The motivation of French employees is crumbling. According to the latest Employee Mental Health Barometer, published this Tuesday by the Teale platform, more and more workers are considering leaving their jobs to preserve their psychological balance. A strong signal, at the crossroads of social and economic issues.
Better-armed employees… but fragile organizations
First observation from this study carried out among 20 companies and 10,000 employees: mental health is progressing slightly, but mainly thanks to individual efforts.
Employees learn to better manage their stress and set limits. On the other hand, the working environment is struggling to keep up. “Signals of recognition, meaning and sustainability do not evolve at the same pace“, underlines the investigation.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- Average mental health is improving, but remains at the alert threshold defined by the WHO;
- Productivity stagnates (+0.5 points), while recognition declines sharply (-3.4 points);
- Nearly 4 out of 10 employees now consider their level of stress unmanageable.
In other words, awareness is there, but the transformation of work remains unfinished. “Self-care standards are embedded, but actual work is not changing fast enough. This discrepancy can generate a form of disappointment“, warn the authors of the study.
“2025 freed up speech, and it was essential. But above all our figures show that employees are equipping themselves to hold on, while the organization of work is progressing too slowly to protect them sustainably. In 2026, either we move from slogans to concrete policies, or distance will become a departure”analyzes Nicolas Merlaud, co-founder of Teale.
Inequalities that persist, especially among women and non-managers
Behind the national averages lie strong disparities. The results highlight a reality that is still too little visible: certain categories of employees remain significantly more exposed.
Women and non-managers are particularly concerned by what the study calls “discreet withdrawal”: a deterioration of positive relationships, feelings of recognition and meaning at work.
“As long as these mental health gaps remain invisible, we will continue to ask some people for an extra dose of resilience, instead of changing the rules of the game“, warns Anaïs Roux, scientific director of Teale and occupational psychologist specializing in neuroscience.
Leaving to preserve yourself: an increasingly accepted choice
Another major lesson: mental health is no longer a peripheral subject. It has become a central criterion for professional decisions.
Nearly 35% of employees say they have considered leaving their company to preserve their psychological health. A figure that goes far beyond simple temporary discomfort.
“It’s not a mood, it’s an economic signal. When recognition, resources and prospects collapse, leaving becomes a rational choice — and a costly one for businesses.”underlines Nicolas Merlaud.
Silent disengagement: when the bond disintegrates
Not everyone leaves their post. But many stay, gradually disengaging: less initiative, less desire, less personal investment. A gray area, less visible than burnout, but just as worrying.
If the relationship with the manager remains a point of support, it is not enough to compensate for structural problems such as workload or lack of resources. The weakening of the bond occurs elsewhere: in the sense of work and the recognition granted.
For the authors of the barometer, the message is clear. “Mental health is not a subject of communication, but of management. What we measure becomes governable. 2025 has brought mental health into the debate; 2026 must install it in decisions. The employees did their part. It’s up to organizations to do theirs“, concludes Nicolas Merlaud.