Stella Moll
3 July 2026
At 8 am, she is answering emails. By 10 am, she is leading a team meeting. By lunchtime, she has reassured a client, met a deadline and smiled through every interaction.
To her colleagues, she appears confident, capable and completely in control.
What they do not see is the anxiety that kept her awake the night before, the exhaustion she carries into every workday and the quiet struggle to keep everything from falling apart.
Across offices, factories, hospitals and remote workspaces around the world, countless employees are fighting invisible battles while trying to maintain the appearance that everything is fine. Mental health in the workplace is no longer a private issue confined to life outside office walls – it is a reality that shapes how people work, connect and cope every day.
Present but not present: The hidden cost of simply getting through the day
One of the most overlooked mental health challenges in the workplace is not absenteeism, but presenteeism – the act of showing up physically while mentally and emotionally running on empty.
These are the employees who meet deadlines, attend meetings and continue to tick tasks off their to-do lists, all while quietly battling anxiety, depression, burnout or overwhelming stress. To colleagues and managers, they may appear resilient and productive, but beneath the surface, every email and every interaction can feel like a monumental effort. The hidden cost of “functioning” mental health struggles is that suffering often goes unnoticed until it reaches a crisis point. Over time, concentration fades, creativity diminishes, relationships become strained, and the energy required to simply get through the workday leaves little left for life outside the office.
When people are praised for pushing through rather than encouraged to seek support, workplaces risk rewarding survival while missing the warning signs of distress.
Always on: The mental health cost of hustle culture
For many workers, the office no longer ends when they leave their desk. Smartphones buzz long after business hours, emails arrive late into the evening, and instant messaging platforms create the expectation that everyone is always available.
In an age of constant connectivity, the boundary between work and personal life has become increasingly blurred, making it difficult for employees to truly switch off.
At the same time, hustle culture and toxic productivity have turned busyness into a badge of honour, celebrating long hours, relentless ambition and the ability to keep pushing through exhaustion. The message is often subtle but powerful: rest must be earned, and slowing down is a sign of weakness.
When silence feels safer than speaking up
A healthy workplace is one where employees feel psychologically safe as well as physically safe. Yet workplace bullying – whether through intimidation, exclusion, persistent criticism or public humiliation – can take a significant toll on mental health. Over time, these experiences can fuel stress, anxiety and self-doubt, leaving employees afraid to speak up or ask for help.
Psychological safety creates an environment where employees feel respected, supported and able to voice concerns without fear, making it a vital foundation for both well-being and workplace success.
The gap between awareness and action
The question is no longer whether mental health matters at work, but whether organisations are doing enough to turn good intentions into meaningful support. At the heart of every workplace are people, and their well-being should never be an afterthought.
