Managers carry mental health burden without tools

A survey of 1,000 full-time U.S. employees shows senior managers are under rising pressure from AI-driven change and economic uncertainty—while also being expected to spot burnout and protect team well-being. Yet many say they lack training, avoid using mental

For many executives, the change coming from AI and shifting economic conditions is a strategy conversation. For the middle layer of an organization—the people tasked with translating that strategy into day-to-day reality—it’s something else entirely.

A recent survey by Modern Health captures the moment managers are being pulled in multiple directions at once. These managers are expected to boost team productivity. detect early signs of burnout. hold teams together through uncertainty. and quietly manage their own fears about what lies ahead for their futures.

And according to the data, they don’t feel equipped for the job.

Among senior managers, 82% say being a manager is harder than ever. In the first months of 2026, one in four say their direct reports’ mental health has worsened so far this year. Yet only 37% say they feel strongly equipped to identify burnout in their teams.

The burden isn’t just administrative or performance-related. It has become psychological, with managers asked to act as a first line of defense for workforce mental health—without the tools to do it.

The pressure is compounding. Seventy-four percent of senior managers expect AI to lead to layoffs at their company within three years. and more than half say they fear for their own jobs. At the same time, 80% say AI has increased expectations of their personal output—double the rate of non-managers.

That combination—higher stakes and higher standards—shows up in health outcomes. Forty percent of senior managers have received a new mental health diagnosis in the past 12 months. more than three times the rate of non-managers. Even with that. 86% report being satisfied with their mental health on the surface. while 27% say their mental health has worsened compared to last year.

The gap between what managers report and how they feel points to something many workplaces don’t want to see: masking.

Fifty-four percent of senior managers have been directly judged for using mental health days. Sixty-one percent avoid using them entirely out of fear. They are responsible for creating psychologically safe environments for their teams. but the survey paints a picture of managers who don’t feel safe themselves.

The breakdown in trust appears to extend beyond workplace culture. Fifty-eight percent of employees say they feel safer talking to a chatbot about their mental health than the people whose job it is to support them. Just 33% strongly agree their employer values their mental health, down from 41% last year. And 65% say they have hidden mental health struggles to avoid appearing weak.

When 82% of senior managers say the job is harder than ever, the numbers stop looking like a private struggle. The data becomes a business risk—because managers who are overwhelmed and guarded have less capacity to do what companies now rely on them to do.

The sequence is stark: managers are expected to manage burnout signals, but fewer than 37% say they feel strongly equipped to identify it; many are diagnosed at higher rates than non-managers; and many avoid mental health days after being judged or fearing judgment.

For Alison Borland, chief people and strategy officer at Modern Health, the answer starts with admitting that the workplace has normalized suffering in silence. When that becomes the norm, Borland argues, the problems don’t disappear—they become invisible until they’re impossible to ignore.

The prescription she points to is practical, and it hinges on what businesses do next.

First, get a clearer picture of the problem. The survey’s message is specific: managers are burning out faster. being diagnosed at higher rates. and masking their struggles more effectively than anyone else. Segmenting pulse survey results by management level is one step. Track manager PTO utilization or leave requests separately. Ask benefits providers to break out EAP or mental health benefit usage by seniority band. Then align workforce health data alongside attrition and absenteeism, since over time all of these indicators connect.

Second, give managers explicit permission to be human. Borland’s view is that permission has to be modeled from the top—visibly and repeatedly. When senior leaders talk openly about their own struggles. use mental health days without apology. and acknowledge the weight of the current moment. managers may feel licensed to do the same.

Third, train managers for the role they actually have. Borland argues the work has fundamentally changed. Managers today need skills in psychological safety. burnout recognition. and how to navigate conversations about emotional strain. uncertainty. and the weight of what’s happening in the world—not only performance management and goal setting. The survey suggests most haven’t been given that training.

The stakes, Borland says, go beyond individual well-being. Every strategy a company is executing—whether it’s AI adoption, retention, or growth—runs through managers. When they are running on empty, everything costs more: decisions take longer, teams underperform, and talent walks.

As the survey lays out, the question isn’t whether managers can carry more. It’s whether workplaces have stopped treating that load as something managers should absorb quietly, even as they lose safety, training, and support.

managers mental health burnout AI layoffs workforce pressure Modern Health survey employee wellbeing EAP PTO utilization