinking about thatimpact of stigma around
mental health conditions in the workplace,one area that we think
NAMI can really make an impactis addressing the discomfort around
actually having these conversationsand starting, starting this dialog.
(18:49):
So we just put out You Can Ask.
It is a brand new on-demand trainingabout how to have conversations
around mental health in the workplace.
We've been working on itfor a couple of years
now, so I'm very excited to finallysee it out in the wild.
This training goes over some of the basicson what
(19:09):
a mental health condition isand where to go for support.
But my favorite partis that it really emphasizes
that no conversationis ever going to be perfect.
You don't have to say the exact rightwords.
It's reallyjust about coming into the conversation
with compassion for the other person.
(19:30):
You know, authenticityaround what you're saying
and making surethe words are real for you.
And then also just making sureyou're really they're willing to listen.
So the website is YouCanAsk.NAMI.org.
Check it out.
It is free.
It's available to anyone at any level.
(19:52):
I think anybody is going to find somethingthat is going to be really helpful
there. Best of all, it is so short.
It only takes a half hour of your time.
And I actually think it's very engaging.
I'm really happy with it. Brit,that's fantastic.
And repeat the website again.
Yeah.
It's YouCanAsk.NAMI.org.
(20:14):
YouCanAsk.NAMI.org.
Yeah, we're trying to make itmake it really feel like you can actually
talk to your employees,and talk to your, your colleagues.
So you can askif somebody is not feeling well.
Yeah.
This is thisis that social construct of well,
you know, as a manager, it'sabout addressing the discomfort.
(20:35):
I wrote this down as you were talkingand put it in quotes, addressing the
discomfort of talking about mental healthin the workplace and being authentic.
And there was something you also said,education and awareness.
And then you've been talking about thisword, care.
You can demonstrate to your, employeesthat you care
without it disrupting productivity.
(20:57):
You can care about both.
You want productivity.
They have a role in termsof the scope of their work.
But you can also care about the employeeat the same time and say
it's both and it's not either or.
So I think that this is very importantand I love the idea
of this websiteand learning from that website,
(21:19):
because I do think that there are managersthere that want to address it.
They don't know how and they don't knowto what extent they can or they should.
The other thing you mentionedis that only 32% of the folks
that were polled said that they hadhad any training about mental health.
That shows us that we have, what,68% gap in knowledge awareness
(21:44):
about assets and tools to be able to talkabout mental health in the workplace.
As far as also knowing what differentemployers offer to their workforces.
So this is a wonderful opportunityfor the needle
to get moved in a very positive way. So,Brit, before we
wrap up, are there any additional findingsyou would like to highlight
for our listeners today?
(22:05):
Yes, I'm very glad you askedbecause this year
we also really dove into the experienceof working caregivers.
We know that this is an area wherethere needs to be a lot more support.
Caregivers are under so much pressureat home and at work.
And I'm sure any caregivers listeningright now are probably not surprised
(22:25):
to hear burnout and stresslevels are significantly higher
with caregiver populations,especially caregivers who are
in that sandwich generation, which is,you know, kind of the colloquial term
for people who are taking care of kids.
And then also some of their olderrelatives.
So that's, again,just more and more pressure.
(22:49):
But what we really want leaders to hearis that 95% of caregivers,
so nearly unanimous agreement,say that flexible scheduling is important
for their mental health.
Being able to actually leave earlyif they need to bring a family member
to a doctor's appointment, or being ableto, you know, log on a little later,
(23:13):
you know, more in the eveningif that's just kind of where
their schedule ends up lining upor being able to change shifts.
So any room that you havefor flexibility in your schedule,
you know,that's super important for caregivers,
not just for theirfamily, but for themselves.
And also, 86% of caregivers say thata caregiver support group or an employee
(23:35):
resource group is important.
So, again, no matter your role at work,if you're a colleague or a manager,
everybody can make a difference in howmental health is treated in the workplace.
Brit, thank you very much.
And these,these two statistics are incredible.
95% of caregivers are sayingthey need flexibility.
