Employees battle depression, anxiety, and burnout behind closed doors—not because they don’t need help, but because they fear the consequences of speaking up. They convince themselves that struggling makes them weak and that asking for help could cost them opportunities. Meanwhile, companies offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and wellness programs, assuming they’ve done enough. But programs don’t fix what culture ignores. Mental health awareness alone isn’t enough.
In this article, Michael Landsberg, Canadian Sports Journalist, Mental Health Advocate & Founder of #SickNotWeak, reveals how leaders can win the fight for better workplace mental health.
“Flourishing is just an abstract concept if you’re struggling to survive. If we don’t help people take the first step, everything else is meaningless.” – Ashish Kothari
The Real Reason Employees Stay Silent About Mental Health
Employees fear that admitting to mental health struggles will make them look weak or jeopardize their careers. That same stigma exists in workplaces today. Even though EAPs and mental health benefits exist, many people don’t use them because they don’t trust that their workplace culture truly supports them.
This is why mental health initiatives often fail—because they focus on programs, not people. Employees don’t trust that it’s safe to be honest. They see mental health initiatives, but they don’t hear real conversations. They ask themselves:
- Will my boss think I can’t handle my job?
- Will this hurt my chances for a promotion?
- Will I be seen as weak?
So, they stay silent. They suffer in isolation. And companies lose great talent to burnout, disengagement, and quiet quitting—without even realizing what’s happening.
“Those who have made it out of the darkness carry with them the potential medicine for someone who is feeling hopeless.” – Michael Landsberg
For leaders who want to fix this for good, offering more benefits isn’t the answer. The first step to better workplace mental health is changing how it is talked about and handled at work.
How Leaders Can Win the Fight for Workplace Mental Health
If you’re serious about creating a mentally healthy, high-performing workplace, here’s what needs to happen:
- Lead with vulnerability
Employees will never open up about their struggles if leadership pretends they have none. The most impactful leaders are the ones who say: “I’ve struggled too. I’ve had moments where I wasn’t okay.” This simple act of honesty sends a powerful message: It’s okay not to be okay, and seeking help isn’t a career risk—it’s a strength.
People don’t take mental health cues from policies—they take them from people. If leadership never talks about it, employees assume they shouldn’t either.
- Stop Treating Mental Health as a Side Initiative
The fight for better workplace mental health shouldn’t just be an HR project. Leaders must know by now that it should be a business priority. Companies invest millions into training, performance management, and employee productivity. But they ignore the foundation that makes all of it possible—mental resilience.
When employees don’t feel mentally safe, everything suffers:
- They disengage.
- They struggle in silence.
- They quit—physically or mentally.
Leaders need to treat mental health like any other business-critical issue. That means:
- Talking about it in leadership meetings
- Tracking workplace well-being, not just performance
- Embedding mental health into company culture—not just benefits packages
If better workplace mental health isn’t a priority at the top, it won’t be a priority anywhere.
- Replace Awareness With Action
Most mental health efforts stop at awareness—but awareness without action is useless. Today, we need real, structured programs that don’t just tell employees to “reach out for help” but actively guide them toward solutions.
That’s why Michael created First Step—a program designed to break through the silence and help employees move from struggling in isolation to actually getting support. First Step isn’t just another corporate wellness initiative—it’s designed to be engaging, real, and practical so that employees don’t just hear about mental health, they act on it.
- Build a Culture Where Speaking Up Is Safe
No employee will use mental health resources if they fear being judged, penalized, or sidelined. To fix this for good, leaders must:
- Train managers to respond with support, not skepticism when employees open up
- Remove outdated policies that make mental health leaves harder than sick days
- Treat mental health check-ins like performance reviews—a regular, expected part of workplace conversations
When mental well-being is as normal to discuss as project deadlines, employees stop hiding their struggles and start addressing them.
- Instill Hope in Employees
Hope is a lifeline for those battling depression and anxiety, and as a leader, you have the power to instill that in your team. As Michael puts it, “Hope is everything.” It’s the spark that gets someone out of bed in the morning, the small belief that change is possible. And it starts with leadership showing up, speaking up, and creating a workplace where asking for help isn’t seen as weakness—but as a step toward strength.
However, false hope can be just as damaging as hopelessness. That’s why leaders must be honest, not idealistic. Telling employees, “Things will get better soon” or “Just stay positive” can feel dismissive and even invalidate their struggles. Instead, leaders should offer realistic hope—the kind grounded in support, action, and science.
Real hope is about showing the path forward—not pretending it’s easy. It’s about telling employees, “You may not see the way out right now, but you don’t have to find it alone.” That’s the kind of hope that truly saves lives.
The Business Case for Mental Health Investment
For too long, mental health has been seen as a personal issue rather than a business priority. Leaders overlook that ignoring workplace mental health isn’t just a moral failure—it’s a financial one. Employees struggling with anxiety, depression, or burnout don’t perform at their best, even if they show up every day. If untreated, these mental health struggles show up in lost productivity, higher absenteeism, and increased turnover.
Studies show that depression and anxiety cost the global economy over $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. On the other hand, Deloitte’s research found that for every $1 invested in mental health, businesses see a $4 return. That’s because companies that prioritize mental health see higher productivity, lower turnover, and stronger engagement.
Mental health needs to be treated like any other business-critical issue. It shouldn’t just sit under HR or be confined to an awareness campaign. It needs to be part of how leadership operates, how teams function, and how organizations measure success. Building better workplace mental health is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.
Conclusion
Most companies are reactive when it comes to mental health. They wait for burnout, breakdowns, or employee turnover before taking action. But great leaders lead the fight before the damage is done. Mental health isn’t a “soft” issue we should leave everyone alone with. It’s a leadership responsibility, and no one should figure this out alone.
Learn more about Michael at his LinkedIn.
Listen to the podcast with Ashish and Michael below.
Access and subscribe to all of the episodes of the Happiness Squad Podcast here.
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