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- NSC.org
- NSC Shop
- Injury Facts
- Safety+Health Magazine
Mental distress in the workplace has long remained a hidden challenge, but its visibility and urgency have grown significantly in the last few years. While many employers once viewed mental health as a private issue, the cumulative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, global uncertainty and shifting work norms have exposed mental wellbeing as a core business and safety concern.
Left unaddressed, mental distress contributes to absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, rising health care costs and even higher risks of workplace errors or injuries especially in safety-critical sectors like construction, manufacturing and transportation.
Studies show that work-related psychosocial hazards (high stress, long hours, etc.) are increasingly contributing to occupational injuries, illness and disability, including:
Impaired Focus & Decision-Making: Research has found that mental distress can impair memory, slow reaction times, and reduce the ability to focus on tasks
Fatigue & Burnout: Anxiety, depression and insomnia drain energy and disrupt sleep; researchers estimate about 13% of workplace injuries are linked to sleep difficulties
Increased Errors & Incidents: A growing body of evidence directly links mental health conditions to higher incident-rates; one prospective study found workers with depressive symptoms had 3x the risk of workplace injuries compared to their peers
Substance Use: Over one-third of U.S. adults with mental illness also have a substance use disorder; industries like construction report opioid and alcohol use rates 2x the national average
Psychological Safety & Reporting: When workers don’t feel psychologically safe, they are less likely to speak up about hazards or fatigue; NSC SAFER research found workers who feel unsafe speaking up report more injuries (36.5% vs. 20.2%)
Mental Health Challenges in Key Sectors Recognizing this critical need, NSC, in collaboration with NORC at the University of Chicago and funded by Nationwide, developed a Mental Health Cost Calculator for Employers that:
● Provides evidence-based estimates of costs associated with mental distress
● Shows employers may spend over $15,000 a year per worker with ongoing mental health issues
● Helps quantify financial burdens and ROI of investing in well-designed mental health strategies
Use the calculator to help you build buy-in for your mental health program; review the key takeaways.
Visit the NSC Workplace Wellbeing Hub for additional resources, templates and implementation guidance on addressing mental health concerns in the workplace.
● Mental Health at Work: Policy Brief – World Health Organization
● Work in America Survey: Workplace Health & Wellbeing – American Psychological Association
● The 2024 NAMI Workplace Mental Health Poll – National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
● Family Safety & Health® digital edition focused on mental health, substance use and recovery
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