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In the break room, a poster celebrates the company’s mental health program. Sitting beneath it, a manufacturing worker stares at his phone, the screen displaying "No appointments available" for the third therapist he's tried. He pockets the phone and returns to his station, anxiety tightening his chest.
Between 12-hour shifts operating heavy machinery and late nights caring for his father, who is a stroke survivor, mental health care isn’t just hard to access—it feels impossible. For him, the company’s well-intentioned benefits might as well exist on another planet.
He’s not alone. This scenario reflects a growing disconnect in organizations, where well-intentioned benefits are failing the people who need them most. According to Spring Health’s 2025 commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting:
- 36% of employees can’t access their mental health benefits
- Frontline and sandwich generation workers are least likely to engage with
- mental health benefits
- 30% of employers report low engagement with their programs
Behind each of these data points is someone like our manufacturing worker—trying to hold it together at work while mental health support remains just out of reach.
If this story sounds familiar, it’s because it echoes a larger trend revealed in our data. Our latest research dives into the real reasons mental health benefits aren’t working—and what needs to change.
Traditional mental health support for employees isn’t working
Why are employees continuing to struggle despite increasing investment in mental health and wellbeing benefits? This paradox reveals an uncomfortable truth. Traditional support systems aren't reaching those with the greatest needs.
Statistics from our survey back this up:
- Only 19% of caregivers of adult dependents feel their mental health needs are fully met
- Frontline workers and sandwich generation employees have the lowest engagement with mental health benefits
- Compared to five years ago, 44% of employees are more stressed
But statistics alone don’t fully capture the human suffering they represent. Behind every statistic are people trying to manage their lives and work while battling mental health challenges.
It’s not difficult to imagine common situations where traditional mental health support for employees fails:
- A stressed out middle manager caring for both young children and aging parents, unable to find time for lengthy benefits navigation.
- An employee with bipolar disorder who needs specialized care that simply isn’t available through standard EAP offerings.
- A construction employee working 12 hour shifts who can’t access care during regular office hours.
Such scenarios represent a huge segment of the workforce who are systematically underserved by traditional mental health benefits.
Barriers to mental health support for employees
In Spring Health’s commissioned study, we asked employees why current mental health benefits aren’t working. Here’s what the data shows.
The care you can’t access isn’t care at all
For 36% of employees, mental health access remains out of reach. The survey pinpoints specific obstacles:
- Cost concerns are a major barrier
- Limited provider networks that don’t match employee needs
- Difficult to navigate systems that drain the already-limited emotional resources of people in distress
For someone experiencing a mental health issue, each step–determining insurance coverage to finding an available provider to figuring out scheduling–can feel like climbing a mountain just to start the process.
Consider a nurse working double shifts who also has two young children. After repeatedly failing to find an in-network provider with available appointments for her substance use disorder, she simply gives up seeking treatment.
Stigma and uncertainty
Despite growing mental health awareness, our survey found workplace stigma remains a powerful barrier. Employees at both large and small companies list fear of judgement or negative perceptions from colleagues or supervisors as a primary concern when seeking help.
This fear exists alongside widespread confusion about benefits:
- 35% of employees are unsure about whether mental health benefits will help them at all
- 35% don’t understand how to even begin the process of accessing care
When fear of stigma combines with uncertainty about effectiveness and access, many employees choose to suffer in silence rather than entering the labyrinth of care.
And while employers increasingly recognize these issues, many still rely on outdated models that check compliance boxes rather than delivering meaningful outcomes. Creating a culture of mental wellbeing—not just offering benefits—is critical to bridging this gap.
Shifting employer priorities for mental health benefits in 2025
Remember our manufacturing worker scrolling through unavailable therapist appointments in the break room? His company is tracking how many employees access their mental health portal—celebrating a 60% engagement rate while completely missing that only a small percentage of employees get access to care, and then get better.
The disconnect between metrics and outcomes is finally triggering a shift in how companies approach mental health support.
In response, the survey shows, employers are moving away from traditional employee access programs (EAPs) in 2025 and toward mental health solutions that prioritize high-acuity care, outcome-based measurement, centralized digital access, and tech-enabled personalization.
Driving this evolution is a growing recognition that employee wellbeing is deeply linked with organizational success and that traditional models aren't delivering for either.
Spring Health’s survey results show that as employers recognize these nuances, they are increasingly focusing on investment shifts in three key areas when vetting mental health solutions.
Specialized care for complex needs
The shift toward high-acuity mental healthcare (+11%) reflects a growing understanding that mild-to-moderate mental health challenges require a different approach than complex conditions.
This approach includes foregrounding integrated care platforms with seamless transitions between different levels of care, incorporating social determinants of health into care solutions, and implementing measurement-based care.
Notably, smaller organizations are leading the way—prioritizing high-acuity support and preventive care more aggressively than larger organizations, which often face slower, more complex change processes.
Outcomes over engagement
A majority of employers surveyed—73%—are interested in implementing measurement-based care. Organizations are investing more resources in employee mental health benefits, but if these investments are directed in the wrong place, they're wasted.
Measurement-based care uses standardized assessments to track symptom improvement over time, enabling providers to adjust treatment approaches if progress stalls.
For employers, this translates to concrete data on program effectiveness and clearer return on investment (ROI) than simple utilization metrics can provide.
Centralized platforms that reduce friction
So much of the friction in traditional EAP platforms involves employees needing to sign up for services with multiple logins for multiple providers, retelling their story repeatedly—an exhausting process. There's a much better way.
Imagine an employee logging into a single app on their lunch break, accessing guided mental health support based on their specific needs, with real-time appointment visibility for providers, able to schedule an appointment in a couple of days.
This is why more organizations are looking for centralized member experiences to reduce barriers to care.
Beyond these shifts, employers are also investing in their teams by providing leadership with mental health training and better tools. Managers are often the first to notice when employees struggle and play an important role in creating psychologically safe environments—an important step in the right direction.
A mental health benefits shake-up is here
“I'm experiencing intense anxiety and self loathing. I've battled depression and OCD for more than 40 years. My condition worsened in 2017 and I've been struggling to regain a measure of stability in managing my condition. Spring Health is an unexpected and extremely valuable resource as I work to regain my footing.”
This quote from a Spring Health member is a reminder, because it’s easy for mental health struggles to feel distant when discussing percentages, examples, and statistics. We shouldn’t forget that mental health is profoundly impactful on the day-to-day quality of people’s lives.
Spring Health’s survey data reveals employers are recognizing this reality and responding with meaningful change. In 2025, organizations are shifting away from traditional approaches toward solutions that prioritize what employees truly need:
- Expanded access to specialized care for high-acuity conditions
- Centralized platforms that reduce friction
- Meaningful outcomes tracked via measurement-based care
- Leadership with training and tools to support employee mental health
- Stigma that’s addressed through organizational culture change
As employers reduce their investment in past approaches to mental health, they’re sending a message to their people: the old way isn’t working for employees, and they’re ready to invest in something better.
The gap between intention and impact is finally getting the attention it deserves. See the full Forrester study for a deeper look at what’s driving this shift—and how leading employers are responding.
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