(23:58):
Whether that's to take a loved oneto a medical appointment
or something like that,to be able to do that.
And 86% of caregivers saidthat they would,
would really love a support group.
Whether that be an employee resourcegroup, an ERG, or
some other kind of a groupfor caregivers to connect.
(24:18):
Because as we say at NAMI, we want to makesure people know they're not alone.
And a caregiver can feel likethey are so alone
because of the stress,because of the special care
they have to give and all thatthey're navigating.
So to know that you have other peoplethat peers that are navigating
similar situations,and that support group, that employee
resource group is really cool.
(24:42):
The other thing I want to mentionis that years ago, within the C-suite,
there was this thingthat CEOs would go to their boards
and they would say, you know,I'd really love to get this funding
to build out a LEED certified building.
It's going to reduce our carbon footprint.
It's going to do this, it'sgoing to do that.
And it was really advocating and lobbyingfor funding for a LEED certified building.
(25:07):
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a CEOsay that I want to create
a stigma-free workplace,just like the, lobbied and advocated
for a LEED certified building?
That's where we're going.
That stigma-free workplace and, our,our programs
that we have for stigma-freeworkplace can really help build that.
So and you are a managerleading that initiative.
(25:30):
So really appreciate, your workand one of the things I wanted to
ask is a closing question that we askevery one of our podcast guests,
the world can be a difficult place,and sometimes it can be hard
to hold on to hope.
And that's why in each episode,we dedicate the last couple of minutes
of our podcast to a special segment calledHold On to Hope.
(25:53):
So would you tell us what helpsyou hold on to hope, Britt?
Yeah.
You know, when I think about where I was,you know, even just five years ago
when I was just so burned out,there were days where I would go to bed
thinking about, you know, I justI didn't even care if tomorrow came.
(26:16):
But tomorrow did come.
It always does.
And in my case,it brought a lot of new experiences.
So, you know, new friends,you know, a new job.
This was a big careerpivot for me that I didn't see coming.
New hobbies and interests.
Just so many thingsthat I could have never predicted.
(26:39):
Especially in those timeswhen I was just feeling so low.
So I guess for me, you know,when I think about those darkest days
for me, when it's hardto imagine those good things coming,
what really brings mehope is just knowing that I am very
bad at predicting the future.
This is fantastic.
(26:59):
Britt, and we're so appreciative of youand the work that you do, and the work
that you're doing to help so many.
So we very much appreciate it.
And, just wanted to say thank you.
And, as we, as we close the podcast,I want to wrap up and just say this
has been Hope StartsWith Us, a podcast by NAMI,
(27:21):
the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
If your workplace might be interestedin the new training
about discussing mental health at work,You Can Ask by NAMI reach out
to stigmafree@NAMI.org todayto learn more.
To dive deeper into this year'sWorkplace Mental Health poll results,
visit NAMI.org/mentalhealthandwork2026.
(27:44):
If you are looking for mental healthresources, you are not alone.
To connect with the NAMI HelpLineand find local resources,
visit NAMI.org/help. TextNAMI to 62640
or dial (800) 950-6264.
Or if you're experiencingan immediate suicide, substance use,
(28:06):
or mental health crisis,please call or text 988
to speak with a trained supportspecialist or visit
988lifeline.orgI'm Dan Gillison your host.
Thanks for listening and be well.
Leadership sets the tone.
78% of people do feel thattheir manager cares about them.
Only halfbelieve their C-suite cares about them.
If you depend on your managersto keep your workforce productive.
You need to model the behaviorsthat will keep your managers healthy.
Setting those clear expectations.
(00:20):
Having honest communicationand you yourself maintaining a healthy
work life balance so that they can seethat that's something that you value.
Welcome to Hope Starts With Us, a podcastby NAMI,
the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
I'm your host, Dan Gillison, NAMI's CEO.
NAMI started this podcast becausewe believe that hope starts with us.
(00:43):
All of us.
Hope starts with ustalking about mental health.
Hope starts with us making informationaccessible.
Hope starts with usproviding resources and practical advice.
