The Hidden Fortune: Why Mental Health is Your Best Investment

This post is a brief departure from my usual “Notes to Young Professionals.” While I often write directly to those early in their careers, this one is for the systems they’re stepping into.

Mental health has never been a side issue—it’s the ground we all stand on. And workplaces have an extraordinary amount of influence over how that ground feels to stand on.

Whether you’re a young professional or not, you deserve to work in a place that values clarity, recovery, trust, and belonging.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. While mental health should never be confined to a calendar slot, it’s a timely opportunity to revisit a truth many organizations still overlook:

Mental health doesn’t stay at home when people come to work.

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The Better Investment

Leaders often ask: “What will it cost to invest in mental health?”
A better question is: “What will it return?”

The data is clear: workplaces that prioritize mental health gain in performance, retention, trust, and innovation.

But there’s a deeper return—organizations where people feel seen and supported are where people bring their best.

This doesn’t happen by chance. It takes structure:

• Onboarding that builds clarity and confidence

• Managers trained in emotional intelligence and feedback

• Workflows that support a sustainable pace and space to reset

• Cultures that normalize communication, reflection, and coaching

These aren’t add-ons. They are investments in people.
And over time, they become the foundation for long-term performance.

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Mental Health Isn’t a Side Issue—It Shapes Daily Operations

Everyone owns their well-being, but the workplace sets the conditions.

Workplaces can support energy—or quietly deplete it. That influence is often invisible, but it’s profound.

“We have the power to make workplaces engines for mental health and well-being… The benefits accrue to both workers and organizations.”
—U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

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Everyday Decisions, Lasting Consequences

Mental health at work is shaped by countless small decisions:

• How feedback is given

• Whether time to reset is normalized or frowned upon

• Whether emotional intelligence is treated as essential or optional

Individually, these moments seem minor. Together, they answer a bigger question:
Do people matter here?

Here’s one example:

A high-performing early-career professional flew from California to attend a product launch at her company’s New York office—a place she had never worked in person.

She had worked with the SVP for over a year via Zoom. But when they shared an elevator that first morning, the SVP didn’t acknowledge her. Even after she said hello, he gave a brief reply and didn’t engage with her the rest of the event.

She left feeling invisible. “I don’t belong here,” she told me.

Now she’s answering recruiter calls.

That moment wasn’t neutral. It was expensive.

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The Economics of Mattering

Mental health doesn’t appear as a budget line.
It shows up in friction, missed deadlines, turnover, and disengagement.

• 78% of employees report mental health struggles that affect productivity (McKinsey, 2024)

• A median S&P 500 company loses ~$480M annually due to mental-health-related productivity loss

• Burned-out employees are 6x more likely to leave within six months

The upside is just as tangible:

• 400% ROI on mental health investments (National Safety Council, 2023)

• High-trust organizations report 50% higher productivity and 76% greater engagement (Harvard Business Review, 2017)

• Employees in these environments report 74% less stress and earn 17% more

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When Programs Fall Short

Many companies introduce wellness perks—apps, stipends, coaching subscriptions.

But only 23% of employees use them. (Zippia, 2023)

These offerings are often generic, disconnected, and siloed.

Real support is built into how the work happens:

• Clear expectations

• Reasonable pace

• Psychological safety

• Managerial skill and self-awareness

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What High-Performing Companies Do Differently

McKinsey’s Performance through People report looked at companies that thrive both financially and culturally—called People + Performance (P+P) Winners.

They consistently outperform their peers:

• 4.3x more likely to remain top performers long-term

• 2x faster revenue growth

• 3.6x more likely to become industry “superstars”

What sets them apart isn’t just more training—it’s how they develop people:

• 74 hours of training per employee

• 42% of role changes filled internally

• Cultures grounded in coaching, feedback, and inclusion

These companies don’t outsource well-being.
They operationalize it.

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Companies Are Human Systems

Technology keeps evolving how we work.
But companies remain human systems.

Collaboration. Insight. Emotional acuity.
These are human functions—and they’re foundational.

Mental health, well-being, and belonging aren’t perks.
They’re prerequisites for performance.