A Crain's Grand Rapids Business content-studio feature, published in partnership with Wedgwood Christian Services, sets out the financial and operational argument for employers to treat workforce mental health as a core business investment rather than a peripheral benefit.
Wedgwood Christian Services is a Grand Rapids-based nonprofit that has provided mental and behavioural health care since 1960, offering residential care, outpatient counselling, psychiatry services and substance use programmes across West Michigan.
The piece reflects a growing body of evidence that poor workforce mental health carries measurable costs. Research-backed data cited in the broader employer-benefits literature suggests effective mental health policies can return between $3 and $6 for every $1 spent, with gains driven by lower absenteeism, reduced turnover and improved productivity. Separately, low employee engagement linked to mental health strain is estimated to cost the global economy trillions in lost output annually.
Access remains a practical barrier. Despite rising demand, studies indicate that only around half of employees know how to access mental health care through their employer, and roughly one in four managers are unaware whether their organisation offers mental health benefits at all.
The Wedgwood feature points to the role employers can play by improving awareness of existing resources, supporting manager training and connecting staff to professional clinical services , particularly at a moment when organisations are facing elevated pressure on retention and productivity.
Wedgwood operates outpatient counselling, psychiatry and substance use services with no waitlists, serving adults, teens and children across Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Allegan counties in Michigan.
The opportunity is just as real for Indian employers. A Deloitte survey estimated that poor employee mental health costs Indian companies around $14 billion a year through absenteeism, lower productivity and attrition. India's Economic Survey 2024–25 added further weight to that figure, noting that individuals with poor mental well-being lose roughly 15 working days a month compared to two or three days for those in good health. The treatment gap remains wide: only around 15% of those who need mental health care in India actually receive it, with stigma the most cited reason for not seeking help. For companies competing for talent in high-pressure sectors like IT, finance and consulting, investing in accessible mental health support is one of the more straightforward ways to reduce attrition and improve output and one that most have yet to act on seriously.
Sources: Deloitte Mental Health Survey (2022); India Economic Survey 2024–25; National Mental Health Survey of India; WHO
