Tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open due to the burdens of professional athletics and her struggles with mental health. The news signified an increased importance of improving mental health at work.
Months later, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles announced a step back for mental health rest, and more athletes, celebrities, and performers became empowered to speak up and show support for mental health awareness initiatives.
According to research published by The Lancet Psychiatry, 76.7% of women and 69.7% of men experience one diagnosable mental health condition by age 100. And the age of retirement has climbed from 60 (1995) to 66 (2026), reflecting longer life expectancies and rising financial preparedness concerns, resulting in greater workforce participation among adults aged 65+.
Bottom line—employee mental health is, and will continue to be, at the forefront of building healthy work environments.
Concerns about employee burnout and changing working conditions have encouraged leaders to assess the mental health programs they offer. It prompts them to ask whether they are implementing the right programs and if their employees know how to use them.
In this article, we share why it’s important to collect employee perceptions of mental health, plus:
- How to measure employee mental health through employee feedback
- 15 workplace mental health survey questions
How to measure employee mental health through employee feedback
Employers have a responsibility to understand and impact mental health at work. This could include workplace mental health services through benefit plans or other offerings. Yet, many organizations are not equipped to assess employee mental health.
The stigma around employee mental wellness will improve as we make it safe to talk openly about and seek help without retribution. Especially since 31% of Americans who seek mental health services worry about others judging them.
Measuring mental health can be tricky, but it's not impossible. Here are a few ways you can measure employee mental health at work.
One-on-ones
One-on-ones allow managers to build better relationships with their employees. Doing so helps employees feel more comfortable talking about sensitive topics like mental health.
Managers should be on the lookout for signs of:
- Employee burnout
- Undue stress due to change
- Absenteeism or presenteeism
As workplaces normalize the discussion of mental health issues, one-on-ones between an employee and manager will become the catalyst for guiding employees to specific programs and leveraging organizational benefits.
Employee engagement survey
Surveys are a great way to allow employees to share their perceptions and experiences. More specifically, employee engagement surveys can increase trust and reduce the stigma around mental health because of their confidential nature.
Your employee engagement survey is already helping measure engagement—the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward their workplace. When employers don’t help their people manage stress that workloads, coworkers, and managers can all pile on, employee engagement and mental health may suffer.
Analyze responses to specific items to understand how different facets of your business are impacting mental health at work.
- Our culture supports my health and well-being.
- I feel my immediate manager cares about me as a person.
- My job gives me the flexibility to meet the needs of both my work and personal life.
HR leaders can measure how perceptions are changing over time by comparing year-over-year responses to connect the dots between mental health and employee engagement.
Pulse surveys
A pulse survey about mental health helps you understand employee perceptions around your mental health resources and support. Use a mental health pulse survey as a way to gather direct feedback from employees on:
- Mental health program awareness
- Communication and effectiveness of new initiatives
- Organization, leadership, and managerial support
Employees can give real-time feedback on the new programs or policies and recommend future changes. This feedback will guide investments in program awareness and elevate areas of concern.
15 employee mental health survey questions
Here are 15 workplace mental health survey questions to ask your workforce.
Awareness of mental health resources
1. I have a clear understanding of the mental health resources and services available to me.2. I know where to direct questions regarding our mental health resources and services.
3. The mental health resources and services offered here meet my and my family’s needs.
4. I am confident that the resources offered will help me in the future.
Organization's support of mental health
5. Our organization’s policies (such as paid time off, hours worked, flexible hours, etc.) support mental health.6. I feel comfortable talking about my mental health with others inside our organization.
7. Senior leaders in our organization prioritize mental health at work.
8. Our organization’s benefits around mental health are competitive with other organizations.
9. Steps taken by the organization to support mental health have improved my mental health.
10. What can the organization START doing to better support your mental health?
11. What can the organization STOP doing to better support your mental health?
Manager support of mental health
12. My immediate manager creates an environment where mental health can be discussed.15. My manager has or would make changes to my workload or work environment in order to improve my mental health.
Simply educating employees on your mental health offerings is no longer enough. HR leaders should check in regularly with employee engagement surveys, pulse surveys, and one-on-ones. Organizations should set a baseline and measure movement to make an impact on mental health.
These data points will guide strategic investments and help move the needle to boost mental health awareness and improve the stigmas with your employees.
Use these tips to measure perceptions of mental health in the workplace, and download our pulse survey templates to ask the right workplace mental health survey questions.
