The Rising Temperature of Employee Well-Being

After prioritizing employee mental health during the pandemic and moving rapidly to increase mental health support for their workers, employers are facing an even greater and more complex mental health challenge: climate anxiety.

Climate anxiety is more than vague worries about the future. It’s a level of apprehension and fear about threats to life on planet Earth that interferes with functioning in day-to-day life, including in the workplace. Climate anxiety is highest among younger workers, meaning that each wave of young people landing their first jobs will increase the level of climate anxiety roiling every employer’s workforce.

Unlike the pandemic, climate anxiety not only won’t subside but is destined to become worse for the foreseeable future, warned Susan Clayton, a conservation psychologist and professor of psychology and environmental studies at the College of Wooster in Ohio.

“When you talk about climate change, there’s the normal level of stress, and the majority of people definitely feel those concerns,” Clayton said. “Then there’s a level of anxiety that interferes with your life, such as having trouble sleeping, feeling emotionally overwhelmed, and having difficulty concentrating.”

As climate anxiety grows in both prevalence and severity, it’s becoming a workplace issue that employers can no longer afford to ignore. This article explores what climate anxiety looks like, why it matters to organizations, and how HR leaders can respond in practical, supportive ways.

A Growing Mental Health Concern with Real-World Impacts

Clayton estimates that climate anxiety is striking about one-fifth of all adults and is at its highest level among workers just now entering the workforce, citing one large survey that found 38% of people ages 16-25 said worries about climate change had a negative effect on their daily lives. A separate June 2024 survey from the American Psychiatric Association reported that, among respondents ages 18-34, 53% said climate change was damaging their mental health, while less than 25% of adults 65 and older said climate change was impacting their life at all.

Business leaders also share serious concerns about climate change. A 2024 study addressing the impact of climate change and published by MIT Technology Review Insights found that 81% of U.S. executives said climate planning and preparedness was important to their business, and one-third described it as very important. However, only 62% said they had developed a climate change adaptation plan, and just 52% had conducted a climate risk assessment.

Still, the MIT study reported that the damage is already hitting businesses. Across the country, the effects of climate change have caused an average 39% loss in employee productivity. A 2023 study on the benefit of environmental management published in Annals of Global Health estimates that, compared with 2020, the additional global costs of mental disorders caused by climate-related hazards, air pollution, and inadequate access to green space will total nearly $47 billion per year by 2030 and $537 billion by 2050.

What Climate Anxiety Looks Like

There are two types of mental health threats caused by climate anxiety. The first is when generalized psychological distress caused by fear of the future on a hotter, more dangerous planet interferes with an individual’s regular daily functioning. The second grows out of the stresses caused by the damage from the extreme weather events spawned by climate change.

“To be anxious doesn’t mean you have a mental illness,” Clayton said. “That’s a normal and reasonable response. But it’s a stressor that can lead to mental health problems.”

The source of escalating anxiety is the gap between recognizing threatening climate conditions are worsening and not seeing serious, sustained efforts to address that reality, said Daniel Aldrich, a professor of political science and public policy and co-director of the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University in Boston.

“Anxiety is generated by a gap between your conditions and your reality,” Aldrich said. “If you believe climate change is a problem and we can fix it, that’s a combination that’s going to lead to much more anxiety.”

Mental health pressure caused by living through the effects of the more dangerous storms, hurricanes and other damaging weather caused by climate change can result in degraded cognitive function, weakened emotional regulation, undermined family functioning, increased aggression, and isolation.

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a driver of mental distress through a combination of direct, indirect, and intersectional factors. Rising global temperatures and the growing number and severity of natural disasters — such as wildfires, floods, and hurricanes — are associated with increased risks of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. These climate-related events can lead to psychosocial stressors such as displacement, financial loss, and the destruction of one’s home or community, often resulting in emotional trauma and long-term psychological burden. The distress is compounded by a sense of intergenerational injustice, particularly among younger people who face a disproportionate share of climate change’s consequences.

“When an extreme weather event occurs, it affects employees,” said psychotherapist Marjorie Morrison, SHRM’s mental health executive in residence. “You have to prepare people for these kinds of events, and for how you’re going to respond when that happens.”

Many organizations aren’t prepared to offer the mental health resources needed when their employees are hit by natural disasters, even though the long-term consequences can be significant. A 2024 study on the hidden costs of extreme weather by the nonprofit International SOS Foundation found that 65% of organizations were affected by extreme weather in the past five years, but 40% didn’t provide the mental health supports needed by employees forced to cope with trauma, stress, and anxiety. In addition, 57% hadn’t completed weather-related risk assessments, and 36% lacked comprehensive plans and policies.

“It’s not just about bracing for a flood or a heatwave,” said Dr. Irene Lai, global medical director at International SOS, in a statement. “It is about the human side of resilience — understanding how these events can profoundly impact health, mental well-being, and security.”

