With 2025 barely underway, 75% of surveyed U.S. workers said they are experiencing low mood due to politics and current events, according to a March 17 report from Modern Health, a workplace mental health platform.
In a survey of 1,000 full-time employees, nearly half said life was easier several years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 62% said they feel pressured to work through burnout or mental health struggles.
“The findings of our new report are crystal clear: American employees are struggling with their mental health, with global political turmoil and current events taking a particularly dire toll, and it’s detrimental to how employees are showing up in the workplace,” said Alyson Watson, founder and CEO of Modern Health.
In the survey, half of U.S. workers said they’re pessimistic about the country’s direction, increasing to 59% among women and 56% among Gen Z employees. Current events topped the list of negative mental health drivers, surpassing crime and finances.
In addition, about 71% of workers said they believe political tensions are making it harder to build a positive workplace culture, and 74% said political uncertainty leads to greater burnout at work.
Notably, more than 1 in 4 workers don’t know if they have mental health care benefits, according to a poll by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Most workers said HR training would help, specifically around insurance benefits, stress or burnout management and mental health crisis response resources.
Both managers and front-line workers are facing major stress, citing a lack of workforce change readiness and a surge in workplace psychosocial risks, according to a meQuilibrium report. Employers should shift from managing change to proactively preparing teams for change, meQuilibrium’s CEO said.
Employees also say they want workplace resources for psychological safety, particularly related to political talk at work, according to a Randstad US report. Employers can foster open and respectful dialogue, create specific policies and offer resources to address employees’ concerns, Randstad said.
