If an employee needs glasses, we understand why vision coverage matters. We help people care for their teeth. Some employers even help pay for gym memberships. But when someone needs support for their mental health, we are still far too likely to leave them to figure it out alone.
That disconnect has been on my mind as we plan a new Chamber seminar series on mental health in the workplace.
I spend a great deal of time talking with Mesa County employers about workforce challenges. We talk about finding people, keeping people and developing the next generation of leaders. Those conversations often focus on wages, benefits and skills, as they should. But we also need to talk about what happens when the people we depend on are exhausted, isolated or afraid to say they are struggling.
This reaches every level of an organization. An employee may be trying to meet expectations while dealing with anxiety, grief or pressures at home. A manager may be absorbing the stress of an entire team. An owner or CEO may feel that admitting they are overwhelmed would shake everyone else’s confidence.
Leadership can be lonely. I understand the instinct to keep moving, solve the next problem and tell yourself you will catch your breath when things slow down. Often, they do not slow down on their own.
The 2025 NAMI Workplace Mental Health Poll puts numbers to a troubling gap. Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they would feel comfortable if a coworker talked to them about mental health. Yet 42% worried that talking about their own mental health at work could hurt their career. One in four said they had considered quitting a job because of mental health concerns.
We may believe we would support a colleague who came to us. Many people still do not believe it is safe to be that colleague.
That should concern every employer. When people do not feel they can speak up, problems rarely disappear. Burnout can become disengagement. Stress can narrow our perspective until we stop listening to each other or assume the worst of someone’s intentions. A conversation we avoid because it feels uncomfortable can grow into conflict that affects an entire team.
None of this means a manager should be expected to diagnose an employee or serve as their therapist. It does mean we have to look honestly at the workplaces we lead. Do people know what mental health resources are available? Can they use them without worrying about how they will be perceived? Do we notice when a team member is running on empty? And when tension develops, do we address it with care and clarity?
Those questions are behind the Chamber’s upcoming three-part series, offered in partnership with the Counseling & Education Center, for managers and leaders across Mesa County. It’s Lonely at the Top will focus on self-care and recognizing burnout in leadership. Mission First, People Always will examine the habits that create trust, as well as the warning signs of a culture where people have gone quiet. The Conversations Leaders Can’t Avoid will give participants a practical way to approach performance issues, boundaries and unresolved tension.
I do not expect three seminars to solve every challenge facing our workplaces. I do believe they can help leaders start conversations they have been putting off and leave with something useful to do differently. That matters. NAMI’s poll found that 45% of employees at the manager level did not know how to access mental health care through their employer-sponsored insurance. We cannot expect leaders to help normalize resources they may not know how to find themselves.
We have worked hard to make physical health a normal part of the benefits conversation. Mental health deserves the same attention, in the benefits we offer and in the way we treat one another every day. For those of us who lead, a good first step is to make sure our people know where support exists, and that asking for it will be met with respect.
If you manage a team, own a business or help shape your workplace culture, I hope you’ll join us for one or all three sessions. Bring another leader from your organization, too.
You can learn more and register at gjchamber.org/events.
I hope this series helps us start conversations that continue well beyond the seminars.
Self-Care for Leaders OCTOBER 6th
Mission First, People Always: Creating a Positive Culture
OCTOBER 13th
The Conversations Leaders Can’t Avoid: Handling Difficult Conversations
OCTOBER 20th