The ROI of Workplace Mental Health: Why It’s Time to Do the Math 

We spend nearly 90,000 hours at work over our lifetimes. Those hours shape our wellbeing, our relationships, and our ability to thrive. For organizations, they also shape performance, culture, and the bottom line. 

At Opening Minds, we want to make something clear:  Mental health isn’t a soft topic. It’s a business imperative. Understanding its ROI is one of the strongest tools leaders have. 

This blog gives you two things: 

1. A simple way to understand the current cost of mental health challenges in your workplace 
2. A clear view of your productivity opportunity when you invest in evidence-based training 

By the end, you’ll be able to do the math for your own organization—and know exactly where to go next. 

What Workplace Mental Health Looks Like (Before It Shows Up in the Numbers) 

Before we calculate ROI, it helps to understand how mental health shows up in real people and real moments—not just dashboards. 

Mental health is present in every workplace. Every site. Every boardroom. Every coffee room. 

Across Canada, the picture is consistent: 

• 1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental illness in any given year (CAMH) 
• Nearly 3 in 5 employed Canadians are affected either personally or through someone close to them (MHRC) 
• 70% of working Canadians say their work experience impacts their mental health—positively or negatively (CPA) 

These numbers translate into daily behaviours and workplace patterns that affect individuals, teams, and organizations. 

How it shows up in workforce behaviour 

• More absenteeism 
• More presenteeism (working while unwell and under-performing) 
• Lower productivity 
• Higher interpersonal conflict 
• Increased safety risks 
• Reduced job satisfaction, commitment, and performance 
• Higher risk of physical illness 

And in the day-to-day interactions, you might see: 

• Quiet quitting 
• “Bathroom camping” 
• Clock-watching or clock-botching 

And across culture: 

• Grindset 
• Toxic positivity 
• Sunday scaries 
• Burnout 
• Productivity paranoia 

These are signals—and they’re expensive ones. They highlight a system under strain, and they show up long before they appear in HR data. 

Framework 1: The Cost You’re Already Paying 

Many organizations hesitate to invest in mental health training—believing they can’t spare the time or budget. 

But here’s the truth: 

You’re already paying for mental health. The question is whether you want that spend to be reactive or strategic. 

Most workplaces are operating without a clear baseline. Many leaders don’t know what metrics to track—or which early signals matter. Mental health literacy gaps often mask the real cost of inaction. 

Just like personal health, investing early prevents higher costs later. When it comes to workplaces, the “bigger costs” aren’t theoretical—they show up in measurable metrics like: 

Access and utilization insights (context indicators) 

These aren’t costs, and they aren’t predictors—but they help you understand your starting point: 

• EAP usage 
• Benefits usage 

High usage may signal awareness, trust, and need. Low usage may indicate stigma, inaccessibility, or fear of repercussion. Both give leaders important context. 

True leading indicators 

These give early warning that challenges may be emerging: 

• Reduced engagement or declining job satisfaction 
• Early interpersonal conflict 
• Performance dips 
• Lower psychological safety scores 
• Early HR escalations (before formal grievances) 

Indicators of burnout or workload spillover 

True lagging indicators. These show costs that have already occurred: 

• Absenteeism 
• Presenteeism 
• Disability claims (STD/LTD) 
• Turnover 
• Grievances 
• Formal performance issues 
• Workplace accidents or safety incidents 
• Escalating benefits claims linked to stress or anxiety disorders 

This is often where the C-suite becomes involved, especially for organizations beginning Psychological Health and Safety (PHS) work. ROI becomes essential to mobilizing action. 

Example: The Cost of One Employee Missing One Day 

Category — Amount 

Multiply that by multiple employees, multiple days, and multiple causes—and the cost adds up fast. 

This is the cost of complacency. And it’s almost always more expensive than proactive training. 

And yes—causation vs. correlation is an ongoing challenge in workplace mental health. But the cost of doing nothing is clear, measurable, and rising. 

Framework 2: The Productivity Opportunity 

Now for the good news: when mental health is supported, performance improves—quickly and measurably. 

What the research tells us: 

• $1.62 ROI for every dollar invested after one year   
• $2.18 ROI after three years   

— Deloitte Canada   

• Companies investing in mental health see up to a 13% productivity increase   

— BCG   

• 1 in 3 employees consider mental health resources when choosing an employer   

— World Economic Forum (2025)   

• 73% of employees and 81% of managers are more likely to stay with employers offering strong mental health support   

— Forrester/Modern Health   

These gains aren’t abstract. They reflect real improvements in communication, clarity, engagement, and trust—especially when managers are trained to recognize and respond early. 

Stigma reduction also produces measurable financial value. When stigma decreases, people access help earlier, recover faster, and return to productive work sooner. 

Some workplace hazards can be removed. Others—like trauma exposure, shift work, or high-stress roles—are inherent and require stronger psychological supports. 

Where Do You Go From Here? 

It comes down to a choice: 

Do you want to keep paying the hidden costs of mental health challenges? 

—or— 

Do you want to invest in training that reduces those costs and boosts productivity? 

Today’s workplaces face increasing volatility and pressure. Without intervention, the future-state risk is clear: declining performance, burnout, turnover, and compounding cultural strain. 

On paper, the choice seems simple. In reality, calculating these metrics and choosing the right solution takes time and support. 

That’s exactly why we’re here. 

If you’ve made it this far, you’re already committed to change. 

Let’s take the next step together. 

Book a Consultation With Our Client Engagement Team 

We’ll work with you to: 

• Calculate your organization’s mental health ROI   
• Identify your biggest cost drivers   
• Recommend a scalable, customized training solution   
• Build a plan that improves well-being and performance   
• Establish a clear baseline to track progress   
• Support alignment with Psychological Health and Safety (PHS) principles   

Start your ROI conversation today.