Only 15% of global companies in CCLA’s latest Mental Health Benchmark have made a “public commitment to workplace mental health” within their companies’ reporting, according to its annual rebalance.
The benchmark, which now includes its first five-year longitudinal survey, comprises 121 companies with more than 19 million employees in total. It analysed the performance of these companies across four “pillars”: management commitment and policy, governance and management, leadership and innovation, and performance reporting and impact. The companies were then assigned a “tier”, ranging from one to five.
Of all respondents, 54 improved their overall score on last year. Some 23 companies improved sufficiently to advance their overall tier ranking, while 82 maintained their position. The report highlighted widespread investment in mental health support, with 98% of respondents offering at least one support mechanism, while 86% offered multiple.
Since 2022, the average score has increased across the benchmark by five percentage points, from 25% to 30%.
See also: Corporate engagement on mental health rises but biggest companies still lagging on initiatives
However, the report notes progress “remains weak”, with 48 companies sitting within the lowest performance tier. This was especially notable in North America, which lagged EMEA and East Asia across all pillars.
This slow progress is explained by three key factors. First, only 15% of CEOs demonstrated leadership by making a “public commitment to workplace mental health within their company’s reporting”.
Second, just 23% of companies use employee engagement data to inform mental health policy. Compounding this problem is a widespread failure to use uptake data from support and awareness schemes. According to the report, “fewer than one in three [31%] disclose the uptake of such initiatives.”
Finally, fewer than 45% of companies make the business case for prioritising mental health, failing to “set out the commercial drivers behind managing mental health in the workplace”.
To help companies improve, the benchmark offers seven recommendations. These include publishing “a clear statement from the CEO setting out a commitment to workplace mental health”; providing line managers with “training and practical tools”; and engaging “employees in programme design and awareness-raising”.
The survey also noted that companies which responded positively to certain questions were the most likely to be “high achievers” overall. The strongest correlations included “management commitment to openness”, “board/senior management oversight” and “set targets and objectives”.
Matthew Beesley, chief executive officer at Jupiter Asset Management, said: “The findings in this report demonstrate that awareness alone is not enough. The challenge now is to embed mental health within business strategy, organisational culture and long-term decision-making.
“The evidence is increasingly clear: good mental health is good for business. Companies that create healthy working environments are better positioned to attract and retain talent, strengthen productivity, navigate disruption and deliver sustainable long-term returns.”
