Mental Health Index Finds 62% Drop in Employee Focus; 48% Increase in Risk of Depression
Manage HR Magazine | Thursday, January 28, 2021
Data shows dangerous decline and all-time low in Americans’ mental health; likely due to holidays, political uncertainties and continuing COVID-19 stressors
SAN FRANCISCO and WASHINGTON - The state of mind of the U.S. workforcedoes not reflect the optimism and mental health relief hoped for with the availability of the COVID-19 vaccines. Quite the opposite.According to the Mental Health Index: U.S. Worker Edition, between November and December there was a 48% increase in the risk of depression – a perilous risk level not seen since the height of the pandemic this past spring. Further, employees’ focus dropped 62% – a recordlow since the inception of the research in February 2020.
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Women showing greatest signs of stress and anxiety
The brain assessments, used to generate data for the latest Mental Health Index, were taken during the holiday season, an often anxiety-inducing time of year made more stressful by COVID19. Womenshowed a 46% rise in risk for general anxiety disorder between November and December. Further, at the end of December, women’s stress levels were 22% higher than their male counterparts.
“Heightened stress during the holidays is anticipated, especially for women who often bear the brunt of holiday planning,” noted Louis Gagnon, CEO, Total Brain. “However, the Mental Health Index numbers are disconcerting just the same. We are seeing an unprecedentedrise in risk of mental health conditions. At the same time, we are witnessing a sharp decline in cognitive functions. This is a crisis that should alarm everyone in the business community. Business policies designed to support the mental health of employees are essential. There is another pandemic going on, themental health pandemicfor which there will be no vaccine…”
The Mental Health Index: U.S. Worker Edition, powered by Total Brain, a mental health and brain performance self-monitoring and self-care platform, is distributed in partnership with the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, One Mind at Work, and the HR Policy Association and its American Health Policy Institute.
“After a prolonged period of environmental stress, the concerns about the mental health of our workforce are reaching new peaks,” said Michael Thompson, National Alliance president and CEO. “Moving the vaccination strategy forward cannot come fast enough in our efforts to get back to normal.”
“More than ever before during the pandemic, employees are struggling and employers have an obligation to identify new ways to support the mental health of their workforce,” said Garen Staglin, chairman of workplace wellbeing coalition One Mind at Work. “The data is showing what we’re all experiencing – a year into the pandemic, it is hard to focus and not to be depressed by the raging pandemic. We must maintain focus, as this is a marathon not a sprint.”
Executive vice president of the American Health Policy Institute and strategic advisor for HR Policy Association Colleen McHugh said, “The findings of this report demonstrate the intensified anxiety and stress during the holiday season coupled with employee focus at a record low since the beginning of the pandemic period. While these results are clearly going in the wrong direction, our greatest hope is that Americans can begin to experience some relief with increased vaccine production, distribution and through the ongoing safety guidelines focusing on well-being from their employers. We hope that these measures will start to advance better mental health results over the weeks and months to come.”
The full Mental Health Index results can be found here. For more information and additional insights there will be a complimentary 30-minute webinar on Friday, January 29 at 12 p.m. ET. JoiningGagnon, Thompson, Staglin and McHughisRosa Nova, administrative benefits director, Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YDKMGn2hTlmzkCY2YuXggA.
Methodology: The Mental Health Index: U.S. Worker Edition contains data drawn from a weekly randomized sample of 500 working Americans taken from a larger universe of Total Brain users. The Index is NOT a survey or a poll. Data is culled from neuroscientific brain assessments using standardized digital tasks and questions from the Total Brain platform. Participants include workers from all walks of life and regions, job levels, occupations, industries, and types of organizations (public vs. private). The brain assessments used to compile the Mental Health Index were taken weekly from February 3 to December 22, 2020.
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ANN ARBOR, MI & ATLANTA, GA – HCM TradeSeal, a leading provider of compliance and wage automation solutions for certified payroll and union reporting, today announced a strategic partnership with ResNav Solutions, a leader in historical payroll data management. Together, the companies will provide employers with a more complete solution for navigating complex payroll transitions while staying compliant with prevailing wage, union, and audit requirements.