Hope starts with us sharingour stories, and hope starts
with us breaking the stigma.
If you or a loved one, is strugglingwith a mental health condition
(01:04):
and have been looking for hope,we made this podcast for you.
All starts with all of us.
Hope is a collective.
We hope that each episodewith each conversation
brings you into that collectiveso that you know you are not alone.
Now, I'd like to introduce our guestfor today, Brett Wanstrath.
(01:26):
They are a Manager of WorkplaceMental Health and a key team member
driving our workplacemental health initiative, NAMI StigmaFree.
They have a background studyingpost-trauma stress and pain
and use their keen partnershipbuilding and data analysis
skills to support NAMI'sworkplace mental health initiatives.
(01:47):
Today's episode is an opportunityto explore fresh data
about mental health supportemployees are looking
for from companies.
NAMI's third annual WorkplaceMental Health Poll conducted
by Ipsos was released yesterday,March 17th.
The poll was conducted between the 27thof January and February 2nd, and collected
(02:09):
2153 responses from full time employeesat companies with at least 100 employees.
Brit, beforewe dive into these new poll results,
can you tell--wouldyou tell our audience more about yourself
and why talking about mentalhealth in the workplace is so important?
Yes, absolutely.
So, Dan, as you mentioned,I originally come from research,
(02:33):
but I got really interestedin workplace mental health
after I experienced some really severeburnout at a previous job.
I had been in a positionwhere I was doing a lot of work.
I was working a lot on the weekends,and I was also just isolated in my lab.
I was alone most of the time, andI really just didn't have the resources
(02:55):
I needed to be able to feel likeI was doing my best work.
And after a few years of this happening,I just started to feel really cynical
about my job,and it was really disturbing to me
to experience how detached I wasand how I was getting really forgetful
and just,you know, fogging out during meetings.
(03:18):
It got so bad that eventuallyI ended up quitting that job
because of the impact on my mental health.
And, you know, that brought on thiswhole new set of problems,
financial challenges,not having my routine,
which was really importantto managing my depression.
And it was just a really difficult cycleto pull out of.
But thankfully, now I work at NAMI,so I actually get to help people
(03:43):
who are going through similar challenges,and I still get to flex
those research skills.
And that's why I'm here todayto talk about workplace mental health.
Because for about 160 million of us, USadults,
your job is a major part of your life.
You know, it's your routine.
It's your financial security,it's your community.
(04:06):
It's all of the people around you.
I was actually reading a report recentlythat found managers have more of an impact
on respondent's mental healththan their therapists,
and about the same amountas their spouses or partners.
So, Dan, you were saying to us earlier,you are a self-confessed nerd,
so I know I have to bring you the numbers.
Last year's Gallup reporton the global workplace found that lost
(04:30):
productivity alone cost the world economy$438 billion.
So when your work is really at oddswith your mental health,
that impact, it's not just felt by you,it's felt by your family, your friends,
your neighbors, your community,and really the whole global economy.
(04:51):
You know, this is fantastic, Brit,what you're sharing.
And before we get into the key findings,I just want to go back to
some of the things that you saidthat would love for our audience to hear.
So you talked about severe burnout.
You talked aboutyou did not have the resources
and that you were working weekendsand you felt overworked.
You felt isolated and detached andthat was significant
(05:12):
in terms of how you were navigatingyour mental health at the time,
or it was navigating you.
And you also mentionedsomething that I thought
was very interesting,and that work becomes your community,
because it'swhere you spend the most time.
And you also talkedabout the dynamics of a manager
(05:34):
and how important they are toyour mental wellness
in terms of them versus,you know, the others that you may interact
with from a mental health standpoint.
So you have given us some nuggets alreadyand really appreciate
it, and I know that we can talk about thatsome more.
And, I appreciate youstarting off this way.
And then the other thing isI am a data nerd, so I love the
(05:57):
I think it was it 438million dollars of lost productivity?
Billion, actually, yeah.
$438 billion of lost productivity.
The other thing is that you mentionedthat we're talking about 160 million
US workers,160 million US workers, people
that come to work every dayto make a difference where they are
(06:17):
and what they do.
