Conversations on workplace mental health have gained momentum but have largely remained limited to corporate sectors. India’s Information Technology giants, such as Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, have initiated investments in mental health awareness campaigns, counselling helplines, and employee support programmes to address the rising mental health burden, increasingly recognised as a “silent pandemic”.Mental Health (HT File)In contrast, India’s non-profit workforce deeply engaged in social services such as poverty alleviation, public health strengthening, education, gender justice, women’s empowerment, and rural development often has its own mental health and wellbeing left unaddressed. According to the World Health Organization, 15% of working-age adults globally live with a mental disorder, and poor working conditions long hours, job insecurity, and workplace discrimination significantly increase mental health risks.While corporations are beginning to invest in mitigation strategies, the non-profit sector continues to operate under structural stress with far fewer safeguards. Non-profit professionals form the backbone of the nation’s social development by bridging gaps where public systems fail, yet the sector itself remains fragile. Reports indicate that over 72% of organisations face funding deficits, raising serious concerns about sustainability and workforce stability. Unlike corporations, non-profits depend largely on donor and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding, making them vulnerable to geopolitical and policy shifts.The sudden pause and reduction in US foreign development assistance in January 2025 illustrates this vulnerability. In 2022–23, USAID contributed approximately $228 million to development work in India. Abrupt funding contractions of this scale ripple beyond organisational budgets, directly affecting job security, workloads, and the mental wellbeing of thousands of developments professionals.Frontline workers and project staff are the strength of India’s non-profit sector. They work closely with communities facing poverty, illness, displacement, and exclusion, often absorbing the emotional toll of these realities. Despite the demanding nature of their work, they are frequently under-resourced, underpaid, and undervalued. Common stressors include heavy emotional labour, scarce resources, limited opportunities for skill development, and unrealistic timelines.Similar pressures emerged during the 2025 Karnataka Socio-Economic Survey, where enumerators primarily government schoolteachers reported excessive workloads, long field hours, and travel exceeding 30 km daily. Such experiences are not exceptions; they reflect the typical working conditions of many non-profit professionals. Frequent travel to remote, low-resource settings, combined with city-based offices, further intensifies work–life imbalance. These pressures are shaped by gender roles, caregiving responsibilities, and access to support systems, disproportionately affecting wellbeing.Women constitute nearly 45% of India’s NGO workforce, yet only 25–30% hold leadership roles. Many faces intersecting barriers such as gender norms, caste discrimination, limited access to funding, and career stagnation. Balancing professional responsibilities with unpaid caregiving duties significantly increases stress. Persistent work–life imbalance often reduces emotional availability at home. Among working women, the dual burden of professional and familial roles is strongly associated with higher rates of depression and burnout. Prolonged stress not only harms mental health but also increases vulnerability to lifestyle-related diseases and delays preventive care. Studies on social sector professionals indicate high levels of burnout and poor work–life balance driven by intense job strain and limited organisational support. These conditions undermine psychological wellbeing, while stigma around mental health delays help-seeking. Emerging research links chronic workplace stress and burnout to early onset of non-communicable diseases and metabolic disorders. Mental health cannot be separated from physical health, and ignoring psychosocial risks has long-term implications for both individuals and institutions.India’s National Mental Health Policy (2017) emphasises access to care and service delivery but pays limited attention to preventive mental health at the workplace. Existing Employee Assistance Programmes in India are mostly voluntary, individual-focused, and weakly integrated within organisational systems. In contrast, many western countries legally recognise work-related stress and psychosocial risks as occupational hazards, placing responsibility on employers under occupational health laws. This highlights the need for context-sensitive approaches in India that acknowledge funding instability, field-based work, and sector-specific inequities.Healthy workplaces that support mental wellbeing can reduce chronic disease risks and improve organisational sustainability. Employee support must extend beyond helplines to include workplace culture, leadership practices, and everyday staff experiences. Recognition and inclusiveness play a crucial role surveys show that 63% of employees value acknowledgement from leadership as essential for a positive work culture. Mentorship programmes can strengthen connection, reduce attrition, and foster belonging, especially among early career professionals.Workplace surveys: Assess workload sustainability, burnout risk, and equity experiences to generate evidence grounded in staff realities. For example, The George Institute for Global Health initiated an independent workplace culture review to integrate justice, equity, and dignity in organisational practices.Peer support groups: Provide safe, non-judgemental spaces for sharing challenges and building resilience.Co-designed wellbeing initiatives: Design programmes collaboratively across staff levels to ensure relevance, participation, and ownership.Manager training: Build leadership capacity to recognise emotional distress, practice empathy, and maintain healthy boundaries.Integrated wellbeing programmes: Combine mental health support, preventive care, lifestyle interventions, and family-inclusive initiatives to strengthen workforce resilience.In a sector built on care, the absence of care for its own workforce remains a profound contradiction. Safeguarding mental health must be a shared responsibility of institutions, boards, leaders, managers, and funders. Without their commitment, the sector’s mission is at risk. Addressing the mental health crisis unfolding across offices, field sites, and project teams is the need of the hour. Protecting those who drive social change is not only an ethical imperative but also essential for sustaining the impact of their work.(The views expressed are personal)This article is authored by Srilatha Paslawar, research fellow, Sudha Kallakuri, senior research fellow, mental health and Deepika Saluja, programme manager, Ubuntu Initiative & Thought Leadership Advisor, Impact & Engagement, The George Institute for Global Health India.