Introduction
It’s time to make your next mental health move
Over the past several years, benefits leaders have elevated mental health to a core business priority. But as care costs climb, employee needs grow more complex, and AI reshapes how we work, leaders face a new set of challenges. To guide the way forward, Lyra Health surveyed more than 500 HR and benefits leaders from U.S.-based global organizations. The findings highlight where the landscape is shifting and how bold mental health strategies can keep pace.
“These trends are an invitation to reimagine care and build stronger, more resilient organizations that thrive through change. They are also an opportunity: the same forces reshaping work can help deliver smarter, more personalized mental health care to people everywhere.”
Jennifer Schulz
CEO of Lyra Health
Resilience wears thin as mental health leaves and complex needs rise
After years of steady progress, cracks are beginning to show. Lyra data reveals that mild concerns are ticking up again after years of decline—and the number of people beginning care with serious, costly conditions like substance use has grown 46% since 2021.
The clearest signal yet: Mental health leaves are surging.
of benefits leaders say disability leave is on the rise
More people start care with higher baseline severity.
Source: Lyra data
AI is the double-edged sword of progress
AI is both a stressor and a solution. More than a third of benefits leaders say AI is already contributing to employee anxiety, while nearly a quarter view it as a path to achieving better work-life balance. Success will depend on how well organizations prepare their workforce to adapt.
AI Paradox at Work
of benefits leaders say AI is driving employee stress and job anxiety
expect AI to improve work-life balance through reduced workload
“AI should be treated as a massive change-management initiative. Without clear guidance, employees are left with the mandate to use new tools, but no roadmap. This fuels stress, uncertainty, and anxiety.”
Joe Grasso, PhD
VP of Workforce Transformation at Lyra Health
Caregiving stress is the invisible load breaking your workforce
More employees are juggling full-time work with full-time care for kids, teens, aging parents, or all three. When children’s or family needs go unaddressed, the ripple effects are clear: higher absenteeism, out-of-network claims, ER visits, and lost productivity.
Nearly half of benefits leaders rank caregiving and family stress as a top workforce issue.
This is just the start.
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