The pandemic left a lasting mark on how—and how often—employees take time away from work. New data from ComPsych, a global leader in organizational mental health and absence management, reveals that U.S. workplace leave patterns have fundamentally shifted since 2019, with mental health absences leading the charge.
Between 2019 and 2024, overall employee leaves of absence increased 30%. But the sharper story is mental health: leaves related to anxiety, depression, and other psychological challenges jumped a staggering 300% in the same period.
The New Normal of Absence Management
ComPsych’s second annual absence report, covering 6 million employees across industries, highlights a post-pandemic “new baseline.” While leave rates remain well above pre-2020 levels, they appear to have leveled off. Mental health leaves rose 33% from 2022 to 2023, but 2024 held steady—suggesting a plateau rather than a further spike.
“The pandemic fundamentally reset norms in absence management for employers,” said ComPsych CEO Paul Posey. “In the ‘new normal,’ we’re seeing elevated levels of leave across the board, and especially for mental health. This means employers need to reevaluate both their approach to absence management and overall employee well-being to foster workforces that thrive.”
For HR leaders, the implications are clear: leave management strategies built for the pre-pandemic era no longer fit today’s workforce realities.
Behavioral Health Services Can Shorten Time Away
The data also delivers a hopeful counterpoint: employer-provided behavioral health and well-being services can help employees get back to work faster. ComPsych found that workers who accessed behavioral health support during a leave returned six days sooner on average than those who didn’t.
The benefits extended beyond mental health cases. Employees recovering from surgery took 12% longer to return without using behavioral health services. The gap was even wider for maternity and parental leaves, where duration stretched 15% longer when mental health resources went untapped.
“The data shows that engaging in behavioral health services helps individuals, and ultimately their teams, by getting them back to work sooner,” said Dr. Jennifer Birdsall, Chief Clinical Officer at ComPsych. “It’s especially encouraging to see this remains true regardless of the leave reason – mental health, physical, parental – as it demonstrates investing in well-being is beneficial across diverse employee populations and life events.”
Why This Matters Now
The numbers align with broader HR trends: mental health has become a mainstream workforce priority, not a side conversation. Employers that fail to integrate mental well-being into absence management risk longer disruptions, lower productivity, and reputational hits in a labor market where workers increasingly evaluate companies based on support for health and work-life balance.
ComPsych’s findings add to a growing body of evidence that absence management is no longer just an HR compliance issue—it’s an organizational strategy question. In the age of hybrid work, talent shortages, and rising employee expectations, companies ignoring mental health and well-being are playing catch-up.
For the full report and resources, visit ComPsych.com.
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Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Public relations, investor relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire for secure and accurate distribution of market-moving news and multimedia. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX network. Business Wire’s global newsrooms are available to meet the needs of communications professionals and news media worldwide.
