Americans’ mental health is suffering, and it’s not just due to stressful news feeds or not enough intervention. Toxic work environments play a major role in an epidemic of worsening mental health.
According to Monster’s newly released Mental Health in the Workplace 2025 In a survey of 1,100 employees, 80% of respondents described their work environment as toxic. The alarming statistic is an increase from 67% a year ago.
The challenging environment has major consequences. An astonishing 71% of employees say their mental health is poor (40%) or fair (31%), while only 29% rate it positively: 20% said it was good and 9% described it as excellent. Employees say a toxic workplace culture is the leading cause of their poor mental health (59%), followed closely by having a bad manager (54%).
Vicki Salemi, a career expert at Monster, says toxic work environments can lead to more than just burnout. “Stressful and toxic work environments are not only bad for business, they are also dangerous to workers’ health,” Salemi explained in a press release. “Our findings show that employees are reaching a breaking point, even prioritizing their mental well-being over promotions or pay increases.”
Employers mentioned some ways their employers can support their mental health. Half of employees who feel supported say they get time off for doctor/therapy appointments; 29% say they feel supported by a generous amount of paid leave and 23% say mental health-specific policies are an important way to show support.
Mental health is extremely important for employees. The majority (63%) consider it more important than having a “show-off” job. Likewise, many would pass on a promotion (43%) or forego a pay increase (33%) if it were better for their mental health.
However, most workplaces are not meeting employee standards when it comes to properly supporting employees’ mental health. Despite the fact that employees seem to be feeling stressed, most of them do not feel that their employers are responsive to employees’ mental health needs. The vast majority (93%) say their employer is not focused on supporting employee mental health – a statistic that has risen dramatically since a year ago, with 78% saying the same.
While not every employee struggling with their mental health can throw in the towel. This is especially true in the age of ‘job hugging’. But that doesn’t change the fact that many would like that. According to the research, more than half of employees (57%) say they would rather leave their job than continue working in an environment that they believe is toxic and generally puts great strain on their mental well-being.
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