To mark World Mental Health Day on 10th October, New Leaf Health, a workplace well-being service provider, has released new research examining changing interest in workplace mental health topics.
Conducted in September 2025 using Google search data from the previous 12 months, the analysis found year-on-year declines across several key areas
- Structural and management training: Searches for mental health training for managers dropped by 56%, while searches for workplace stress policy fell by 40%.
- Well-being programmes and services: Queries for corporate wellness programmes fell by 72%, employee well-being initiatives dropped by 71%, and workplace health checks fell by 57%.
- Core support infrastructure: Searches for EAP services fell by 46%, while searches for employee assistance programmes decreased by 16%.
- Acute stress and burnout: Searches for how to prevent burnout at work halved, while searches for employee burnout symptoms and corporate well-being platform fell by 100%.
Some of the decline in search activity may be attributed to managers turning to generative AI platforms for instant advice. However, industry experts warn against treating AI as a substitute for professional workplace health infrastructure. While AI can outline basic concepts, it cannot deploy clinical Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), deliver accredited manager training, or fulfil statutory health and safety obligations.
Although the decline in search activity suggests reduced interest in workplace mental health topics, it does not necessarily show that businesses are reducing their support for employee well-being. Official workforce health data, however, shows significant real-world strain.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a record 964,000 UK workers suffer from work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. This accounts for 22.1 million lost working days and 62% of all work-related ill health.
CIPD research also reveals that employee sickness absence has risen to 9.4 days per worker per year. This represents the highest level recorded in more than 15 years, with mental ill health cited as the leading cause of long-term absence.
Workplace well-being experts at New Leaf Health warn that the decline in search activity could point to a wider retreat from workplace well-being, as businesses facing economic pressures reduce attention to well-being research and strategy while workforce health concerns remain significant.
“Now, as budgets tighten, companies are quietly abandoning these initiatives altogether or attempting to substitute tailored, expert interventions with generic AI shortcuts. Businesses cannot afford to retreat. An AI tool cannot train a line manager to spot acute distress or replace confidential employee counselling,” the experts stated.
“Bypassing professional support leaves employees at risk of severe burnout, chronic stress, and long term illness, while exposing employers to serious legal liabilities such as personal injury claims and health and safety regulatory breaches. Far from saving money, withdrawing support directly inflates sickness absence, lowers productivity, and drives up turnover costs.”
New Leaf Health has shared a guide outlining different strategies workplaces can implement for World Mental Health Day, helping companies move from one-off gestures towards long-term impact.