If you were to ask a handful of random people in nearly any workplace in Canada whether how we talk about mental health at work has changed, most of them will probably agree.  In Canada (and beyond), many would agree we’ve normalized conversations that were once taboo, added benefits, brought in training, and encouraged employees to speak up when they’re struggling.

And yet, many people still don’t — speak up, that is.

For all our perceived progress, there are still barriers that keep people from speaking up when they need help most. Some of these are structural, some are cultural, and some are personal. Together, they form an invisible wall between an employer saying, “we care about mental health,” and an employee agreeing, “I feel safe enough to ask for help.”

In my work with organizations across industries, I see four main barriers come up again and again: stigma, power dynamics, process, and culture.

1. The Myth That Stigma Has Disappeared

We like to think stigma around mental health is fading — and in some ways, it is. It’s much more acceptable to say you’re stressed, anxious, or burned out — even depressed or neurodiverse. Many of these labels are what we can call the “common colds” of mental illness. They are widespread, familiar, and generally safe to talk about.

However, stigma around more severe and persistent mental health challenges, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or addiction, has actually increased in recent years. Polarizing conversations about topics like mandatory treatment or homelessness have reinforced harmful stereotypes and made it even harder for people with these conditions to speak openly. And if you know someone living with a condition like this, it’ll ring true.

Even more importantly, the biggest barrier isn’t always external…it’s internal.

Self-stigma is what happens when we absorb those societal attitudes and turn them inward. It’s the part of us that says, “I should be able to handle this,” or “I’m weak for needing help.”

Decades of research show that self-stigma is one of the most powerful deterrents to seeking help. In fact, when you talk to employees who finally reached out, most will say the hardest part wasn’t how others reacted, but actually getting past their own self-judgment.

Recognizing that is the first step. Because once we understand that shame and silence are internalized patterns rather than personal flaws, it becomes easier to start challenging them.

2. The Weight of Power Dynamics

Even when people get past stigma, there’s still another layer that can make asking for help hard: the power dynamic. Who you tell, what they can do with that information, and how it might affect your job are things that can shape whether you actually feel safe enough to speak up.

In many workplaces, the people you’d reach out to for help are also the ones who hold power over your employment. Managers, HR staff, and senior leaders may genuinely care about their people, but they also hold power over performance reviews, promotions, and pay. And that’s why I’ve always been cautious when I hear a leader say, “We’re like family here.” Because families don’t evaluate one another or decide who gets to stay.

That reality makes vulnerability feel risky. It’s hard to be honest about your mental health with someone who could influence your career.

If your only path to help runs through your boss or HR, we can’t really consider that a safe path at all.

The solution isn’t to remove managers from the process, it’s to add options. Employees should have multiple, confidential ways to access support. Whether that’s direct access to an Employee Assistance Program, anonymous channels, or well-communicated external resources, the goal is the same: choice and safety.

And even the best processes in the world can’t help if people don’t know how to use them.

3. When Processes Get in the Way

While the barrier is often people, sometimes it can also be paperwork.

The systems meant to support employees often end up confusing or deterring them. Someone might remember hearing about accommodation policies during onboarding, but have no idea where to find that information now. Or they might worry that disclosing too much will end up in a file somewhere.

Other times, employers unintentionally make things worse by asking for medical details they’re not entitled to, or by putting the burden on employees to “prove” their need for support.

Even well-intentioned structures can backfire. Take mental health days, for example. On paper, they sound great. But in practice, separating them from regular sick days can send the wrong message. It says that mental and physical health are different, or that the company is tracking one more closely than the other.

One employee once told me she’d taken a mental health day, and her manager was supportive, but afterwards, the tone shifted. The manager started checking in before assigning new projects, asking, “Are you sure you’re okay to take this on?” It was meant kindly, but it also sent a subtle signal that she was fragile.

It’s a good reminder that systems designed to help have to be as simple and transparent as possible, or they risk doing the opposite.

4. Culture: The Hardest Barrier to See

Policies and programs matter, but culture determines whether people actually use them.

Many of us grew up in workplaces that said things like “leave your personal life at the door.” But the truth is, you can’t. We bring our whole selves to work, from our identities and stress to our joy and our struggles. Pretending otherwise only pushes people to hide what’s real.

A healthy workplace culture is one where people actually believe that their organization cares about their mental health.

In research terms, that belief is called psychosocial safety climate. In simple terms, it means the shared perception among employees that their organization values psychological health and wellbeing.

Workplaces with a strong psychosocial safety climate tend to have:

• Leaders who genuinely care about people’s mental health and make it clear that wellbeing isn’t secondary to performance.

• Honest, two-way communication about how work is affecting people; what’s helping, what’s causing stress, and what needs to change.

• Employees who feel they have a say in how work is structured, especially when it comes to the things that impact their stress and energy.

Those organizations have healthier, more productive, and more trusting teams. When culture and process align, help-seeking becomes natural. And yet, even in the best workplaces, there’s still one final barrier to overcome.

5. The Final Barrier: Ourselves

Even when organizations do everything right, from communicating well and creating flexible systems to training leaders and building supportive cultures, there’s still one hurdle that no policy or program can remove.

People still hesitate.

They worry about how they’ll be seen and tell themselves they should be able to manage on their own. And that’s the part we can’t control.

Because asking for help is a deeply personal decision. It’s shaped by history, personality, culture, and timing. You can create the safest of safe spaces, but whether someone steps into it or not is up to them.

It’s a bit like setting a table. You can’t control whether someone chooses to eat, but you can make sure the table’s inviting and the food is nourishing.

When we focus on being thoughtful hosts, we can create the kind of workplace where asking for help feels not just safe but natural.