A workplace that looks perfectly healthy on paper may hide a very different reality. People still attend meetings and hit deadlines while being perpetually exhausted, anxious, tired and nearing burnout.
The 2025 Corporate Wellness Index by CII and MediBuddy found that 86 per cent of employees are currently struggling with their mental health. The challenge is compounded by the fact that many employees are not comfortable speaking up. As per the report, only 1 in 4 employees are transparent about taking time off for mental health reasons.
Instead of viewing this negatively, I see this as an opportunity for organisations and their leaders to give mental health the attention it deserves. For years, this issue was the prerogative of human resources, who relied to a great extent on fragmented Employee Assistance Programs and occasional wellness initiatives. But the sheer scale of the crisis now demands a renewed company-wide response, one that starts at the top. Mental health must become a core part of how leaders design roles, manage teams, and measure true organisational health.
When employee wellbeing starts affecting business performance
How people feel mentally dictates how they perform, how they work with others, and how much they care about their jobs. Because of this, employee wellbeing is inseparable from business success. Research by the McKinsey Health Institute suggests that genuinely improving employee health and wellbeing could unlock a $350 billion economic opportunity each year in India alone.
But unlocking that value requires organisations to look beyond the symptoms of poor well-being and understand what is driving them. Mental struggles rarely stem from just one issue. They usually grow from a mix of relentless workloads, having little control over the work schedule, blurred boundaries between home and the office, and poor leadership. All of this builds into constant, heavy pressure over time. A company's culture and the actual support it provides are what decide whether people feel equipped to handle that stress.
When that support is missing, the damage spills over into the business in very real ways. Motivation drops, people start taking more time off, teams stop collaborating properly, and good staff simply leave.
Different employees experience workplace pressure differently
While many wellness programs focus on younger staff, mid-career professionals are often left unsupported, juggling career plateaus, childcare, and ageing parents.
Women employees often carry the heaviest share of this caregiving load, alongside navigating specific health issues that tend to be ignored. Senior employees are frequently overlooked as well, expected to constantly project strength while managing the isolation of leadership or the anxieties of approaching retirement.
Hybrid work has brought its own set of challenges. We have all learned that frequent video calls do not automatically create a real sense of connection. And without strong workplace relationships to keep them anchored, it is also much easier for them to simply move on from a company. Thus, a truly effective mental health strategy needs to account for the different generations and life stages within the workplace.
How leaders can step up
Workplace mental health only truly matters when it becomes part of everyday working life, rather than an annual campaign to tick a box. It means checking in on how people are genuinely doing, equipping managers to recognize when someone is struggling, designing jobs that do not grind them down, and ensuring that asking for help never feels like a career risk.
To make a real difference, leaders first need to find out where the pressure is coming from. Simply counting who attends a wellness seminar tells us very little. Instead, carrying out anonymous surveys, holding candid focus groups, and analysing workforce data with intent, can reveal the exact problems driving sick days, underwhelming performance, and poor staff turnover.
Next, organisations must build a joined-up support system. Offering access to wellness apps is a good start, but people also crave safe spaces to talk with colleagues who understand their specific struggles. Because fear of judgement often stops staff from using official helplines, support must expand to include peer networks, counselling services, empathetic managers, and private self-help resources.
Finally, senior executives must take real accountability. The way a workplace is designed and managed directly dictates how its people feel. Leaders need to take true ownership, track their progress, and treat mental well-being just as seriously as any major financial target.
When leadership makes mental health a core part of the business strategy rather than a standalone HR initiative, well-being stops being just a program to manage. Instead, it becomes a vital capability that strengthens the entire organisation.
(The author is the CEO – APAC and Global CHRO, Hinduja Global Solutions)
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.
