The workforce is stressed: How can employers help?

The numerous studies documenting stress in the workforce are hard to ignore. One recent survey found that three-fourths of the employees surveyed are dealing with some form of low mood. Perhaps they’re just experiencing short memories, but that study also found that almost half of those polled say life was easier during the pandemic than when they were surveyed just a few months into 2025. So, what should employers do?

How employees feel

In an effort to understand the state of mental health in the workforce at the start of 2025, workplace mental health platform Modern Health surveyed 1,000 full-time U.S. employees. The results of the survey were released in March, and they present a discouraging picture.

The survey found that 75% of respondents from across the country’s workforce at the start of the year said they experience low mood, often driven by politics and current events. Seventy-four percent of those surveyed said they would like mental health resources specifically focusing on global political turmoil.

Of course, stressors go beyond politics. Personal concerns piled onto other stress triggers can interfere with employees’ well-being, even causing them to lose sleep.

A 2025 report from digital sleep clinic Dreem Health says that 97% of Americans recognize the importance of sleep, but more than half aren’t getting enough quality rest.