Americans’ mental health is suffering and it’s not just due to stressful news feeds or not getting enough steps in. Toxic work environments are playing a large role in an epidemic of worsening mental health.
According to Monster’s newly released 2025 Mental Health in the Workplace survey of 1,100 workers, 80% of respondents described their workplace environment as toxic. The alarming statistic is an increase from 67% just a year ago.
The challenging environment has major implications. An astonishing 71% of workers say their mental health is poor (40%) or fair (31%), while only 29% rank it positively: 20% said it was good and 9% described it as great. Workers say that a toxic workplace culture is the top cause of their poor mental health (59%), followed closely by having a bad manager (54%).
Vicki Salemi, a career expert at Monster, says that toxic work environments can lead to more than burnout. “Stressful and toxic work environments aren’t just bad for business—they’re dangerous for employee health,” Salemi explained in a press release. “Our findings show workers are reaching a breaking point, prioritizing their mental well-being even over promotions or raises.”
Employers cited some ways that their employers can support their mental health. Half of workers who feel supported say they’re allowed time off for doctor/therapy appointments; 29% say they feel supported by having a generous amount of paid time off and 23% say that policies specific to mental health are important ways to show support.
Mental health is incredibly important to employees. The majority (63%) care more about it than having a “brag-worthy” job. Likewise, many would pass on a promotion (43%) or opt out of a raise (33%) if it was better for their mental health.
However, most workplaces are not meeting workers’ standards when it comes to properly supporting employee mental health. Regardless of the fact that workers seem to be feeling strained, most of them don’t feel their employer is responding to workers’ mental health needs. The vast majority (93%) say their employer isn’t focused on supporting employee mental health—a statistic that rose drastically since just a year ago, with 78% claiming the same.
While not every worker struggling with their mental health is able to throw in the towel. That’s especially true in the era of “job hugging.” But that doesn’t change the fact that many would like to. According to the survey, more than half of workers (57%) say they’d rather quit their job than continue working in an environment they feel is toxic and overall, causing major strains to their mental wellbeing.