And I think this 438 billion goesinto this other concept
of something called presenteeism,where the employee comes to work,
their physical selfis there, they are present,
but they're not connected.
That's presenteeism,almost like absenteeism,
but they're presentbut they're not engaged.
(06:41):
So it's very interesting.
And I can't wait to hear more from youabout all of that.
So why don't we start with the keyfindings from this year's workplace
mental health poll?
Would you give us the top threethat you think are crucial for companies
and leadersin workplace mental health to hear?
Yeah, absolutely.
So I've got all my numbers.
(07:03):
I brought upearlier how important managers
are to your mental health.
So to me, one of the most striking thingswe saw from our poll
is that whether or notyour manager has the proper resources
to support the mental healthof their direct reports,
it's actuallyaffecting their mental health, too.
(07:23):
So 73% of managerswho don't have the resources
that they need reportedfeeling burned out last year, 73%
and 41% at least consideredquitting their jobs because of the impact
on their mental health.
So managers are really feeling thatpressure from both their senior leadership
(07:45):
and also that pressureto support their direct reports.
So another thing we always ask,we have some questions to see if people
are feeling that sense of belongingin the workplace, that community.
And this actually made me really happy.
We found that 78% of people do feel thattheir manager cares about them.
(08:07):
So that's really greatthat they're really feeling
the supportthat the managers are trying to provide.
However, only halfbelieve their C-suite cares about them.
And that's a really interesting connectionthere, because mental health
and perceptions of leadership,you know, people who feel comfortable
discussing workplace mentalhealth, employees that are companies
(08:29):
that offer mental healthtraining or companies
that offer mental health benefits,those people are more likely to feel
their leadership cares about them.
So there's a really strong correlationthere.
Now, I know thatif there are any business leaders
listening that are thinking to themselves,well we've got great benefits.
You know, employees, they feel great.
(08:53):
One thing we also sawabout, 1 in 4 employees don't even know
what their mental health benefits are.
They don't even knowif their company offers them.
So big thing you can do.
HR can communicate more often about themental health benefits that you do offer.
So, you know, not just during onboardingand open enrollment,
but all throughout the year.
(09:14):
That's just one of those little thingsthat you can do
that makes a huge difference.
We know that people get the supportthey need,
and we want them to actually feelcomfortable reaching out to the people
around them for mental health supportwhen they don't know where to go.
So, yeah, I guess that's my top three.
Lots of interesting stats for leaders.
(09:37):
Yeah. Thank you very much.
And I love what you saidabout the sense of belonging.
And 78% of the managers--78% of the employees that were polled here
say that they believethat their managers do care about them.
But then the flip of that is that 70some percent of the managers
(09:57):
don't have the resources, and 41% ofthose managers have considered leaving.
So it is about how do our C-suite leadersretain their folks that they have invested
so much to develop?
So this is also about retainingyour workforce.
So really do appreciate what you shared.
(10:17):
And I'd love to dig a little deeper nowand ask you this, Brit.
What did we learn about whatcauses some employees
to feel uncomfortabletalking about their mental health at work?
And do you have any suggestions forcompanies to increase that comfort level?
Yeah. For sure.
So, you know,just as we think about creating
(10:41):
community belonging,we really want people to feel like
if they are struggling,they can talk to the people around them.
But we are findingstigma is a huge deterrent.
So 48% of workers said thatthey're worried
they'll be judged for sharingmental health struggles with colleagues.
(11:03):
So even though we have, it's about threeand four people say
they are--that it's appropriate to talkabout mental health in the workplace.
They say they're comfortable doing it.
They're still afraid that they're goingto be judged if they actually do open up.
And this also is somethingthat affects managers.
(11:24):
46% of managers are worried talkingabout mental health at work is going
to negatively impact their career.
So that's real consequences.
So that right there, it'sanother big thing that companies can do.
Leadership sets the tone.
If you depend on your managersto keep your workforce productive,
you need to model the behaviorsthat will keep your managers healthy.
