The Hidden Costs of Ignoring Mental Health at Work 

Written by Tony Coder, Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, CEO 

Paul was working for a construction company when a foreman died by suicide. The foreman was the kind of person everyone liked working with. The one who checked in on people, made work feel manageable, and had your back when things got hard. 

When he died, the shock was overwhelming. The team didn’t just lose a coworker; they lost their brother. Paul watched as grief moved through the workplace in real time, affecting morale, focus, and the sense of safety people felt coming to work each day. 

His company was like many other construction companies at the time that did not have a postvention plan in place. There was no policy, no training, and no clear guidance for how leaders should respond. Managers were expected to support their teams while processing their own grief and keeping operations moving forward. Everyone was doing their best, but they were doing it without a roadmap.   

The hard truth is that people do not simply bounce back after a loss like this. Grief does not follow a timeline, and its effects ripple through the workplace, touching every team member, including leaders who must navigate their own grief while guiding others. 

If you’re reading this and you believe this couldn’t happen at your company, the reality is it could. 

Stories like this are often treated as isolated tragedies, but they point to a broader workplace reality, one shaped by the pressures employees carry to work and the growing responsibility employers have to respond. 

Mental Health Is a Business Imperative 

Mental health is central to workforce reliability, productivity, retention, and a company’s ability to compete. 

Untreated mental health challenges impact employers and the economy nationwide, driving lost productivity and increased costs across industries. In Ohio alone, a 2025 study by the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Services Providers estimates the annual economic impact at nearly $300 billion. Workers with mild, untreated mental illness miss an average of 9.3 hours of work per week, and employees with depression miss an average of 4.8 workdays every three months, along with an additional 11.5 days of reduced productivity. 

Evidence shows that when people can access mental health treatment, both individuals and organizations benefit. For every $1 associated with mental health care, employers see an estimated $4 return, and treatment access has been linked to increases in employment and workforce participation of up to 42%. 

Organizations that prioritize mental health tend to see stronger leadership effectiveness, a more resilient employer brand, and higher retention. In a competitive labor market, mental wellness is increasingly part of how candidates evaluate where they want to work. When mental health is not addressed as part of a workforce strategy, it becomes a clear operational risk. 

When Personal Struggles Show Up at Work 

The average person spends roughly one-third of their life at work, and employees don’t leave personal challenges at the door. Family stress, financial pressure, caregiving responsibilities, and mental health concerns often follow them into the workplace. Parents may miss work to care for children experiencing mental health challenges, and coworkers carry the emotional strain when someone on their team is struggling. 

Suicide adds an even deeper layer of impact. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide disproportionately affects men, who account for nearly 80% of all suicide deaths in the United States. Research from the University of Kentucky estimates that each suicide death affects about 135 people, including coworkers, friends, and family. Teams often feel the effects of changes in morale, safety, and productivity. 

In many workplaces, managers become first responders without training or clear guidance. Dave Rife, Chief Manufacturing Officer at White Castle, whose son died by suicide, has emphasized the need to reframe mental illness in the workplace: “Mental illness is no different than any other disease. We need to understand it, embrace it as we have with cancer, and respond in ways that allow people to talk openly without fear of being labeled.” 

Supporting Employees Before a Crisis 

Research shows that when people experiencing suicidal thoughts have the chance to talk openly, they often feel relief and are more likely to seek help. Employers play a key role in creating conditions for those conversations. 

Training is a practical starting point. Programs such as QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer), VitalCog, and ASIST equip employees and managers to recognize warning signs and respond with confidence. 

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation is piloting a workplace mental health program with AEP Ohio, an American Electric Power subsidiary that employs 1,430 Ohioans, more than 90% of whom work in operations roles, including lineworkers, engineers, assessors, and others who respond to power outages and help prevent them. These are difficult positions, and we aim to challenge outdated norms and demonstrate that caring about mental health is a sign of leadership, not weakness. In a pre-pilot survey of 300 AEP Ohio employees, more than half said workload can have a positive or negative effect on their mental health, highlighting the influence workplace conditions have on well-being, especially for jobs that bring people into the field and into direct contact with the public. 

Policies and benefits also matter. Mental health coverage should be on par with physical health coverage. Employee Assistance Programs should be visible and promoted year-round. For workplaces without an EAP, awareness and education about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline should be part of the business culture. 

Culture is built through everyday actions. Lunch-and-learns, educational resources, and visible crisis information help normalize help-seeking. Organizational assessments can reveal whether a workplace truly supports mental health or simply talks about it.  

Leadership sets the tone, and when leaders act with empathy and consistency, they send a clear message that employees’ well-being matters, making it more likely that employees will seek support early, before a situation escalates into a crisis. 

For organizations looking to take the next step, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation offers training, materials, and resources to help strengthen workplace mental health strategies and support teams. Explore the Mental Health in the Workplace: Employer Toolkit to get started.

Mental Health Is a Leadership Responsibility 

Mental health is at the heart of how work gets done. It influences reliability, productivity, and a company’s ability to succeed. When it is overlooked, the effects are wide-ranging, including safety risks, absenteeism, turnover, and, above all, the profound loss of friends, family members, and coworkers. Prioritizing mental health nurtures stronger teams and more resilient workplaces. 

These challenges are immediate and real. Leaders do not need to be clinicians, but they do need to recognize mental health as part of the environment they shape. They have a profound opportunity to be someone their teams can turn to on their hardest days. 

Change does not require sweeping reforms. Training, supportive policies, and empathetic leadership set the tone and make it safe for employees to seek help before a crisis occurs. A mentally healthy workplace is achievable, essential, and ultimately, a responsibility that cannot be ignored.