Why Leaders Avoid Mental Health Conversations at Work and How It Costs Teams
Stock Photo by Mikael Blomkvist
Talking about mental health at work isn’t “soft.”
It’s a leadership strength.
Workplace mental health conversations sit at the intersection of communication, trust, performance, and retention. When leaders navigate these conversations with clarity and boundaries, employees feel seen and supported.
When mental health conversations are avoided, the “issue” doesn’t disappear. The cost shows up quietly: increasing disengagement, turnover, and breakdowns in workplace culture.
Still, many leaders avoid these conversations altogether.
If you’re a manager who has ever felt unsure on how to talk about mental health in the workplace—or worried about saying the wrong thing—you’re not alone.
Research shows that 74% of employees say it’s appropriate to talk about mental health at work, but only about 58% feel comfortable actually doing so.
That gap matters. It signals a disconnect between the company's values and its daily practices. Anyone can say, “We care,” but not everyone can follow it up with effective action or support.
When a workplace doesn’t actively engage with hard topics, there’s no opportunity to understand cognitive bandwidth or to learn how to regulate emotions. It’s a recipe for burnout.
The good news?
Leaders don’t need to be perfect. They need practical, repeatable conversational literacy communication skills that make these conversations possible and professional.
The Real Cost of Not Talking About Mental Health at Work
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), only about two in five employees feel comfortable discussing mental health with HR, and fewer than three in ten would talk about it with senior leaders.
It’s 2026, and yet we still see this stigma alive and well. Workplaces and leadership often avoid conversations about mental health to “keep things professional,” so employees follow suit. This is understandable, but not sustainable.
Practicing silence isn’t neutral. It sends a message, whether it’s intended or not. It tells anyone struggling at work that they’re on their own.
When stress, burnout, or emotional strain go unaddressed, they compound, seeping into other areas of work. It shows up in how teams collaborate, perform their roles, and make decisions.
According to the World Health Organization, poor mental health costs the global economy $1 trillion a year in lost productivity. Burned-out employees are three times more likely to find other employment, and organizations with high churn tend to have difficulty attracting talent.
Here’s the reality: employees want leadership to step into this space. A recent Forbes study found that 62% of workers say having leaders speak openly about mental health makes them more comfortable doing so themselves.
This silence impacts leaders, too. Workplace conflict can take its toll on leadership mental health, and avoiding hard conversations increases emotional load, decision fatigue, and stress at the top.
When leaders acknowledge mental health directly and appropriately, they restore trust, increase clarity, and demonstrate how to approach these conversations at work.
Why Managers Avoid Talking About Mental Wellbeing
Most leaders aren’t avoiding conversations on mental health because they don’t care.
They’re avoiding these discussions because they don’t feel equipped to handle them. The same NAMI study noted above found that 70% of senior leaders reported lacking the training to host these serious discussions effectively.
Other reasons leaders might hesitate include:
Fear of saying the wrong thing in a difficult conversation
Uncertainty about role boundaries and potential legal implications
Limited experience with conflict or emotional conversations
Not wanting to “poke the bear"
Lack of familiarity with mental health benefits or resources
When leaders don’t acknowledge these realities, employees start to disengage.
People stop offering feedback. They stop naming concerns. Teams stop investing in their workplace culture and contributions.
Inevitably, productivity and morale decline, not because people don’t care, but because they’re operating in survival mode.
That’s not sustainable for any individual or organization.
How Leaders Can Approach Mental Health at Work without Overstepping or Burning Out
Leaders are not expected to be therapists.
The goal is not diagnosis or counseling.
The goal is to bring intentional communication that supports clarity, accountability, and trust.
When leaders build Mental Health Conversational Literacy™, they gain the skills to address mental health in the workplace without overstepping and without avoiding the conversation altogether.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Normalize the conversation
When leaders name mental health as part of work, not separate from it, they signal openness and psychological safety.
This doesn’t mean oversharing. It means acknowledging that stress and emotional health impact performance and team dynamics.
Be clear, empathetic, and have boundaries
Strong leaders communicate with care and limits.
A simple framework sounds like: “I’m not a therapist, but I want to support you in navigating this within your role and responsibilities.”
Clarity around boundaries builds trust. It doesn’t weaken it.
Connect employees to resources
Leaders should know which mental health benefits are available, such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or mental health wellness stipend. And managers should understand where employees can access these resources or help them connect with HR to get set up.
Sometimes support looks like helping someone find the right next step. It doesn’t mean you have to have all of the right answers.
Use structured conversation practices
Conversation templates, guided check-ins, and team dialogue frameworks reduce uncertainty and emotional guesswork. Structure helps leaders stay professional and grounded, especially when emotions run high.
By offering the right tools and training, leadership understands their expectations and how they can make an impact.
Follow up intentionally
Mental health conversations shouldn’t disappear after one meeting. Setting a follow-up builds accountability, reduces conflict avoidance, and demonstrates consistency rather than performative concern.
Mental health conversations can be professional. Organizations can support workplace well-being without overstepping.
When organizations invest in conversation frameworks and leadership upskilling, mental well-being becomes part of how work gets done—not an afterthought.
Workplace Mental Health Is a Leadership Skill
Avoidance isn’t neutral. Saying the quiet part out loud is a skill.
Leaders who learn to talk about mental health at work early and intentionally reduce tension before it escalates.
They strengthen trust, improve team communication, and create conditions in which employees can bring their best selves to work.
This is not about being perfect. It’s about being prepared. Early, intentional dialogue supports workplace well-being and employee experience.
If this resonates, my second book, Cornered Office: Why We Need to Talk About Leadership Mental Health, dives deeper into practical strategies for leaders to navigate mental health, the costs of conflict avoidance, and accountability without burnout. Get your copy for you and your team here.
Remember: the cost of avoidance isn’t just personal. It’s cultural, and it can be changed.