(11:47):
So setting those clear expectations,having honest communication,
and you yourselfmaintaining a healthy work life balance,
so that they can see thatthat's something that you value.
But, you know, most of all, just reallylisten to what your managers say
they need to support their direct reports.
Again, those managersthat don't have adequate resources,
(12:11):
only 16% said they believe their companymakes employee mental health
a priority versus 74% of managers who havewhat they need saying the same thing.
So that's a massive jump.
Just whether or not a manager feelsthey can support their employees,
it really changes the perception aroundwhat the company values.
(12:34):
And those managers who do have enoughresources, they're also way more likely
to believe their senior leadershipdoes actually care about them.
So again, that's another thing.
We want managers to feel likethey are in this community, too,
and that they're getting support.
Only 74% of managers that have the supportthey need are saying, yes,
(12:56):
our C-suite cares about us.
Only 32% of managers without whatthey need are saying the same thing.
So again, that's a 40% jump,whether or not managers
have what they need,or they're just way more likely
to feel liketheir senior leadership is better for them
(13:16):
and supporting them.
Yeah, this is fantastic.
And you mentioned something about rolemodeling that.
So, you know,employees, they hear what we say,
but they watch what we do.
So it's about the leadersalso role modeling that work life balance.
And, and the whole person concept,in terms of work. So,
(13:41):
what does the data say aboutwho employees feel is responsible
for creating a workplace culturethat supports mental health?
Yeah, that's a great question.
So actually, this is somethingthat really brought me hope this year.
We asked workerswho is responsible for helping
employees feel comfortablediscussing mental health at work.
(14:03):
You know, no surprise here.
Top of the list.
Direct managers.
H.R., very close second.
Now, senior leadership isn't off the hook.
They came in third.
But 58% said coworkers and teammates.
So that actually is telling methat employees
believe we all have a role to play increating a workplace culture
(14:26):
where we can be openwhen we need that extra support.
And I actually thinkthat's really empowering.
It says to me that your teammatesare actually ready to step up and be
part of the solution.
Yeah, it does say that.
And that is fantastic.
And that talks about communityand the collective.
And we spend so many hoursof our work week or our week,
(14:48):
excuse me, at work.
So it is a community that you constructeither by design
or just by the fact that that's your,your, your work environment.
So, yeah, that--the community and peers and employees
talking to each other is important.
So, Brit, did we learn anythingabout the scale of burnout
(15:12):
impacting employees through this survey?
You mentioned burnout at the beginningin terms of your own experience.
So did we learn anything in the surveyabout burnout?
Yeah. We did.
So burnout is actually holdingpretty steady, unfortunately.
You know, you mentioned before, this isthe third year we've done this survey.
So we are starting to actually build outsome of that trend data.
(15:35):
And burnout is averaging at 53%,which is about what it's been
the last couple of years.
You know, people are also feelingoverwhelmed.
That's 39% of people saidthat they felt overwhelmed
by the amount of work they had to do,and it was impacting their mental health.
(15:55):
So all of that's about the same,what we are seeing this year
is that significantly more peopleare concerned about their stress levels,
their physical and mental health,and their work-life balance.
So it's a trend upward.
It's small, but it is absolutely there.
It is significant.
(16:17):
So we are you know, we're watching that.
We're also seeing a smallbut again, significant trend.
More people are reporting thattheir mental health is poor this year.
And, you know, all of those numbers,they feel very personal to me
after my own experience with burnout,you know, having all of that brain fog
(16:38):
and just feeling so low and like,I didn't have a lot of support
or ability to even just growor be my best self.
You know, after experiencinghow bad that felt firsthand, I'm just,
I'm very concerned that overhalf of the workforce is feeling this way.
(17:01):
So, you know, I'm reallyhoping that going forward this year,
we can think of ourselves as a communityand really all come together
to make the workplace feel likeit's that place where we can,
you know, really flourish.
That's excellent. That's excellent.
And as you talk about thatand flourishing in the workplace
and really wanting to be productivein the workplace when an individual
(17:24):
comes to work, they want to be productive,they want to make a difference.
