Some of the world’s most valuable companies are failing to take workplace mental health seriously, according to data from the CCLA Corporate Mental Health Benchmark Global 100+.
The benchmark finds that over half of the top 10 companies by market capitalisation, which includes Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Meta, Tesla and Alphabet, are rated in the lowest tier for mental health support. These firms dominate global indices and client portfolios, yet their approach to employee mental health “is still lagging”, the report warns.
Mental ill-health costs the global economy an estimated US$1 trillion each year in lost productivity, with 12 billion working days lost annually. Deloitte estimates that companies can expect an average $4.70 return for every $1 invested in employee mental health, highlighting the clear business case for action.
The findings reveal a particular shortfall in the IT and healthcare sectors. Half of IT and communications firms (15 of 31) sit in the lowest performance tier, along with more than a third (8 of 21) of healthcare companies. The 44 companies in this bottom group together employ around six million people, underscoring the scale of the issue. Benchmark researchers caution that investors face “exposure to productivity risks, weak management systems and reputational damage”.
Anil Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation, said: “In a world marked by compounding crises, widening inequalities and accelerating change, the mental health of workers is both a moral imperative and a strategic priority. The WHO Foundation is proud to support efforts that advance mental health as a cornerstone of decent work.
“This benchmark, aligned with the WHO guidelines and policy recommendations from the International Labour Organization, offers a clear-eyed view of how 120 of the world’s largest listed companies are responding. Employers, investors and policymakers can no longer afford to overlook employee mental health, action is urgent and accountability is overdue.”
Amy Browne, director of stewardship at CCLA, said: “We cannot ignore the fact that some of the world’s largest, most investible companies remain serious underperformers. Poor workplace mental health is not a soft issue, it is a material risk to productivity, reputation and long-term value. Our benchmark is designed to equip investors with the evidence they need to engage, escalate and drive change.”
Browne added that while ten firms have moved up a performance tier this year, improving conditions for more than a million workers, nearly six million employees still work for companies in the lowest tier, where meaningful action has yet to be taken.
Peter Hugh Smith, CEO of CCLA, warned that “poor workplace mental health costs the global economy over a trillion dollars each year”, adding that too many major companies are “still failing both to seriously address the issue and to respond to calls from their shareholders to do so”.
