- 121 global-listed companies assessed and ranked into one of five performance tiers
- 10 industry sectors represented
- Over 19 million employees – the combined workforce of the companies covered by the benchmark
Five years ago, the CCLA Corporate Mental Health Benchmark was established to help companies, investors and other stakeholders better understand how workplace mental health is managed, governed and reported. Since then, awareness of mental health has grown significantly. Yet 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.
For too long, workplace mental health has been viewed primarily as a social or human resources issue. It is both of those things, but it is also much more. Good mental health is fundamental to long-term business success.
Now in its fifth year, the CCLA Corporate Mental Health Benchmark – Global 100+ has become an important framework for companies looking to strengthen their approach to managing and reporting on workplace mental health. It is also an accountability tool for investors seeking to understand how businesses are addressing the risks and opportunities associated with employee mental health.
Benchmark objectives
- ensure corporate efforts focus on activities that positively support mental health at work
- encourage greater disclosure and improve understanding of the business risks and opportunities associated with workplace mental health among private sector employers
- equip investors and other stakeholders with a tool to assess how effectively companies manage these risks and opportunities across global operations
- set clear expectations on workplace mental health and provide an accessible framework for evaluating corporate practice.
Key findings for 2026
- 23 companies improved their performance tier, while 54 increased their overall score
- 82 companies remain in the same tier
- 48 companies sit in the lowest tier
- 61 companies engaged with the benchmarking process, compared to 60 last year
- 55 investors, with a combined $10 trillion in assets under management, support engagement efforts
Five-year outcomes and impact
Globally, performance on workplace mental health across five years remains weak, although there are emerging signs of improvement. The overall average benchmark score rose by 5 percentage points over five years, from 25% in 2022 to 30% in 2026, although progress was uneven: the average score plateaued at 28% between 2023 and 2025. This suggests that corporate attention to workplace mental health among major global companies is still relatively immature.
Why does mental health matter to investors?
The World Health Organisation estimates that 12 billion working days are lost each year to depression and anxiety and costs the global economy almost $1 trillion annually through reduced productivity.1
Unquestionably, poor mental health drives burnout, attrition, accidents and lost productivity, making it a critical determinant of organisational performance and resilience. The good news is that investment in workplace mental health delivers measurable returns. Deloitte estimates that employers achieve an average return of £4.70 for every £1 invested in employee wellbeing through higher productivity and lower absenteeism and presenteeism.2
Through engagement and advocacy, investors have the opportunity not only to improve people’s lives but also to improve the bottom line of the companies in which they invest.
About the benchmark
The 2026 global benchmark assessed the public disclosures of 121 of the world’s largest listed companies. As in previous years, the assessment examines how companies govern, manage, support and report on workplace mental health, with the aim of encouraging greater transparency, highlighting emerging good practice and supporting continued improvement across global markets.
Marking the benchmark’s fifth year, this report draws on five years of data to assess how workplace mental health is becoming embedded within governance, workforce strategy and business decision-making. The findings reveal progress, persistent gaps and notable regional variation, offering a unique perspective on the direction of travel of the world’s largest employers.
Discover more about how CCLA is engaging with companies on workplace mental health here.
1 World Health Organization (2025), ‘World mental health today: latest data’, online at https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/31714489-1345-4439-8b37-6cbdc52e15ca/content
2 Deloitte (3 May 2024), ‘Mental health and employers: the case for employers to invest in supporting working parents and a mentally healthy workplace’, online at www.deloitte.com/uk/en/services/ consulting/research/mental-health-and-employers the-case-for-employers-to-invest-in-supporting working-parents-and-a-mentally-health-workplace.html