When Strategy Feels Out of Step

One of the most powerful drivers of climate anxiety in the workplace isn’t just extreme weather or the looming threat of a warming planet — it’s the disconnect between what employees believe should be done and what they see being done by their employers, political leaders, government agencies, global organizations, and the wider society.“Most people are smart enough to recognize that recycling isn’t going to make a significant difference [in fighting climate change],” said Clayton. “They want to know their concerns are taken seriously.”

Surveys show that many companies once committed to bold sustainability goals are falling short. A 2025 study in Nature Climate Change reported that nearly 40% of companies that set emissions-reduction targets by 2020 either missed the mark or stopped reporting progress altogether — often without consequence.

This gap between expectation and action can erode trust, heighten anxiety, and make employees feel helpless.“One reason for a lot of this anxiety is that people feel diminished — that no one is taking this seriously,” said Clayton.

“Knowing your employer is trying to reduce the threat of climate change would be a big help,” added Aldrich.

Of course, many HR leaders operate in organizations where climate strategy is outside their control — or where broader political pressures make visible commitments more fraught. But even symbolic inaction can feel demoralizing to employees, especially younger workers who expect their workplace to reflect their values.

“You can make your employees feel better without doing better by holding a mental health day,” Clayton said. “But do you want them to just feel better — or go to sleep at night feeling they really did something that mattered?”

What HR Leaders Can Do About Climate Anxiety

Employers and HR leaders can build on the mental health infrastructure they may have strengthened during the pandemic to address climate-related stress. But for many employees, it’s not enough to offer support — they also need to feel they are part of a solution. That calls for more than putting up a mindfulness poster or holding a wellness webinar.

“The thought that we are cooking the planet and pulling down the rainforests is not just another day at the office,” Aldrich noted.

Experts recommend the following steps.

1. Provide Support After Extreme Weather Events

Natural disasters such as wildfires, floods, and hurricanes inflict long-lasting physical, emotional, and financial harm on employees. Christine Rodman, SHRM-CP, CEO of HR consultancy firm Lynx Employer Resources and SHRM California State Director, described how her team responded after wildfires hit their community. “HR plays a critical role when disaster strikes,” Rodman said. “We have to act swiftly — and with empathy.”

Rodman emphasized that recovery can take years. However, consistent check-ins and visible care from HR and leadership make a significant difference.

Support Strategies

• Provide trauma-informed mental health support (in-house or via local counselors).
• Create and share emergency preparedness plans.
• Offer flexible work arrangements, financial aid, or extended leave.
• Maintain updated emergency contact information for all staff.

2. Address Climate Anxiety in Daily Life

If climate change feels ever-present to your employees, it’s because it is. Even those untouched by disasters may struggle with anxiety, sleep disruption, and difficulty concentrating — all of which affect performance. “Some people report that just sharing their concerns can make them feel better,” said Clayton.

Support Strategies

• Promote access to counseling and employee assistance programs (EAPs).
• Connect employees with climate-specific mental health, such as the Health Action Alliance.
• Encourage activities proven to reduce anxiety, such as yoga, meditation, or regular exercise.
• Create employee resource groups (ERGs) or forums to share concerns and foster connections.

3. Create a Sense of Purpose at Work

While HR leaders may not control their company’s climate strategy, they can support employees by fostering meaning and agency in the workplace. “Anxiety is often fueled by a sense of powerlessness,” said Aldrich. “People feel better when they believe their actions matter.”

One way to reduce climate-related anxiety is to help employees feel their work contributes to a broader sense of purpose — even if it’s not directly about climate action.

Support Strategies

• Recognize and celebrate departments or teams working on sustainability or social impact projects.
• Offer internal campaigns focused on well-being, resilience, or corporate values that align with long-term thinking.
• Encourage participation in volunteer or corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives (without pushing a specific agenda).
• Promote employee resource groups that explore shared interests around wellness, resilience, or environmental practices at work.

Small efforts — from companywide green challenges to employee-led lunch-and-learns — can give employees a healthy outlet for their concern and connect them with others who care. “Employees don’t need their companies to fix the climate crisis,” said Clayton. “They need to feel supported in managing the emotional weight of it.”

Meeting the Moment

Climate change may feel like a global challenge beyond the scope of the workplace — but its emotional and psychological impacts are showing up at work every day. As the workforce evolves and younger generations bring new expectations and concerns into the workplace, climate anxiety is becoming a growing reality that HR leaders must understand and address.

Brian J. O’Connor is an award-winning writer, journalist, and editor specializing in explanatory reporting on business, finance, economics, and technology, as well as executive ghostwriting. He earned nine national writing awards as the financial columnist for The Detroit News and is a contributing writer to The New York Times, MarketWatch, and other national outlets, as well as secretary of the nonprofit  Cygnet Institute of Personal Financial Literacy.