And, you know, you mentioned some thingsthat I'll mention at the end,
but I wanted to ask you,at the top of the episode,
you mentioned that workplacetrainings about mental
health are a big themethat shines through in this data.
(17:45):
Would you would you tell us more?
What are the gaps?
What are we learningthat employees want based on this survey?
Yeah.
So that's actually a great questionbecause education and awareness
is something we knowNAMI does really, really well.
So we always ask about training.
(18:06):
We see thatas an area of great opportunity.
And we found that even though fourand five people
say training on topics like burnout,mental health benefits, conditions,
what to say to peoplewho are experiencing challenges.
Four and five people are saying thatthat would be helpful.
(18:27):
Only 32% say that they have received anykind of mental health training at work.
So, thinking about thatimpact of stigma around
mental health conditions in the workplace,one area that we think
NAMI can really make an impactis addressing the discomfort around
actually having these conversationsand starting, starting this dialog.
(18:49):
So we just put out You Can Ask.
It is a brand new on-demand trainingabout how to have conversations
around mental health in the workplace.
We've been working on itfor a couple of years
now, so I'm very excited to finallysee it out in the wild.
This training goes over some of the basicson what
(19:09):
a mental health condition isand where to go for support.
But my favorite partis that it really emphasizes
that no conversationis ever going to be perfect.
You don't have to say the exact rightwords.
It's reallyjust about coming into the conversation
with compassion for the other person.
(19:30):
You know, authenticityaround what you're saying
and making surethe words are real for you.
And then also just making sureyou're really they're willing to listen.
So the website is YouCanAsk.NAMI.org.
Check it out.
It is free.
It's available to anyone at any level.
(19:52):
I think anybody is going to find somethingthat is going to be really helpful
there. Best of all, it is so short.
It only takes a half hour of your time.
And I actually think it's very engaging.
I'm really happy with it. Brit,that's fantastic.
And repeat the website again.
Yeah.
It's YouCanAsk.NAMI.org.
(20:14):
YouCanAsk.NAMI.org.
Yeah, we're trying to make itmake it really feel like you can actually
talk to your employees,and talk to your, your colleagues.
So you can askif somebody is not feeling well.
Yeah.
This is thisis that social construct of well,
you know, as a manager, it'sabout addressing the discomfort.
(20:35):
I wrote this down as you were talkingand put it in quotes, addressing the
discomfort of talking about mental healthin the workplace and being authentic.
And there was something you also said,education and awareness.
And then you've been talking about thisword, care.
You can demonstrate to your, employeesthat you care
without it disrupting productivity.
(20:57):
You can care about both.
You want productivity.
They have a role in termsof the scope of their work.
But you can also care about the employeeat the same time and say
it's both and it's not either or.
So I think that this is very importantand I love the idea
of this websiteand learning from that website,
(21:19):
because I do think that there are managersthere that want to address it.
They don't know how and they don't knowto what extent they can or they should.
The other thing you mentionedis that only 32% of the folks
that were polled said that they hadhad any training about mental health.
That shows us that we have, what,68% gap in knowledge awareness
(21:44):
about assets and tools to be able to talkabout mental health in the workplace.
As far as also knowing what differentemployers offer to their workforces.
So this is a wonderful opportunityfor the needle
to get moved in a very positive way. So,Brit, before we
wrap up, are there any additional findingsyou would like to highlight
for our listeners today?
(22:05):
Yes, I'm very glad you askedbecause this year
we also really dove into the experienceof working caregivers.
We know that this is an area wherethere needs to be a lot more support.
Caregivers are under so much pressureat home and at work.
And I'm sure any caregivers listeningright now are probably not surprised
(22:25):
to hear burnout and stresslevels are significantly higher
with caregiver populations,especially caregivers who are
in that sandwich generation, which is,you know, kind of the colloquial term
for people who are taking care of kids.
And then also some of their olderrelatives.
So that's, again,just more and more pressure.
(22:49):
But what we really want leaders to hearis that 95% of caregivers,
so nearly unanimous agreement,say that flexible scheduling is important
for their mental health.
