‘It's about how to support them to access appropriate care that's going to resonate and make sense for them,’ says mental health expert
Supporting mental health in today’s workplace demands more than what plan sponsors might be used to, particularly as the workforce consists of four generations – from Baby Boomers working past retirement to Gen Z and teenagers with their first jobs. Indeed, for employers, the key to having an effective mental health strategy is recognizing the unique pressures facing each generation.
At the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute (CPBI) Forum 2025 in Vancouver earlier this week, Emma Kirk underscored this generational diversity often requires flexible, multi-channel mental health solutions that reflect the complexity of the workforce and a need to respond with a blend of digital and traditional resources that speak to their lived experiences.
“Each individual experiences the world with a unique perspective which is shaped by their personal diversity, characteristics, life experiences, cultural practices and many other factors,” said Kirk, regional director at Homewood Health. She outlined each generation and what plan sponsors should understand about them to cater to their personalized benefits needs.
Starting with Baby Boomers, she emphasized the long-standing stigma they carry, noting they make up almost 20 per cent of the workforce. Those aged 61 to 79 bring a distinct set of mental health considerations to the workplace, shaped largely by the era in which they were raised. This generation grew up during a time of cultural optimism and social upheaval, but also with a deeply ingrained reluctance to discuss personal struggles, she highlighted.
“This is a group for whom, often, personal failings or weakness were not considered legitimate concerns. There was a very prevalent tough-it-out attitude and seeking help was shameful,” she said. The result has been decades of underreporting and minimal engagement with mental health resources. Many in this age group still equate stoicism with strength, which can deter them from seeking care even when it's urgently needed.
Kirk explained that digital mental health tools can pose a significant barrier for Boomers, not because they’re opposed to care, but because “this population may feel very out of place with digital tools like teletherapy or mental health apps.”
Alongside technological skepticism, they often face age-related stressors like chronic illness, cognitive decline, and anxiety about retirement, pressures that amplify mental health needs but are rarely addressed due to lingering stigma and concerns about privacy.
Kirk described Generation X - those aged 45 to 60 - as a cohort shaped by self-reliance and early independence but burdened by unresolved pressures that compound as they age. Raised during political shifts, technological emergence, and high divorce rates, this group grew up navigating change without much emotional support.
This generation now finds itself caught in dual caregiving roles, supporting aging parents while raising children and battling constant strain. The generation’s ethos of working hard while juggling family life has led to chronic stress, burnout, and lingering reluctance to engage with mental health services.
Millennials, typically aged 28-44, are the largest cohort in today’s workforce and grapple with a uniquely complex set of mental health stressors. Raised with high expectations and digital fluency, they entered adulthood only to confront economic instability, rising debt, and a workplace culture that glorifies burnout.
“There are incredibly high expectations related to productivity and performance,” she said, noting how the 24/7 connectivity of gig work and hustle culture blurs the line between personal and professional life. This constant digital presence also fuels comparison culture, leading to anxiety, low self-esteem, and isolation, exacerbated by cyberbullying and social media pressures.
However, Millennials are quick to recognize when they’re struggling but may also over-identify with symptoms or self-diagnose without accessing clinical support.
“They’re more likely to seek help when needed, but they’re going to face barriers when they try,” she said, citing systemic obstacles like cost, long wait times, and difficulty navigating healthcare systems.
Lastly, Kirk described Gen Z, those aged 13 to 29, as a generation raised entirely in the digital age, deeply informed by global crises, and unflinchingly vocal about mental health.
Despite making up just under 17 per cent of the workforce, their impact is being felt as they push for transparency, inclusivity, and cultural change in how mental health is discussed and supported.
Despite being so open and vocal about their struggles, however, their openness coexists with a constant barrage of digital stimuli that drives mental health strain.
From compulsive social media use and FOMO to cyberbullying and misinformation, the sheer volume of content Gen Z engages with contributes to anxiety, low self-esteem, and social withdrawal.
Their mental health burden is further intensified by academic pressure, economic instability, and the lingering trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted key social and developmental milestones.Additionally, Kirk highlighted that while this group values well-being and is eager to seek support, “there are barriers associated with costs, wait times, availability, and particularly a lack of culturally competent care.”
Given plan sponsors face their own barriers in navigating these generational challenges, Kirk suggested a few easy wins.
“We need to normalize discussions about mental health, recognizing that older generations may view mental health differently due to stigma, and younger employees may be very open about their mental health,” she said, adding that employers need to embrace an holistic health approach, one that includes access to legal and financial consultants.
She believes plan sponsors would also do well to tailor communication and support to generational preferences. For Baby Boomers, that means framing self-care as strength and resilience. For Gen X, it’s highlighting the productivity benefits of mental health support, particularly for those juggling caregiving responsibilities. And for younger generations, the focus should be on encouraging vulnerability, dismantling perfectionism, and validating help-seeking behaviors.
Kirk underscored the importance of offering a range of access points; from in-person therapy and brochures to chat-based tools and self-directed online content.
She also called for stronger intergenerational engagement, such as tech-savvy younger employees mentoring older ones on using mental health apps, while older colleagues pass along traditional coping strategies.
Creating safe, inclusive environments means offering culturally and generationally relevant supports, whether it’s childcare, eldercare, or purpose-driven retirement resources and constantly evaluating their impact through data like wellbeing surveys segmented by generation or life stage.
“I don't know that our older baby boomers are ever going to want to have a conversation about mental health, but I bet they will be willing to have a conversation about retirement and what that looks like,” she said. “You just have to come at it a different way.”
“I think for the younger generations, it's endlessly talking about mental health. If you go into the online spaces where they are, the problem is not the talking. It's about how to support them to access appropriate care that's going to resonate and make sense for them, particularly for marginalized groups,” she added.
Ultimately, however, while generational differences are real and important, Kirk emphasized the importance that generational differences intersect with other dimensions “that are equally important and sometimes more so.”
“Other dimensions of diversity include race and gender and culture and socio-economic background,” she said. “Every person is more than just their age or their age group. They bring a mix of identities, race, gender, class, ability. All of these things shape their experience and influence how they engage in their workplace or in their society.”
