Half of employees have cried because of work pressures – poll

Half of employees say they have cried because of work issues, and 58% have considered quitting their job as a result of their mental health, worrying new research has suggested.

The conclusions, in the Annual Workplace Mental Health Report from Headspace, suggest that, if anything, employers are going backwards in terms of provision and support for mental health in the workplaces.

Despite demand increasing, the number of employees reporting that their company does enough to support their mental health has in fact decreased in recent years, the poll of 2,045 employees and 223 HR leaders in the UK and US found.

Employers are expecting a third consecutive year of health benefit cost increases above 5% during 2025, it also found. This meant HR leaders are now faced with the tough choice of where to make cuts in employee benefits, Headspace argued.

This tension was all the more worrying because 95% of the employees polled reported feeling better after using employer-provided mental health benefits.

Fewer HR leaders were reporting that their company offered mental health benefits than in past years (93% in 2023 versus 89% in 2025).

Fewer employees, too, were reporting that it was easy for them to find mental health support (94% in 2024 versus 89% in 2025).

Remote employees experienced more negative effects on their mental health from work compared with hybrid or in-person employees.

In all, 70% of remote workers said they had cried because of work, compared with 44% of hybrid and 48% of in-person workers.

Similarly, 76% of remote employees had considered quitting because of their mental health, compared with 55% of hybrid and 54% of in-person employees.

This suggests that the opportunity to connect with teammates and see others face-to-face can have positive impacts on both mental health and retention, Headspace argued.

Employees still deeply value flexibility in workstyles and work schedules, so it is important that leaders enable connection in the workplace both digitally and physically.

A total of 71% of employees reported working outside of their expected schedule at least weekly, and 75% reported being available as needed even when taking time off from work.

Nearly all (92%) reported that their sleep was negatively affected by work at least occasionally.

More than half 51% of the HR leaders polled reported that mental health leaves of absence are increasing, and four out of 10 employees reported having taken a leave of absence to care for their own mental health.

Four in five HR leaders said they had a policy in place for mental health-related leaves of absence, and seven in 10 reported providing resources to get back to work after a mental health leave.

More worrying, however, 62% of employees said they did not feel fully supported when discussing their mental health-related leave of absence with their manager or HR, and 56% did not feel fully supported upon returning to work after their leave.

This suggested that policies to support mental health leaves may not be as effective or comprehensive as leaders intended, Headspace argued.

Given that 96% of HR leaders agreed that accessible and proactive mental health resources could reduce the need for extended mental health leaves, it was important to ensure employees had access to these tools, it added.

“Unfortunately, only half (52%) of HR leaders are completely satisfied with their EAP [employee assistance programme] provider s communication and employee engagement materials. They also believe that regular distribution of employee communications and reminders could increase EAP utilisation,” said Headspace.

“While data shows that today’s employees are struggling when it comes to mental health, it also indicates that HR leaders have a great opportunity to make a positive impact, despite tight budgets and competing priorities. Leaders can improve employee mental health both via company culture and through the benefits offered.

“By creating opportunities for connection and community building at work, teams can reduce loneliness among employees and increase retention. And, by building deeper personal connections, leaders can also empower employees to speak up when it comes to boundaries at work so they can create a positive work/life balance enabling them to bring their whole selves to work and reducing the likelihood of burnout,” it added.

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