Being able to actually leave earlyif they need to bring a family member
to a doctor's appointment, or being ableto, you know, log on a little later,
(23:13):
you know, more in the eveningif that's just kind of where
their schedule ends up lining upor being able to change shifts.
So any room that you havefor flexibility in your schedule,
you know,that's super important for caregivers,
not just for theirfamily, but for themselves.
And also, 86% of caregivers say thata caregiver support group or an employee
(23:35):
resource group is important.
So, again, no matter your role at work,if you're a colleague or a manager,
everybody can make a difference in howmental health is treated in the workplace.
Brit, thank you very much.
And these,these two statistics are incredible.
95% of caregivers are sayingthey need flexibility.
(23:58):
Whether that's to take a loved oneto a medical appointment
or something like that,to be able to do that.
And 86% of caregivers saidthat they would,
would really love a support group.
Whether that be an employee resourcegroup, an ERG, or
some other kind of a groupfor caregivers to connect.
(24:18):
Because as we say at NAMI, we want to makesure people know they're not alone.
And a caregiver can feel likethey are so alone
because of the stress,because of the special care
they have to give and all thatthey're navigating.
So to know that you have other peoplethat peers that are navigating
similar situations,and that support group, that employee
resource group is really cool.
(24:42):
The other thing I want to mentionis that years ago, within the C-suite,
there was this thingthat CEOs would go to their boards
and they would say, you know,I'd really love to get this funding
to build out a LEED certified building.
It's going to reduce our carbon footprint.
It's going to do this, it'sgoing to do that.
And it was really advocating and lobbyingfor funding for a LEED certified building.
(25:07):
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a CEOsay that I want to create
a stigma-free workplace,just like the, lobbied and advocated
for a LEED certified building?
That's where we're going.
That stigma-free workplace and, our,our programs
that we have for stigma-freeworkplace can really help build that.
So and you are a managerleading that initiative.
(25:30):
So really appreciate, your workand one of the things I wanted to
ask is a closing question that we askevery one of our podcast guests,
the world can be a difficult place,and sometimes it can be hard
to hold on to hope.
And that's why in each episode,we dedicate the last couple of minutes
of our podcast to a special segment calledHold On to Hope.
(25:53):
So would you tell us what helpsyou hold on to hope, Britt?
Yeah.
You know, when I think about where I was,you know, even just five years ago
when I was just so burned out,there were days where I would go to bed
thinking about, you know, I justI didn't even care if tomorrow came.
(26:16):
But tomorrow did come.
It always does.
And in my case,it brought a lot of new experiences.
So, you know, new friends,you know, a new job.
This was a big careerpivot for me that I didn't see coming.
New hobbies and interests.
Just so many thingsthat I could have never predicted.
(26:39):
Especially in those timeswhen I was just feeling so low.
So I guess for me, you know,when I think about those darkest days
for me, when it's hardto imagine those good things coming,
what really brings mehope is just knowing that I am very
bad at predicting the future.
This is fantastic.
(26:59):
Britt, and we're so appreciative of youand the work that you do, and the work
that you're doing to help so many.
So we very much appreciate it.
And, just wanted to say thank you.
And, as we, as we close the podcast,I want to wrap up and just say this
has been Hope StartsWith Us, a podcast by NAMI,
(27:21):
the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
If your workplace might be interestedin the new training
about discussing mental health at work,You Can Ask by NAMI reach out
to stigmafree@NAMI.org todayto learn more.
To dive deeper into this year'sWorkplace Mental Health poll results,
visit NAMI.org/mentalhealthandwork2026.
(27:44):
If you are looking for mental healthresources, you are not alone.
To connect with the NAMI HelpLineand find local resources,
visit NAMI.org/help. TextNAMI to 62640
or dial (800) 950-6264.
Or if you're experiencingan immediate suicide, substance use,
(28:06):
or mental health crisis,please call or text 988
to speak with a trained supportspecialist or visit
988lifeline.orgI'm Dan Gillison your host.
Thanks for listening and be well.
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