Published
April 25, 2025
Change has become a constant in both society and at work. From global economic and political uncertainty to evolving post-pandemic work environments and the rise of emerging technologies like AI, today’s employees are navigating a complex and shifting landscape. During our recent fireside at Talent Forward, we highlighted how these changes are reshaping expectations – particularly around mental health and well-being. As the workplace continues to transform, employees increasingly need, and even expect, more support when it comes to mental health and well-being.
The State of Workplace Mental Health Needs
Headspace’s recent annual report on workplace mental health shines a light on urgent and growing needs for a focus on workplace well-being:
- More than half (58%) of employees surveyed have considered quitting their jobs due to mental health struggles, and 40% reported that they had taken a mental health leave of absence.
- While 62% of executives said they felt very comfortable enforcing boundaries with work, only 38% of middle managers and 41% of individual contributors felt the same.
- 92% of employees reported that their sleep was negatively impacted by work at least occasionally.
Structured and strategic workplace well-being programs are making a difference, with survey results showing 95% of employees surveyed indicating they felt better after using employer-provided mental health benefits.
At a time when many organizations are facing tough financial decisions surrounding their benefits programs, it’s critical to prioritize programs that drive both employee well-being and organizational performance. Investing in mental health support isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a business imperative that directly impacts the bottom line.
Advancing a Strategic Approach to Well-Being
Edward Jones has taken this mandate to heart. The financial services firm is advancing a multiyear initiative to improve the health and well-being of its 54,000 associates across five core pillars — Mental, Emotional, Physical, Financial and Social. This holistic commitment to well-being is grounded in the firm’s purpose to partner for positive impact to improve the lives of clients, colleagues and communities.
For Edward Jones, prioritizing well-being allows associates to bring their best selves to clients, to their work, to their families and communities — and ultimately to make a greater impact.
The firm’s comprehensive well-being benefits include a range of support and resources, from nutrition, meditation and fitness, to counseling and behavioral health programs, to time off and tools to help with daily life and navigating significant life changes.
A significant way Edward Jones is delivering on its well-being commitments is through its strategic partnership with Headspace.
Dedicated to providing every person with access to lifelong mental health support, Headspace is working to re-imagine workplace well-being strategies through customized, end-to-end care strategies. Today, Headspace works with more than 4,000 companies and 45 health plans to provide meaningful mental health solutions and help organizations integrate a focus on well-being and resilience throughout their cultures.
Edward Jones’ partnership with Headspace provides a spectrum of resources that associates can access free of charge to help them manage stress, improve sleep, enhance focus and be more mindful of their thoughts and feelings. These include Headspace’s award-winning mindfulness and meditation content and self-guided programs, as well as live access to mental health coaches and clinicians via Headspace’s employee assistance program (EAP).
The Importance of Awareness and Leadership Alignment
To drive meaningful change in the workplace, it’s critical for leaders and managers to actively support and promote mental health.
The Headspace study found that nearly half of employees turn to their managers for mental health support, but only 24% of HR leaders report that their managers are required to take mental-health specific training. This creates a major gap. Managers are often tasked with maintaining healthy workplaces — but their companies aren’t always giving them the resources to be successful.
Edward Jones works to keep well-being front and center through ongoing communication and educational opportunities including interactive experiences and events. Equally important is ensuring that managers are effective advocates for associate well-being. The firm helps managers with training in areas like encouraging employees to set healthy boundaries, making space in work schedules to support teams in creating those boundaries and encouraging them to communicate openly about the importance of mental health. All of this helps associates to know they have the support of their leaders and understand that the firm’s commitment to well-being is sustained and core to its culture.
Employees are increasingly valuing and expecting their leaders to prioritize and discuss mental health, creating a sense of safety and trust. Headspace’s research shows significant progress in recent years. In 2020, 35% of employees reported that their company’s leaders talked about their own mental health but in 2024, the research showed 89% of employees reported that their company’s leaders talked about their own mental health.
This new level of transparency around mental health has had a positive ripple effect on minimizing stigma around mental health and meeting employee expectations. This kind of vulnerability also gives employees permission to share if they’re struggling and ask for support.
Measuring Success
Since launching its partnership with Headspace in 2024, Edward Jones has seen a tremendous response from associates, with more than 16,000 downloading the Headspace app, more than 14,500 joining monthly webinars and more than 3,500 attending signature events such as the Headspace Launch, Suicide Awareness and Prevention, and Mental and Emotional Well-Being events. More broadly, supporting well-being has helped build more authentic engagement across the firm and strengthen collaboration and connection among associates.
Foundations to Building a Culture of Well-Being
Edward Jones and Headspace recommend a few key areas of focus for businesses looking to establish stronger and more holistic cultures of well-being, as well as for businesses considering expanding or adding new employee benefits:
- Make well-being a strategic priority from the top down.
- Choose the right partners to bring proven, expert-backed solutions.
- Empower leadership and managers to lead by example.
- Encourage employees to take advantage of well-being resources on an ongoing basis.
With these foundational elements in place, businesses can help employees to feel their best – and bring their best to work every day.
