Why workplaces need to move from awareness
to a human-centered mental health framework
It was the first week of October, and it was Mental Health Awareness Week. And before we knew it, World Mental Health Day had arrived.
Across workplaces, organizations were sharing resources, sending emails, creating social media posts, and reminding employees that mental health matters.
And we know it does.
There seems to be less stigma and more open dialogue around mental health and well-being than there was in the past. That is meaningful progress.
But here’s the question I kept coming back to:
What happens during the other 51 weeks of the year?
We’ve gotten much better at talking about mental health. But awareness isn’t the same thing as change.
Isn’t it time to move beyond annual awareness campaigns and create a more human-centered approach to workplace mental health—reflected in policies, workloads, leadership and workplace culture year-round?
These were some of the questions that stayed with me after participating in the National Press Foundation’s Covering Workplace Mental Health Fellowship this year in Washington, D.C.
During the fellowship, I heard from researchers, employers, health care leaders, advocates, and nonprofit leaders about what happens when mental health becomes part of the workplace conversation—and what happens when that conversation ends or never begins.
One message came through repeatedly:
If your employer asks,
“How are you? Really.”
Would you feel safe enough to answer honestly?
It’s one thing to say that employee mental health matters. It’s another way to create a workplace where people feel psychologically safe enough to speak openly.
An organization can offer mental health benefits, an employee assistance program, mindfulness resources, or occasional self-care workshops. But these resources don’t necessarily change workplace culture—or whether employees feel safe speaking up without fear of professional consequences. Some may suffer in silence, struggle through the workday, or quietly update their résumés.
Across industries—from construction and education to big tech, health care, nonprofits and small businesses—employees bring their entire lives to work.
Some care for aging parents while raising children who are struggling in silence. Others cope with illness, anxiety, grief, financial stress or competing responsibilities that leave little time for their own well-being.
We don’t leave our lives at the door when we arrive at work, and we don’t always leave work behind when the day ends. Yet employees may still feel pressure to put on a brave face and carry on as though everything is fine.
That is where awareness alone falls short.
Think about a splinter lodged deep in your skin. You might initially ignore it, but over time, it begins to ache. What seems insignificant can become a bigger problem if left unaddressed.
Workplace mental health can be much the same. Ignoring chronic stress, excessive workloads, or unhealthy workplace cultures doesn't make them disappear. Left unaddressed, these problems can take a growing toll on employees.
Awareness is a starting point. But recognizing a problem is not the same as addressing it.
If we want healthier workplaces, we need to move beyond asking employees to manage their mental health and ask a different question:
What can workplaces do differently to support human beings?
That is the shift from mental health awareness to a truly human-centered workplace.
Turning the Tables: Advice for the Next Generation
I’ve been asking college students about their plans after graduation. Some are anxious about landing their first jobs in a world of AI and uncertainty, yet eager to prove themselves.
In a recent conversation, I reminded a student that a job interview is a two-way conversation. While a potential employer is evaluating you, you should also be evaluating them.
The question isn’t simply whether an organization offers mental health benefits or programs. It’s whether its culture creates conditions in which people can thrive.
My advice is simple, and something I wish I’d learned years ago: Turn the tables. Ask how an organization supports employee mental health and well-being—not just during an awareness campaign, but throughout the year.
Are workloads manageable? Do employees have flexibility and autonomy? Can they speak openly about challenges without fear of repercussions? How does leadership help prevent burnout?
The answers can tell you a great deal about the workplace you’re considering joining.
Your first job should be an opportunity to grow professionally—not one that compromises your well-being through unrealistic expectations, excessively long days, or overwhelming workloads.
Years ago, while interviewing for a job at an edutainment software company, I was being escorted to my interview by an employee who was visibly ill. She looked at me and said, “This job will chew you up and spit you out.”
I had never been so disinterested in a job interview. Her words said more about the company’s culture than any interviewer could have.
Mental Health in the Workplace: Who Takes Ownership?
For years, workplace mental health has often placed the responsibility on the individual:
Practice self-care. Meditate. Eat healthy. Get enough sleep. Download our app.
Take a mental health day. Build resilience. Have hobbies.
These tools can help you. But what happens when the workplace itself is fueling the stress—and who has the time or energy for self-care?
The question that needs to be asked is: What needs to change?
That is the shift from self-care to organizational responsibility.
The infrastructure of work matters. Leadership behaviors, workloads, communication, and workplace values shape employees’ autonomy, flexibility, connection, and sense of belonging. Workplace culture can support mental health—or compound the challenges people face outside work.
In 2022, Dr. Vivek Murthy, then U.S. Surgeon General, introduced the U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being, outlining how organizations can create conditions that better support employee well-being.
The framework encouraged organizations to look beyond traditional wellness programs and consider how workplace conditions themselves can help people thrive.
Of course, organizations cannot solve every mental health challenge or make everyone happy. But they can examine whether the conditions they create allow employees to thrive without sacrificing their well-being.
What Would a Human-Centered Workplace Look Like?
The answer isn't another mental health campaign or email blast. It’s workplace structures, policies and everyday practices that demonstrate—through leadership and culture—that people matter.
Are workloads sustainable? Are expectations realistic? Do employees have flexibility, support, and psychological safety to navigate their lives and ask for help? Does leadership walk the talk?
A workplace can offer mental health benefits and still have employees who are afraid to use them. It can send an email saying “It’s okay not to be okay” while employees believe they must appear okay to keep their jobs.
People need to know if they can speak honestly, ask for help, and raise concerns without fearing judgment or consequences. Trust and connection must be part of the culture, not just words in an employee's handbook.
A human-centered workplace begins by recognizing one simple truth:
Employees are human beings before they are workers.
People are caregivers, parents, partners and friends, navigating competing responsibilities and the everyday demands of life. They experience illness, grief, financial pressure, and family challenges. They don’t leave those realities at the door when they come to work.
Leaders don’t need to have all the answers, but they do need to create a culture were asking for help is welcomed, not judged. Leaders have complex lives, too.
And silence should never be mistaken for strength or resilience. Sometimes, it simply means someone doesn’t feel safe enough to speak up.
Workplaces that support the whole person—including mental, physical, emotional and social health—create conditions in which people are better positioned to contribute, collaborate, connect, and do their best work.
From Awareness to Action
Mental health may be personal, but the conditions that influence it are also organizational.
Instead of simply teaching employees to manage stress, organizations can examine what is creating it. Instead of urging people to prioritize their well-being, they can ensure the way work is structured makes that possible.
Moving beyond awareness means making mental health part of everyday work—not something discussed just one week a year.
What Happens During the Other 51 Weeks?
We have made progress. We are talking about mental health more openly, acknowledging that it matters and creating resources that didn’t exist—or weren’t discussed openly—in the past.
But the conversation cannot end when the campaign does.
The real measure of a workplace’s commitment to mental health may not be what it says during Mental Health Awareness Week, but what employees experience during the other 51 weeks.
Do they feel seen? Do they feel safe? Do they feel supported? Do they feel connected? Can they ask for help?
Can they be human?
And perhaps most importantly:
Are we creating workplaces designed for human beings—not simply workers?
The good news is that some organizations are already rethinking what a healthier, more human workplace can look like.
But what does that look like in practice?
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