Mental health at work is the new ROI: How to prove it
- Alexander Laugomer
- Apr 7
- 5 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
If you are in HR, Health & Safety, or managing corporate health in any form, it’s time to think like a strategist. Mental health at work must move from the common feel-good initiative to performance metric. And that shift starts with one thing: Data.
Mental health at work Is the new ROI: How to prove It with data and action
What if we told you most corporate wellbeing programs aren’t working?
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: companies pour millions into “mental health at work” programs, but very few can actually prove if they’re doing any good. And we’re not talking about participation rates or satisfaction surveys.
We mean real impact.
Reduced turnover.
Improved productivity.
Fewer days lost to burnout.
Clear cost savings.
This is not just a wellbeing issue. It’s a business strategy.
The Problem with mental health at work today
Let’s be real for a moment. Most companies say they care about mental health. They offer EAPs, yoga sessions, maybe even a mindfulness app. But scratch beneath the surface, and here’s what you’ll often find:
Literally no one’s tracking what really works.
Mental health or wellbeing are still seen as a “perk” not a performance tool.
Mental health discussions are stuck in stigma or compliance-mode.
Leaders struggle to talk about it openly—let alone budget for it like they do other KPIs.
That’s a big problem. Not just ethically—but operationally.
Because when mental health suffers, everything else suffers too: safety, innovation, team cohesion, retention.
It’s time to flip the script.
Why mental health at work is a business strategy
Let’s look at it in cold, hard business terms:
Burnout costs the global economy $322 billion in turnover and lost productivity.
Companies that invest in workplace mental health see a 4x return on average, according to the WHO.
70% of HR leaders admit they don’t measure the ROI of wellbeing investments.
So what if we could turn mental health from a fuzzy wellness goal into a measurable business advantage?
When you “protect the human mind,” you protect your bottom line.
Challenge the norm: Feel-good is not good enough
Here’s the outdated thinking we need to drop:
"If people are showing up and not complaining, they’re fine."
That mindset is costing companies dearly.
Let’s challenge it. Presence doesn’t equal performance. And silence doesn’t mean people are okay. Many employees are operating in “survival mode,” quietly burning out while KPIs are met—until they’re not.
Old-school health and safety measures caught physical hazards. But we need to evolve our understanding of risk to include mental load, psychological strain, and emotional labor—especially in complex, high-pressure workplaces of 2,000+ people.
The new risk? Mental fatigue. Chronic stress. Emotional disengagement.
The new metric? Mental resilience. Psychological safety. Early warning signs.
Here’s what the best companies are doing differently
We’re seeing forward-thinking organizations shift away from reactive, one-size-fits-all wellbeing tactics. Instead, they’re weaving mental health directly into their business DNA.
Here’s how:
Treating mental health as a strategic asset: It’s no longer a side initiative—it’s embedded into leadership development, team dynamics, and strategic planning.
Building predictive insights: Using data from surveys, behavioral analytics, absentee trends, and safety reports to forecast where mental health risks are likely to emerge.
Holding managers accountable: Just like they’re accountable for performance and safety, they’re now accountable for team wellbeing—and trained in how to support it.
Integrating with HSE and ESG: Mental wellbeing is being recognized as a key pillar in sustainability and compliance reporting.
The one action HR and wellbeing leaders should take today
Here’s one action you can take this week that will shift the conversation and start proving ROI:
Introduce one measurable mental health metric into your next leadership report.
Pick just one. Something simple, accessible, but meaningful.
For example:
Percentage of employees reporting high stress in the last 30 daysCollected via pulse surveys or anonymous check-ins; track monthly.
Number of managers trained in mental health first aid or active listeningShows leadership preparedness and commitment to early intervention.
Utilization rate of mental health resourcesE.g., % of employees accessing EAPs, therapy sessions, or internal well-being tools.
Psychological safety scores by team or departmentGauge how safe employees feel to speak up or admit mistakes without fear.
Absenteeism due to mental health reasonsMonitored through HR data; helps identify trends or burnout risks.
Don’t worry about getting it perfect. Just start tracking. When leadership sees it in black-and-white, it shifts from “HR issue” to “business risk.”
How to use data to prove impact
Data doesn't have to mean complicated dashboards or hiring a team of analysts. Here’s a simplified framework to get you started:
1. Baseline the now
Where are we currently? What’s working? What’s not? Use anonymous surveys, EAP data, or pulse checks.
2. Define “success” in business terms
Not just “happier employees.” Think:
Lower turnover
Reduced absenteeism
Fewer safety incidents
Stronger engagement
3. Track small changes over time
Even a 5% drop in stress levels over 6 months is a win. Small, consistent data points matter.
4. Correlate with existing metrics
Match mental health scores with performance, safety incidents, or retention rates. Patterns will emerge.
5. Visualize It clearly for leaders
Think heatmaps, traffic lights, short bullet-point insights. Don’t make them guess—show them.
Protect the human mind: Why it matters more than ever
When you manage a workplace with thousands of people, you’re not just managing operations—you’re managing lives. People show up with their stress, their trauma, their fears—and their hopes.
To protect the human mind is to create conditions where people don’t just survive work, but actually thrive. And when that happens, guess what? Business thrives too.
We’re at a crossroads: keep mental health siloed as a “nice idea,” or turn it into a core business metric. The companies who choose the latter? They’re the ones who will weather disruption, attract top talent, and build the kind of culture people stay for.
Questions HR and Workplace leaders should be asking right now
What mental health data are we already collecting—but not using?
Are we correlating mental health trends with business outcomes?
Are our leaders trained to recognize early warning signs of burnout?
How often are we reviewing psychological safety in our teams?
Do we know where the highest stress points in our org are—and why?
Start with these. They’ll open up real conversations.
Let’s wrap this up
Here’s the big idea:
Mental health at work is your next strategic lever.
When you back it with data, embed it into performance, and treat it like any other critical KPI, you stop being reactive—and start being smart.
Protecting the human mind isn’t a soft skill. It’s a hard business advantage.
So, HR leaders, safety officers, wellbeing managers—this is your call. Start small. Get one metric on the dashboard. Make one case study. Train one leader.
And then build from there.
Because the future of work? It’s human. And the companies who understand that will win.
FAQs
Q: What’s the best way to start tracking mental health at work without overhauling everything? Start small. One metric, one pilot team, one 90-day cycle. Focus on learning, not perfection.
Q: How can we link mental health data to business outcomes? Overlay wellbeing data with retention, productivity, absenteeism, or safety incidents. Look for patterns. Share findings.
Q: Is there a standard ROI model for workplace mental health? While there's no one-size-fits-all, many models show $2–$4 return for every $1 invested—especially when programs are embedded and not just offered.
Q: What role should the works council play? A vital one. They can advocate for transparency, co-develop metrics, and push leadership to move from words to action.
