Q&A: In for 2026: Mental health in the workplace

My CNBC editor Susan Caminiti covered a recent talk by Arthur Brooks, who teaches the popular “Leadership and Happiness” course at Harvard and just published his new book The Happiness Files. In it, she wrote:

I hereby declare toxic workplaces so out for 2026, and mental health so in.

Karishma Patel Buford is chief people officer (aka head of human resources) at Spring Health, a company offering confidential mental health services for employers and their workforce. We sat down for a convo on: where mental health in the workplace stands heading into 2026, and how both employers and employees can advocate for better wellbeing at work.

This one has actionable takeaways, so give it a go and share with your team. You can also support this ad-free edition with a small donation.

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Rachel: It's the time of year when a lot of people are taking a new lease on life. For some, that's better work-life balance. For others, it's quitting or standing up for themselves in toxic work environments. Mental health is often at the center of these shifts. From your vantage point, how do you see the conversation around mental health changing how our workplaces function?

Karishma: The last five years have been a total sea change. It took a global pandemic to bring to light the pressures people feel. Globally, nearly 1 billion people are affected by a mental health disorder, and if it's left unaddressed, mental health issues can lead to workplace issues like: Increased absenteeism, higher turnover, reduced productivity and escalated healthcare costs. 

With over 80% of employees in 2025 considering mental health support as crucial, employers need to offer robust digital mental health solutions. Employers have held themselves more accountable now that mental health is much more in the forefront.

Earlier this year, Spring Health published a study about the "benefits gap." It stated that "economic uncertainty and global instability are driving heightened stress among employees" and that while "employers recognize mental health’s role in recruitment and retention, many of their solutions to address it fall short." I'd argue that things are only getting more stressful, at least in part due to the increased cost of living and political polarization. Where does the benefits gap stand as we enter 2026? What are the upsides and downsides to the forecast?

We know that 36% of employees can't access their mental health benefits. Cost concerns and limited provider networks are a major barrier. Sometimes it's an abyss to try to find and match. 

35% of employees are unsure about whether mental health benefits will help them at all, so stigma is still real. We've certainly been able to reduce that with exposure over the last five years in particular, but it’s still a barrier, and a third of people don't even know where to begin to access care. Companies who continue to cut corners and not open up that access for employees will see their bottom line and productivity hit. And to your point, with persisting political polarization, stress levels are only going to increase. 

In terms of the upside, the solutions are out there. It's about picking the best solution for your needs. If you're an HR leader in an employer setting, you need to be thinking about the long-term total cost of care. What we see too often is that you have people thinking about short-term costs instead of long-term value. Healthcare costs are out of control now, the highest they've been in a decade or more. We have some of the first established studies proving the ROI of investing in your mental health. The upside comes when you think about these kinds of investments from a strategic and long-term perspective.

I have to admit that it frustrates me that we have to speak to the bottom line benefits of this in order to get people to listen, instead of just saying, ‘We are all human and nobody should be suffering,’ but I do understand that it’s important to speak to both the human side and the monetary side in order to make change.

Listen, I'm a clinical psychologist. I got my doctorate in clinical psychology, saw patients for a few years, and then moved into business. I became a psychologist because I wanted to help people. It's the right thing to do. I moved into business, and it became about dollars, but I also learned over the last 15 years that these things aren't mutually exclusive. It's about integrating both of those things. You can do the right thing for people, and you can do the right thing for the business. It's not a zero-sum game.

As both an HR lead and someone who works for a mental health benefits company, Karishma has some stellar advice for employers to better address their workforce's mental health needs:

• Create an environment with psychological safety. 

“At Spring Health, we have mental health summits a few times a year, with panels involving a c-level leader and a few other employees. Anybody in the company can attend, and they talk about their mental health challenges. I have been on these panels a few times, and I talk about the challenges of being an executive who travels to New York every other week. I'm based in Atlanta with three young kids. With that comes anxiety and sadness and guilt. People need to see that senior leaders can be vulnerable and real. It humanizes us, and it creates permission and psychological safety for people to focus on their own mental health.”

• Create space for employees to participate in therapy. 

“Make sure that you’re offering the benefit, but [also support taking time off].”

• Coach managers on inclusive leadership. 

“Make sure every employee feels respected, regardless of their beliefs or their values, especially in today's polarizing environment. 

• Use AI to fight burnout. 

“How can AI take on some of the things that are manual and routine, so that you have more space for that deep work and that engaging, positive flow innovation, which actually helps mental health?”

• Prioritize the local experience. 

“The bigger the company, the more that local experience matters. How does your manager respond [to your requests and needs]?” 

Employees have agency, too. Here’s Karishma’s take on how employees can advocate for themselves:

• Be the CEO of your own life and career.

“Look in the mirror. What strengths do you have? Do you have the opportunity to apply them at work? If you don't feel like you're using your strengths and leveraging those, that can have a negative impact on your mental health. Some of the most powerful and energizing experiences can come with developing and growing in areas that you didn't think you were strong in. Having those conversations with your managers and leaders is important.”

• Build your network and lean on mentors. 

“There will be moments in your career where you need to lean on people outside of your closest circle, and broaden your network to connect with people who are where you want to go. Also, create your own board of directors. Whenever I make a major life decision, there are five or six people that I turn to and get their advice.”

• Self care in action. 

“I think that work-life 'balance' is a misnomer, because it feels like it's this pressure to always have it be perfectly equal. That's just not how life works. I think about it in terms of work-life integration. How many meetings am I going to have back-to-back before I need a brain break? My husband had to call my support system to be like, 'Hey, can you make sure she eats when you're scheduling her calendar?' It's so easy to say some of these things, but don't wait for the vacation or the perfect moment to find balance.”

Thanks,