This story appears in the March 2026 issue of Utah Business. Subscribe.
Anyone who has lived through a Utah winter knows its particular rhythm: Days shrink, skies turn gray and the mountains that define our skyline fade into the haze of a cold morning. For a state built around outdoor living, the darker months can feel constraining in ways that go beyond temperature. What we are learning is that this seasonal shift affects more than our weekend plans. It shapes how we show up at work.
Recent research surveying more than 1,000 full-time office workers found that 42% of employees experience increased anxiety during the winter months, with more than 15% reporting it as extreme. Researchers call this phenomenon “career hibernation,” a period when work shifts from being an opportunity to grow into something employees simply endure until the calendar turns. In larger companies especially, the focus often moves from hitting goals to just getting through the day.
This is where I believe Utah has something others do not. People often ask what makes Utah different, what accounts for our consistent economic performance, our ability to attract and retain talent and our resilience through challenges that have staggered other states. The answer is not a single policy or program. Utah operates like a larger family — we take care of one another. We plan not just for the next quarter, but for the next generation.
When we talk about supporting mental health in the workplace, we are not asking employers to become therapists or to solve problems beyond their expertise. We are asking them to create environments where people feel seen and supported, where struggling is not shameful and where leaders model openness that gives others permission to be honest about what they are experiencing.
Start with acknowledgement. Too many organizations treat mental health as a benefits line item rather than a cultural commitment. Offering an employee assistance program is not the same as creating a workplace where people feel comfortable using it. Leaders who check in with their teams not just about deliverables but about well-being — and who recognize that productivity dips in winter may reflect human needs rather than performance failures — create the conditions for genuine support.
Utah’s business community has long understood that workforce challenges require more than competitive wages. We advocate for affordable child care because parents cannot focus at work when their children’s care is uncertain. We push for housing solutions because employees cannot thrive when they are priced out of the communities where they work.
Mental health belongs in the same conversation. It is not separate from our economic priorities; it is essential to them.
The Chamber has made mental and behavioral health a policy priority because a healthy workforce is a productive workforce, and Utah’s continued prosperity depends on supporting the people who power our economy. This is not soft thinking. It is strategic thinking.
When we support our employees through difficult seasons, we strengthen the foundation on which everything else depends. That is how Utah works. That is who we are.
