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Dive Brief:
The workplace is wearing on workers’ mental health — with 59% saying their job harms their mental health on a monthly basis and 7 in 10 saying they feel pressure to appear “okay” at work, according to Monster’s 2026 State of Workplace Mental Health Report, released Friday.
Burnout and stress are now commonplace, with 46% and 59% reporting such feelings on a daily or weekly basis, Monster found. More than one-third of the 1,000 currently employed U.S. workers surveyed also reported anxiety, panic, trouble sleeping and headaches, and 1 in 4 reported symptoms of depression.
Top workplace contributors to negative mental health included increased workload or understaffing, poor management and difficulty attaining work-life balance. Workers also cited workplace conflict, stagnant pay and fear of layoffs.
Dive Insight:
Between an economy that is only growing in a few key sectors, a perceptible rise in layoffs across other industries and financial stress driven by rising costs, a perfect storm is hitting employees. How employers respond may shape workers’ mental health for better or worse.
After a few years of talent wars caused employers to up their compensation and benefits packages and try other strategies to lure recruits, it’s undeniable that power is now back in the hands of employers. The resulting shift in employers’ approach to talent — including engaging in frequent rounds of layoffs, forcing workers back to the office and failing to prioritize upskilling — has left some employees feeling demoralized.
In a March report, Gallup found the workforce was “restless but largely stuck” and that engagement had dipped to the lowest point since the organization began tracking it quarterly in 2022.
What can be done? While employers cannot control economic context or rising technological trends, they do have the power to address whether workers feel their contributions are valued, feel they understand what’s happening at the company and feel entitled to a needed break. In citing how power has shifted to employers, Glassdoor in November noted the increasing prevalence of words like “misaligned,” “miscommunication,” “hypocrisy” and “distrust” in worker reviews.
“Misaligned” — a word that skyrocketed in reviews — may be particularly key to understanding the moment. A recent report from Hogan Assessments found no overlap in the top five behaviors leaders most frequently exhibit and those most valued by workers. Employees said they most valued communication, integrity, accountability, strong decision-making and effective leadership.
Monster conducted the survey in partnership with Pollfish in April.