Employers and industry leaders can learn more about the partnership and explore solution details by visiting: https://hcmtradeseal.com/hcm-systems/tradeseal-for-resnav/
Through this partnership, employers will benefit from a solution that combines:
• HCM TradeSeal’s compliance automation platform - purpose-built to simplify certified payroll, union wage management, and prevailing wage reporting
• ResNav’s History Link platform – ensuring secure, compliant access to historical payroll data long after switching providers
• End-to-End System Integration - Both solutions are designed to overlay existing HR and payroll ecosystems, maintaining data accuracy and compliance across platforms such as ADP, UKG, Workday, Paycor, and others.
“For employers in highly regulated industries, payroll transitions can present serious compliance and data-retention risks,” said Liz Everson, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer, HCM TradeSeal. “By partnering with ResNav, we can extend our platform’s compliance value to include historical payroll preservation, giving our customers confidence that they are audit-ready at every stage of the payroll lifecycle.”
ResNav CEO Alex Hart added, “HCM TradeSeal has earned a reputation as a trusted partner for organizations facing complex wage and reporting requirements. Together, we can help clients not only meet today’s compliance challenges but also protect against future risk by ensuring their payroll past is always accessible.”
Payroll transitions are often one of the most vulnerable points in an employer’s compliance process. Organizations may need to preserve years of payroll history for union audits, prevailing wage requirements, or government inquiries. By integrating HCM TradeSeal and ResNav, employers can seamlessly manage ongoing payroll compliance while also ensuring their historical payroll records remain secure, accessible, and audit-ready.
This collaboration reflects both companies’ shared missions: reducing implementation risk, strengthening compliance postures, and improving long-term outcomes for employers across a variety of sectors with complex workforce requirements.
About HCM TradeSeal
HCM TradeSeal is an award-winning certified payroll platform built to automate prevailing wage and union compliance for contractors and enterprises. The platform simplifies wage determination, fringe benefit tracking, and certified payroll reporting across multiple systems and jurisdictions. In 2025, HCM TradeSeal was recognized as Prevailing Wage Service of the Year by Manage HR Magazine.
About Resource Navigation Solutions (ResNav)
Resource Navigation Solutions (ResNav) provides payroll and HR software that makes it easy for employers to maintain secure, compliant access to historical payroll records. Its History Link platform reduces the cost and complexity of HCM migrations while protecting sensitive data. ResNav supports more than 4,000 employers globally and partners with leading HCM providers and consultants to deliver seamless transitions
Media Contacts:
Liz Everson
Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer at HCM TradeSeal
eeverson@hcmtradeseal.com
Tate Stevenson
Chief of Staff at ResNav Solutions
tate.stevenson@resnav.com ...Read more
New microlearning series helps teams build stronger communication, sharper feedback, and better culture in minutes
CHATHAM, NJ, UNITED STATES -- The modern workplace moves fast, and so should learning. With hybrid schedules, constant change, and competing priorities, employees need development that fits how they work, not training that pulls them away from it.
SHIFT HR Compliance Training today announced the launch of SHIFT in Minutes , a new collection of 10-minute microlearning courses built for the pace and pressures of today’s workplace. Each course delivers practical, real-world skills employees can apply immediately to improve communication, strengthen feedback, and build healthier, more inclusive teams.
"Organizations want training that doesn’t just check a box but truly shifts behavior and culture. SHIFT in Minutes courses make an immediate impact employees can feel and organizations can measure.”
Katherin Nukk-Freeman, President
Power skills such as communication, feedback, and inclusion are the everyday behaviors that strengthen teams and deliver better results. SHIFT in Minutes brings these concepts to life through short, interactive lessons that fit naturally into the workday while inspiring real change.
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• Conversations that Count: Giving and Receiving Feedback Training | Helps employees deliver constructive feedback with clarity and care and receive it in ways that build trust and growth.
• Belonging in Action: Inclusive Workplace Training | Provides practical tools for creating inclusive environments where all employees feel valued, respected, and able to thrive.
• Tuned In Teams: Effective Listening Training | Guides learners to listen with intention, recognize barriers, and practice strategies to improve everyday workplace conversations.
Together, these courses address some of the most critical skills employees and teams need to succeed in today’s dynamic work environments. With a focus on shifting mindsets and changing behaviors, SHIFT in Minutes is not only convenient but also transformative.
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For more information about SHIFT in Minutes and SHIFT HR Compliance Training’s full suite of workplace training solutions, visit shiftelt.com .
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