Top 6 employee mental health trends to follow in 2025
Anastassia Murašina
If COVID times did not make it clear, the last few years have consolidated the importance of mental health and well being at work. These topics are quickly becoming a top priority for companies worldwide.
In this article, we explore six of the biggest trends for 2025 within employee mental health and wellbeing, and provide actionable insights for HR directors to create healthy workplaces.
We saw the premise of it this year but in 2025 focus on personalised support, precise analytics, hybrid working models, and responsible use of technology will be top of mind(and priority lists).
Personalised employee mental health plans
Leveraging advanced analytics and metrics
Remote support & Support remote
Mental health training for managers
Tech & humans
Building strong employees support networks
putting 2025 mental health under the microscope
PERSONALISED EMPLOYEE MENTAL HEALTH PLANS
Tailoring mental health initiatives to individual needs will no longer just an option; it will be imperative. While there is no“I” in the team, there is one in well being:“one size fit all” mental health initiatives might work well for awareness and fighting stigma, but mental health of an individual employee definitely needs a personal and adapted approach.
Personalised mental health plans address the unique circumstances and preferences of each employee, making the support more effective. For HR directors, this means customised strategies and implementing individualised mental health plans involving:
* Conducting thorough assessments to understand specific needs.
* Offering a variety of support options, such as counseling, workshops, and self-help resources.
* Ensuring ongoing communication and feedback loops to adjust plans as required.
* Offering smooth onboarding for new employees. Incorporating mental health support from the start by integrating mental health resources into onboarding materials, providing information on available support services, ensuring managers conduct regular check-ins with new employees.
Fortunately, personalised employee mental wellbeing is at the core of value that the new breed of digital mental wellbeing solutions provide. These platforms can help with the overall assessment part(using in-built evidence based mental health surveys), individual assessments and recommendations, suite of different services such as 1:1 therapy and coaching and much more.
LEVERAGING ADVANCED ANALYTICS AND METRICS
“What gets measured gets managed”
Finding ways to measure mental health within a company can be a great strategy to make a seemingly hard to grasp concept more approachable in the work environment.
Luckily, more and more data-driven insights are becoming available as such services are migrating into SaaS like solutions, and data measurement is part of their functionality.
Advanced analytics help track well-being metrics, identify trends, and tailor interventions accordingly.
Key metrics to track should include:
Employee Engagement in the service that will indicate the suitability and impact of the solution. In our experience, normal utilisation rates of mental wellbeing services amongst employees should be above 15% per year.
Employee Satisfaction with the service that reflects the value and alignment of the service with the individual needs
Insights into workplace mental health climate. Better understanding where a company is with respect to stress and burnout levels, psychological safety indicate also which interventions are needed.
The list of issues that are prevalent in the organisation.
Ethical considerations around privacy are paramount. Ensure data usage policies are transparent and that employees are informed about what data is collected and how it will be used.
REMOTE SUPPORT AND SUPPORT REMOTE
With remote and hybrid work solutions are here to stay and they bring unique mental health challenges. This demands more flexible approaches that cater to both remote and in-office employees such as rethinking the office space and offering teletherapy sessions, in a culturally affinite manner. Indeed, interactive mental health platforms provide engaging and accessible support for employees in multiple languages and by different cultural background of such service providers.
* Providing resources for ergonomic home office setups.
* Facilitating regular check-ins and mental health workshops.
* Encouraging a balance between remote and in-office work to mitigate isolation.
* Leverage reputable providers who offer certified mental health professionals and experts.
* Encourage employee online participation through regular communication and awareness campaigns.
* Gather feedback to continually improve the service.
Balancing flexibility and structure is crucial to address the varying needs of employees while maintaining productivity and morale. Remote support must be accessible to all employees, considering different time zones and language barriers. Ensure the services are user-friendly and confidential to gain employees’ trust. These tools can enhance participation and effectiveness of mental health programs.
MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING FOR MANAGERS
Managers are frontline figures in supporting employee mental health. It is also essential that they know how to use the existing resources to support their own mental health.
Equipping them with the necessary skills can make a significant difference.
Basic mental health training should cover:
* Recognising signs of mental health issues.
*Detecting early signs of burnout
* Providing initial support and knowing when to refer to professionals.
* Creating an open and supportive team culture.
*Being aware of the existing policies that promote safety trust and empowerment
*how to communicate transparently and clearly
*Identify and adapt to different cultural sensitivity and diversity among the workforce
While this is paramount, there might be some resistance at first due to stigma, that should be addressed right away to create a health company culture. Indeed, despite growing awareness, stigma around mental health often remains a barrier to seeking help or simply being discussed. Training managers and leadership is one of the proactive steps can take to reduce mental health stigma.
There are a variety of trainings designed for managers, Mental Health First Aider one as an example.
TECH AND HUMANS
While technology offers innovative solutions for mental health support(as we saw above), it’s crucial to balance it with the human touch. AI-driven tools can provide valuable support, but ethical considerations and human interaction remain essential. In addition, with the rise of remote and hybrid work in this era of constant connectivity, comes technology fatigue.
Responsible use of technology involves:
* Implementing AI tools with transparency and employee consent.
* Ensuring AI complements rather than replaces human support.
* Regularly reviewing the effectiveness and ethical implications of tech solutions.
*Providing resources on managing tech fatigue
*Encouraging screen break and offline time during breaks and meal times
By combining technology with human empathy and promoting healthy tech habits companies can provide holistic mental health support that respects privacy and builds trust all the while helping employees find a balance between digital connectivity and mental health.
BUILDING STRONG EMPLOYEE SUPPORT NETWORKS
Beyond experts’ help, peer support can significantly enhance employee mental well-being. Fostering strong support networks among employees, but also letting managers to lead the way by example, creates a sense of community and reduces feelings of isolation. To build these networks:
* Promote and facilitate peer support groups.
* Encourage informal check-ins and buddy systems.
* Provide training and resources to support network participants.
While the border between office and home blurs, it is normal to see more mental health support expending to employees’ families as to create a supportive environment at home, enhancing overall well-being. Practical steps include:
* Designing family-inclusive mental health programs.
* Providing access to counseling and support services for family members.
* Offering workshops and resources on family mental health.
Companies with a holistic approach to mental health should aim to create a culture where employees feel comfortable seeking and offering support, reinforcing the sense of community and collaboration in the work and the home environment. Managers should be included in this journey, and sometimes vulnerabilities and personal experience shared by managers can fuel the entire organisation to take the matters proactively closer to action.
These are the top 6 trends for 2025 we chose to explore as we strongly believe they will be what can make or break a company culture in the near future when it comes to mental health and well being.
Creating a mental health culture in your company is not a one shot project. It is an ongoing campaign. That is why it is essential to stay up to date with best practices and follow up on research, to continuously monitor, incorporate evidence base methods and constantly iterate initiatives based and results and feedback.
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Anastassia Murašina is a Consulting Psychologist specializing in mental health, with expertise in research and counseling. She is pursuing a PhD in Human Sexuality at the University of Porto, building on her advanced degrees in psychology from the University of Tartu.
