Workers who wouldn't feel comfortable disclosing a mental health issue have lower mental health scores
In the year 2026, far too many workers are still fearful of disclosing in the workplace if they are having mental health troubles, according to a recent report.
Only 49% of workers in Canada feel comfortable telling their manager about a mental health issue, a gap HR professionals should address directly because employees who don't feel safe disclosing that information score 14 points lower on a national wellbeing index than those who do, according to TELUS Health.
About 3 in 10 (27%) of workers would not feel comfortable disclosing a mental health issue to leadership, while 24% are unsure, stated the TELUS Mental Health Index report, which was based on a survey of 3,000 employed adults conducted between June 5 and June 18.
Disclosure gap tied to lower wellbeing scores
TELUS reported that workers who wouldn't feel comfortable disclosing a mental health issue score 54.7 on the Index, compared with 68.7 for those who would.
Stigma also shapes how workers handle substance use issues, the report found. Among employees affected, embarrassment (27%) and cost (23%) were the top-cited barriers to seeking treatment.
Privacy concerns (22%) and fear of career consequences (22%) were nearly as common, according to TELUS, with 21% of affected workers saying they prefer to handle the issue on their own.
Less than half of employees feel comfortable talking to HR about their mental health challenges, according to another report.
Financial stress compounding the strain
Cost of living remains the top financial stressor for 63% of workers, TELUS found, far outweighing concerns over retirement savings (12%) or emergency savings (8%).
One in five workers say financial stress has hurt their productivity, and that group scores 24.4 points lower on the Index than unaffected peers, at 47.3 compared with 71.7.
Five per cent (5%) of workers have missed work entirely due to financial stress, TELUS said, a group whose average score of 45.3 sits nearly 19 points below the national benchmark of 63.9.
Benefits knowledge gap adds to pressure
Six in 10 (60%) workers contributing to a workplace retirement or savings plan do not fully understand how it works, TELUS reported, and those with no understanding score 19.3 points lower on the Index.
Nearly 2 in 3 (63%) workers want more employer-provided resources on retirement, pensions or savings, making it the most requested category of support in the survey.
"When 60% of employees contributing to a workplace pension or retirement plan do not fully understand how it works, employers lose the return on investment of their total rewards spend," says Paula Allen, Global Leader of Research and Insights at TELUS Health, in the report.
Workers under 40 are three-and-a-half times more likely than those over 50 to report that financial stress hurts their work performance, according to the report.
Parents are 80% more likely than employees without children to report productivity losses tied to financial strain, according to the report.
Over a quarter (27%) of workers financially support or provide care for adult children or aging parents, and 37% of that group report a negative financial impact, with scores averaging 48.2.
How can HR address the stigma around mental health?
Here’s a set of evidence-backed actions HR professionals can take – drawn from Canadian research bodies, a global consultancy and peer-reviewed academic work – to address the stigma around mental health in the workplace:
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Instruction for HR |
Supporting data |
Source |
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Roll out an evidence-based anti-stigma training program for every manager and employee, not just a one-off awareness session. |
Nearly 1 million people in Canada have completed Opening Minds or The Working Mind training, the country's largest systemic effort to reduce workplace mental illness stigma. |
Mental Health Commission of Canada, "Anti-Stigma" |
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Train managers specifically to hold supportive conversations and direct employees to help, rather than relying on HR alone to manage disclosure. |
University of Ottawa and McMaster University researchers found that manager training enables those conversations to happen, and that stigma often persists through subtle workplace microaggressions even where formal policies exist. |
HRD Canada, "New Canadian research finds workplace culture fuels mental health disclosure" |
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Build a demonstrably supportive team culture as a prerequisite for disclosure, rather than expecting employees to come forward first. |
Employees were 55% more likely to disclose a mental health concern when they perceived a supportive organizational environment, a shift linked to lower anxiety and higher engagement. |
HRD Canada, citing Canadian workplace culture research |
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Diversify disclosure pathways beyond the HR office, and equip peers and supervisors accordingly, since that is where most disclosure already happens. |
Employees who disclose share it most often with a co-worker (59%) or supervisor (54%); only 21% tell HR directly, and 57% still believe disclosure could hurt their career. |
HR Reporter, "Mental health diagnoses widespread — but few Canadians disclose at work" |
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Prioritize tangible, flexible supports — paid leave, personal days, flexible scheduling — over general awareness campaigns when allocating budget. |
Paid time off (69%), personal days (58%) and flexible schedules (52%) were rated far more effective supports than awareness programs (22%) or social events (26%). |
Mental Health Research Canada, "Mental Health in the Workplace 2025" |
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Adopt the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace and track program outcomes with defined KPIs, rather than treating mental health spending as a sunk cost. |
Poor mental health costs the Canadian economy at least CA$50 billion annually, including CA$6.3 billion in lost productivity; only one-third of Canadian employers currently have a formal mental health strategy in place. |
Deloitte, "The ROI in Workplace Mental Health Programs: Good for People, Good for Business," 2019 |
