When Employees Are Struggling: What Business Leaders Need To Know

Building trust, supporting employees, and responding effectively to mental health challenges

Available with English captions and subtitles in Spanish.

Supporting employee mental health is no longer a workplace issue reserved for human resources departments.

Managers, supervisors, executives, and team leaders increasingly find themselves navigating conversations about stress, burnout, emotional well-being, accommodations, performance concerns, and mental health challenges.

David H. Rosmarin, PhD, ABPP, explores what leaders need to know to respond effectively when employees are struggling while building workplace cultures grounded in trust, support, and accountability.

Why This Training Matters

Employees do not leave their mental health concerns at the door when they arrive at work. Stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, and other challenges can affect performance, communication, attendance, engagement, and workplace relationships.

Many leaders recognize the importance of supporting employee well-being but remain uncertain about what their role should be. Questions about disclosure, accommodations, confidentiality, boundaries, and performance management can feel complex to navigate.

This session helps leaders understand how mental health intersects with workplace performance, offering practical guidance for creating environments where employees can seek help without fear of judgment or stigma. By focusing on communication, leadership behavior, and psychological safety, the training equips organizations with actionable strategies to support both employees and business goals.

Who This Training Is Designed For

This training is especially valuable for managers, supervisors, executives, human resources professionals, business owners, and organizational leaders seeking greater confidence in supporting employee mental health.

The session provides practical, leadership-focused guidance that helps participants navigate workplace mental health conversations, foster healthier cultures, and respond effectively when employees are struggling.

What You’ll Learn

Participants will explore:

  • How mental health challenges affect workplace performance, communication, and engagement
  • Practical approaches for supporting employees experiencing difficulties
  • How to maintain professional boundaries while fostering trust and support
  • Strategies for creating psychologically safer workplace environments
  • Ways leaders can promote healthier workplace cultures and reduce stigma

Key Takeaways

Employees Need Supportive Leadership

Leaders play a critical role in shaping how employees experience mental health conversations, workplace trust, and organizational support.

Psychological Safety Encourages Help-Seeking

Employees are more likely to seek support when they believe they can do so without fear of judgment, punishment, or stigma.

Communication Matters

The way leaders respond to concerns can influence trust, engagement, and employee well-being.

Accountability and Compassion Can Coexist

Supporting employees does not require lowering expectations. Effective leaders balance empathy with clear performance standards and responsibilities.

Healthy Cultures Are Intentional

Organizations that prioritize trust, support, and psychological safety often create environments where employees and teams can thrive.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this training, viewers should be able to:

  • Explain how mental health challenges can affect workplace functioning and performance
  • Identify effective leadership responses to employee mental health concerns
  • Describe the role of psychological safety in workplace culture
  • Apply practical communication strategies that support employees and organizational goals
  • Identify ways leaders can foster healthier and more supportive workplace environments

Who Should Watch

This training may be especially valuable for:

  • Workplace & Organizational Leaders
  • Business Owners & Executives
  • Human Resources Professionals
  • Managers & Supervisors
  • Health Care Leaders
  • Education Leaders
  • Community & Nonprofit Leaders
  • Team Leads & Emerging Managers

Watch this free, on-demand session to strengthen how you support employee mental health in the workplace—and build greater confidence navigating these conversations with your team.

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Topics Covered During This Training

  • How did you become an expert in anxiety?
  • What did you learn about anxiety during the COVID pandemic?
  • What was the primary takeaway from your book research?
  • What is the distinction between healthy stress or anxiety and anxiety disorders?
  • Are all forms of anxiety unhealthy?
  • Has society increased the severity and the prevalence of the anxiety epidemic?
  • What is an anxiety spiral?
  • What assessments or tools can be used to determine if anxiety is interfering with someone’s life?
  • What are the distinctions between healthy and unhealthy anxiety in the business world?
  • How can anxiety and stress be useful in business?
  • What are the four ways that anxiety can be helpful?
  • How would you describe the anxiety levels of entrepreneurs and business leaders and their approaches to dealing with anxiety?
  • How can anxiety get in the way of decision-making?
  • Can you give us a real-world example of business leaders who are addressing their stress and anxiety in a positive way?
  • When do you suggest therapy versus executive coaching?
  • Is the approach for addressing anxiety for company leaders the same approach at the employee level?
  • What is the difference between employees and employers who are learning how to use anxiety to thrive?
  • How does an employer set an anxiety level expectation in the workplace and instill the notion that anxiety is okay?
  • How does addressing anxiety and stress in the workplace help the company’s bottom line and employee productivity?
  • How does the size of a company factor into how managers can address stress and anxiety among their staff?
  • How can entrepreneurs or others who work from home address their mental health?
  • Can business leaders prevent retaliation and discrimination when using these strategies, so that employees trust that engaging with an in-house therapist won’t impact their job security?
  • What can clinicians incorporate into their practice regarding anxiety in the business world?
  • Are clinicians moving away from the notion that they can rid patients of their anxiety, and instead working to help them learn to navigate anxiety?
  • What have you observed across the course of your career in terms of dealing with anxiety in the workplace? What has that evolution looked like over the years?
  • Are there any resources or specific coping skills that leaders can share and promote among their staff?
  • What might be done for somebody who is dealing with an anxiety disorder at a clinical level?
  • Is resiliency a skill you can learn?
  • Do entrepreneurs and business leaders need to be convinced to address anxiety they may be dealing with on the job?
  • Are business schools doing more than they have in the past to promote the notion of dealing with anxiety?
  • Can collaborating with employees in different countries with different cultures complicate how stress and anxiety are addressed in the workplace?
  • What lessons have you learned from the business world that can be applied more generally in terms of dealing with anxiety?

The information discussed is intended to be educational and should not be used as a substitute for guidance provided by your health care provider. Please consult with your treatment team before making any changes to your care plan.

Resources

You may also find this information useful.

About Dr. Rosmarin

David H. Rosmarin, PhD, ABPP, is a clinical psychologist and program director at McLean Hospital and an associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

He is the author of “Thriving With Anxiety: 9 Tools To Make Your Anxiety Work for You,” and his work has been featured by numerous media outlets. Dr. Rosmarin is a regular keynote speaker and consultant to businesses on mental health matters.

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