New data on workplace mental health is a rallying call for business leaders

The more we understand about mental health, the more evident its interplay with work becomes. Evidence shows that employment can improve mental health outcomes to a greater extent than psychiatric care[1]. The WHO also estimates that depression and anxiety cost the global economy approximately US$ 1 trillion – or 12 billion days of lost work - each year.

Put simply, good, meaningful work is a protective factor of mental wellbeing, while poor mental health undermines someone’s ability to be at their best in the workplace.

This places a significant responsibility on employers to provide meaningful work and supportive environments that are essential to wellbeing. But more than a responsibility, it is also an opportunity to build crucial resilience in the workforce in the face of relentless change.

?The stakes are high, and individual organisations cannot be expected to find the solutions on their own. This is why we created @the-global-business-collaboration-for-better-workplace-mental-health (GBC) in 2021 - to provide a platform for business leaders and mental health experts to explore issues, share best practice, and make a public commitment to foster mentally healthy environments for all employees.

Led by its nine founding partners[2], the GBC has built great momentum over the last three years. It has engaged nearly 200 companies in 20 industries and 62 countries, with their most senior leaders signing its Leadership Pledge and committing their organisations to making workplace mental health a priority.

But as the campaign grew, it became clear to us that more in-depth insights were needed to answer the key questions at the forefront of employers’ minds. Questions such as: how can people be empowered to seek help at work? What helps build trust and remove stigma? What support is most effective and how can we normalise its use? And many more.

So, as we mark the culmination of the GBC’s three-year campaign, we are proud to publish new research which we believe provides the granular data that business leaders need to take decisive action on workplace mental health. Mental Health in the Workplace: A global picture draws on the responses of 12,000 workers in 12 countries – including a number of Global South markets with limited prior data on the topic – to paint a detailed picture of employees’ mental health challenges, their work-related drivers and the impacts they have on people in the workplace.

The report’s findings are a rallying call for business. Amongst other things, the research finds that:

• over half of employees are experiencing, or have experienced, mental health challenges;
• about a third of those affected have been less productive, or have considered leaving their job;
• half of those who have shared mental health challenges with their line manager say they have been discriminated against as a result;
• less than half of respondents say that their employers has put in place measures that are helpful in supporting their mental health.

However the news is not all bad, far from it: many results improve radically in organisations headed by leaders who speak up about mental health, or where line managers have been trained to hold supportive conversations. This shows both how much of a positive impact employers can make on their workers’ wellbeing, and what actions are particularly effective. The report also provides country-specific analysis and a set of five recommendations to ensure leaders are equipped to design the strategies that will foster good mental health for all their employees, wherever they work.

We know from the efforts and experiences of the business leaders we have worked with within the GBC that the benefits of prioritising employee mental health are real. Creating mentally healthy workplace cultures is an incredible challenge, but also a generational opportunity. My sincere hope is that the work of the GBC over the last three years, including the insights from this ground-breaking research, takes us closer to seizing this opportunity.

Building on the three-year GBC campaign, the Leadership Pledge is now taken forward by MindForward Alliance, a global not-for-profit organisation transforming workplace culture into one that supports the mental health of its employees.

?[1] WHO guidelines on mental health at work, 28 September 2022

[2] BP, BHP, Clifford Chance, Deloitte, HSBC, Sodexo, Unilever, Visa and WPP

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