The Mental Health Strategy Gap
Only 1 in 4 global organizations has a formal mental health strategy, according to a new report from not-for-profit One Mind. The ones that do see measurably better results, including lower turnover and stronger workforce outcomes.
The study drew on data from nearly 150 organizations, covering 2.75 million workers across 25 industries and 23 countries.
Where Most Employers Sit
- 8% have no workforce mental health strategy at all
- 31% are reactive, responding to issues as they come up
- 38% have goals and take intentional action, but no full plan
- 14% have a comprehensive standalone strategic plan
- 9% have integrated mental health into their broader organizational strategy
In other words, three-quarters of global employers are reacting, improvising, or doing nothing at all.
The Payoff for Having a Plan
Organizations with a formal mental health strategy report:
- 36% lower voluntary turnover (9.1% versus 14.2% at employers without a strategy)
Size shapes the picture, too. About half of organizations with 25,000 to 50,000 employees have a formal mental health strategy. Among employers with fewer than 500 staff, that drops to just 10% to 12%.
Most Aren’t Measuring What They Do
A plan only works if you know whether it’s working. The report found:
- 36% of organizations don’t measure mental health effectiveness at all
- 38% measure only in an ad-hoc way
- 26% have a systematic approach
- 34% don’t include mental health questions in workforce surveys
Without measurement, employers can’t see what’s working or where to invest next.
Why This Matters for Plan Sponsors
A formal mental health strategy isn’t a wellness program. It’s an operating model that connects:
- Benefits design (paramedical, EAP, virtual care)
- Leadership and manager training
- Policies (flexibility, leave, accommodations)
- Culture and communication
- Measurement and reporting
When those pieces work together, retention, productivity, and benefits ROI all move in the right direction.
Next Steps to Close the Gap
- Document where your organization sits today: no plan, reactive, intentional, or strategic
- Set 2 or 3 measurable mental health goals tied to business outcomes (turnover, absence, EAP use, engagement)
- Add mental health questions to your next workforce survey
- Align benefits, manager capability, and policies under a single mental health roadmap
- Review results annually and adjust
Small and mid-sized employers face the steepest gap. They also have the most to gain by acting now, while the playbook is still taking shape.
Source: One Mind workforce mental health report, via Benefits Canada (June 8, 2026).