Breaking the Stigma: How to Normalize Mental Health Conversations at Work

This Mental Health Awareness Month, learn how you can break the stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace and create a safe environment for your team.

The world is much more open to conversations about mental health, however, there are still barriers to overcome. A NAMI poll found that most employees (81%) are comfortable talking about their mental health challenges with a close friend at work. They’re not as comfortable talking with people outside of their peers. Only 57% say they’re comfortable discussing these issues with their manager, 39% are comfortable sharing with HR, and only 28% feel comfortable sharing with leadership. 

We can do more to break the stigma. While it’s encouraging that employees feel they can talk to peers, it’s crucial for leaders and HR to foster an environment where employees can access support and receive necessary accommodations for mental health challenges. Here’s what we can do to break the stigma.

Leaders at All Levels Should Be Open about Their Challenges

When managers and senior leaders are open about their struggles, it sets the tone for the entire company. They don’t need to share the full extent of their mental health challenges — even talking about issues like anxiety or seasonal depression can help employees feel more comfortable being open about what they’re experiencing.

There are several ways to approach this:

• A wellbeing town hall, where several leaders from throughout the company talk about their mental health challenges and the steps they took to address them. Hearing from a range of voices can normalize the conversation and show that mental health affects people at every level of the organization.
• Manager-led team check-ins, where leaders regularly make space for honest conversations about stress and workload. These don’t need to be therapy sessions — just a chance for people to speak up and feel heard.
• Written reflections or video messages from leadership during Mental Health Awareness Month or other relevant times, sharing personal stories and pointing to the resources available.

When leaders lead with vulnerability, they open the door for others to ask for help, take advantage of available benefits, and feel less alone in what they’re going through.

Frame Mental Health As Part of Holistic Wellbeing

Mental health shouldn’t be viewed in a silo. It’s part of a larger picture that includes physical, financial, and social wellbeing. These factors are deeply interconnected, and when one suffers, the others often follow. Yet mental health still carries a stigma that physical or financial challenges typically do not.

Framing mental health as part of a holistic approach to wellbeing reduces that stigma. Here’s how:

• Normalize it through comparison. Remind employees that getting help for depression is no different from getting help for a persistent cough or consulting a financial advisor to reach savings goals. Seeking support is a sign of strength and self-awareness, not weakness.
• Integrate mental health into broader wellbeing conversations. Instead of isolating mental health as a separate topic, weave it into discussions about stress management, productivity, work-life balance, and overall health.
• Encourage whole-person care. Make it clear that your company’s wellbeing resources aren’t just about fitness or financial planning.  They include mental health services, therapy access, and peer support networks.

When mental health is treated as just one part of the wellbeing puzzle, not the whole picture or an uncomfortable outlier, employees are more likely to seek help, support each other, and take proactive steps toward better overall wellbeing.

Leading with Compassion When Employees Are Struggling

When employees are penalized for being honest about their mental health challenges, the entire workforce takes note. It sends a message that vulnerability is risky, and that silence is safer than seeking support. When someone does come forward, they need to be met with empathy, discretion, and a clear path to help.

For example, if a high-performing employee who’s usually vocal in meetings starts to pull back due to depression, their manager should act as a shield, offering support behind the scenes and adjusting expectations as needed without drawing attention to the change.

To create a culture where people feel safe being honest:

• Train managers and HR staff on how to respond appropriately when an employee shares a mental health concern, including how to offer support and which internal or external resources to recommend.
• Lead with compassion. Avoid public commentary like “You haven’t seemed like yourself lately” or “We miss your energy,” that could unintentionally shame someone who’s already struggling.
• Protect privacy and dignity. Respect boundaries and let employees set the tone for how much they share.

When We Break the Stigma, Employees Get the Support They Need

When you’re in the midst of a mental health challenge, it can feel like you’re alone. By breaking the stigma around mental health conversations at work, we can provide a support structure for employees. 

That support might look like connecting someone to resources, making accommodations, or simply creating space for them to speak up without fear. When the culture makes it safe to talk about mental health, people are more likely to seek help and get better.