World Mental Health Day 2025: Gen Zs and millennials on mental well-being at work
While mental health at work is a year-round matter, World Mental Health Day provides an opportunity for organizations to take a step back and reflect on their approach to mental health and well-being in their workplace - to look at the steps they have taken and their impact, and ways in which these could be improved. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on the current experiences of the workforce, including Gen Zs and millennials – to gain an up-to-date perspective on challenges that may be faced and the possible ways in which such challenges can be mitigated.
The key findings on well-being and mental health from the Deloitte Global 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, which polls over 23,000 respondents across 44 countries, provide a valuable insight into the views and experience of these generations that make up much of today’s workforce. Here’s what the data says:
Some key insights
- Mental health as a top societal concern: mental health is the second most cited societal concern by Gen Zs (second only to cost of living); and is the fourth most cited for millennials.
- Mental well-being: 52% of Gen Zs and 58% of millennials rate their mental well-being as good/extremely good, while 47% of Gen Zs and 41% of millennials rate their mental health as fair or poor.
- Stress/anxiety levels: 40% of Gen Zs and 34% of millennials say they feel stressed or anxious all or most of the time; among those, about one-third say their job contributes significantly to their stress (35% Gen Zs; 33% millennials). Longer-term financial future is the most cited significant contributor to their stress, for 48% of Gen Zs and 45% of millennials.
- Workplace stress drivers: the top driver for those who cite their job as contributing significantly to their stress/anxiety is long working hours (for 48% of Gen Zs and 47% of millennials), followed by not being recognized/rewarded adequately (for 48% and 47%) and toxic workplace cultures (44% and 45%).
- Workplace support: The majority of Gen Zs and millennials (62% and 64% respectively) say they are comfortable speaking with their direct manager about mental health. And 58% of Gen Zs and 59% of millennials believe their manager would know how to support them if they raised mental health concerns. However, 26% of both generations worry that their manager would discriminate against them if they raised mental health concerns at work.
- Comfort to take time off and disclose: Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Gen Zs and 68% of millennials say they have needed to take time off work due to stress, although only 43% and 37% respectively actually took this time off. Of these, 22% and 19% gave a different reason for their absence.
|
|
Gen Zs |
Millennials |
|---|---|---|
|
My longer-term financial future |
48% |
45% |
|
The health and welfare of my family |
46% |
45% |
|
My day-to-day finances |
43% |
42% |
|
My family/personal relationships |
41% |
36% |
|
Concerns about my mental health |
39% |
33% |
|
My physical health |
38% |
35% |
|
My job |
35% |
33% |
|
|
Gen Zs |
Millennials |
|---|---|---|
|
Long working hours |
48% |
47% |
|
Not being recognized/rewarded adequately |
48% |
47% |
|
Toxic culture at my workplace |
44% |
45% |
|
Not feeling that decisions at work are made fairly |
44% |
44% |
|
Not having enough time to complete my work |
44% |
43% |
|
Not feeling included by colleagues |
36% |
33% |
|
|
Gen Zs |
Millennials |
|---|---|---|
|
Comfort speaking with their direct manager about mental health |
62% |
64% |
|
Worry their manager would discriminate if they raised mental health concerns |
26% |
26% |
|
Have needed to take time off due to stress |
74% |
68% |
|
Actually took time off |
43% |
37% |
|
Gave a different reason for their absence |
22% |
19% |
|
Agree their employer takes the mental health of employees seriously |
62% |
62% |
|
Say their employer has policies and assistance in place |
58% |
58% |
|
Believe their manager would know how to support if concerns were raised |
58% |
59% |
|
Say managers have a responsibility to foster a positive, inclusive culture |
42% |
41% |
|
Say this is currently happening |
22% |
21% |
Connecting the dots
Recognition and growth correlate with reported well-being
When satisfied with recognition, 61% of Gen Zs and 68% of millennials report good mental well-being, compared to 41% and 45% when dissatisfied. Satisfaction with career growth opportunities shows similar results (61% | 69% vs 41% | 42%).
Well-being, purpose, and happiness
Among respondents who report positive mental well-being, 67% of Gen Zs and 72% of millennials believe their jobs enable them to make a meaningful contribution to society, compared to 44% and 46%, respectively, among those reporting poor mental well-being. Additionally, those who rate their mental well-being as good are more likely to describe themselves as happy (62% of Gen Zs and 67% of millennials) than their counterparts with poor well-being (19% and 20%, respectively).
For the full picture, the complete findings are set out in the Deloitte Global 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey.
