Executive summary

Since 2015, Mental Health America (MHA) has analyzed nearly 75,000 work health surveys and published seven research reports. What we have learned from employees’ direct experiences in the workplace informs our best practices, which guide hundreds of employers in their workplace wellness efforts. Nearly a decade of research has shown that a workplace culture built on trust and support remains one of the top contributors to employee mental health and well-being.

The Mind the Workplace 2024 Report: Healthy Workplaces Lead with Trust and Support explores how business leaders can integrate mental health into their workplace’s infrastructure and culture, from building trust through transparent communication to cultivating supportive people managers. When employers invest in structural, high-impact practices, employees report more positive experiences of belonging, psychological safety, and empowerment in their workplace, ultimately improving their mental health and well-being.

MHA’s 2024 Work Health Survey, available on the MHA Screening Program website from April 15 to July 9, 2024, collected responses from 3,915 employees across 21 industries in the U.S. who shared their experiences of trust, appreciation, psychological safety, and support at work and its impact on their well-being. MHA also collected optional demographic data to understand how a multi-generational workforce and different work environments impact employees’ well-being and support needs.

2024 Key findings

  • Most employees report that work stress impacts their sleep and relationships, but the degree varies greatly depending on their workplace’s overall health. Three in four employees agreed that work stress affects their sleep. However, 90% of employees in unhealthy workplaces agreed with this statement, compared to 44% in healthy workplaces.

This chart depicts the percentage of respondents who agreed with each statement according to their overall work health scores, indicating which experiences are more prevalent in healthy and unhealthy workplaces.

  • Generation Z employees and Millennials report poorer overall work health scores than other generations. Seven in ten Generation Z employees and three in five Millennials had unhealthy work health scores. Similar trends were present for nearly all other measures, with younger generations reporting unhealthier scores and experiences.
  • Employees with higher rates of psychological safety feel more confident advocating for their or others’ needs in the workplace. Of employees who felt confident expressing their opinions with their team, 87% strongly agreed that they felt confident advocating for their and others’ needs.


This chart depicts the percentage of respondents with healthy and unhealthy work health scores by generation.

“My workplace is very supportive, but leaders often struggle to receive critical feedback, which can impact employee psychological safety. ”

2024 work health survey respondent
  • Generation Z employees feel less psychologically safe in the workplace than other generations. Sixty-three percent reported not feeling confident expressing their opinions, and 60% don’t feel they can be themselves at work.


These charts depict the percentage of respondents who agreed and disagreed with each statement by generation.

  • Transparent communication and supportive people management are the foundation of a healthy and psychologically safe workplace. Employers who encourage transparent communication (r=0.724) and develop fair and supportive people managers (r=0.778) strongly correlate with overall work health scores.
  • However, fewer than half of employees are in workplaces that support these practices. Only 47% of employees agreed that their employer encourages clear and transparent communication, and 45% agreed that they invest in developing fair and supportive people managers.

“Direct supervisors are unsupportive, make daily work uncomfortable, give too much criticism without praise, and micromanage too much. Their leadership style is very different from their predecessors, who put the person first, were transparent, and led by example. ”

2024 work health survey respondent

This chart depicts the percentage of respondents who agreed with each statement according to their overall work health scores.

  • In addition, benefits and policies that support these practices are the least commonly offered by employers. Only 17% of employees report that their employer offers a transparent compensation policy, 20% have access to people-management training, and 16% have access to a mentorship program.
  • Employers who understand their workforce’s needs can provide the most appropriate and effective benefits. Of employees who agreed that their employer’s benefits met their needs, 81% strongly agreed that their employer makes changes based on their feedback.

“In general, our workplace is open to constructive criticism and new ideas and supports workers with circumstances requiring special consideration (e.g., family members with health concerns). ”

2024 work health survey respondent

This chart depicts the percentage of respondents who reported which benefits their employer offers in the top 25% of healthy workplaces and bottom 25% of unhealthy workplaces.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What methods were used to measure employee mental health outcomes?
  • The 2024 Work Health Survey was available to the public through the MHA Screening website between April 15 and July 9, 2024. The survey included 18 items selected as measures for employee well-being, trust, appreciation, psychological safety, and support and collected 3,915 U.S.-based responses in two months.
  • Survey responses were scored on a 1-6 Likert scale: 1 – Strongly disagree, 2 – Disagree, 3 – Somewhat disagree, 4 – Somewhat agree, 5 – Agree, 6 – Strongly agree. Inverse scoring was used for negatively worded statements. For example, in the statement, “My employer appreciates me for my contributions,” one point is assigned for every “strongly disagree” response and six points for every “strongly agree.” For the question, “My work stress affects the amount or quality of my sleep,” six points were assigned to every “strongly disagree” and one point to every “strongly agree.” Lower scores indicate an unhealthy workplace. High scores indicate a healthy workplace. The final score for each respondent represented the sum of all ratings, while the average was determined by a collective sum divided by all respondents.
  • Correlation coefficients were computed against the overall work health score for each question. Question 3 (“My employer appreciates me for my contributions”) and Question 11 (“I feel like I belong in my workplace”) had the strongest correlation to the overall score (r=0.792 and r=0.783, respectively). Question 4 (“My work stress affects the amount or quality of my sleep”) had the weakest correlation to the overall score (r=0.420).
  • In addition, the sum of each respondent’s responses was categorized into the following quartiles: unhealthy (overall work health score is between 17 and 38), moderately unhealthy (score between 39 and 59), moderately healthy (score between 60 and 80), and healthy (score between 81 and 102), to compare the practices of healthy and unhealthy workplaces in each section. Overall, the average work health score was 57.55, the median 57, and the mode 49.
  • The Work Health Survey respondents were likely to find the survey when searching for mental health support through mhascreening.org. The sample weighs heavily among users experiencing other mental health concerns or experiencing problems with work that might exacerbate mental health concerns. Rather than reflecting the general population, MHA’s survey respondents represent employees at higher risk of poor mental health and well-being. The convenience sample allows MHA to evaluate the challenges and opportunities impacting those with the highest needs.
What survey items were included in the 2024 work health survey?

The Work Health Survey included the following statements:

  1. I know how my efforts contribute to my organization’s success.
  2. I can structure my schedule or workload to meet my needs.
  3. My employer appreciates me for my contributions.
  4. My work stress affects the amount or quality of my sleep.
  5. I feel confident expressing my opinions with my team.
  6. My employer makes changes based on workers’ feedback.
  7. My work is energizing and fulfilling.
  8. My employer ensures its benefits meet its workers’ needs.
  9. My employer pays its workers what they deserve.
  10. My employer invests in developing fair and supportive people managers.
  11. I feel like I belong in my workplace.
  12. I can be myself at work without facing negative consequences.
  13. My work stress affects my relationships with family and friends.
  14. I trust my team will support my work activities.
  15. My employer values workers’ productivity over micromanagement.
  16. My employer encourages clear and transparent communication at all levels.
  17. I feel confident advocating for my or others’ needs at my organization.
  18. Please check all that apply. My employer offers the following policies or benefits:
    • Affinity, business, or employee resource group(s)
    • Benefits navigator, advocate, or concierge service
    • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
    • Employee recognition program
    • Family benefits (e.g., paid parental leave, childcare, adoption, fertility assistance, etc.)
    • Generous paid time off (e.g., vacation, sick, personal, wellness, etc.)
    • Mentorship program
    • Merit-based salary increases
    • Professional growth opportunities (e.g., professional courses, certification, training, etc.)
    • Remote, hybrid, or flexible work options
    • Training for people managers
    • Transparent compensation policy
    • Volunteer opportunities
    • Other benefits (e.g., financial planning, tuition or student loan assistance, etc.)
    • None of the above
What demographics did the survey capture?

The survey collected optional demographic and work environment information, including gender and racial/ethnic identity, age range, employment status, position, function, work location, organizational size, and industry. The following age ranges define the generations referenced throughout the report: Generation Z (ages 15 to 22), Millennials (ages 23 to 38), Generation X (ages 39 to 54), Baby Boomers (ages 55 to 73), and the Silent Generation (ages 74 and older). Work locations include employees who work in an office or set work location, have remote, hybrid, or flexible options to work from home or another location, or work in various locations. All optional demographic questions are listed in Appendix B.

Download the Mind the Workplace 2024 Report