Mental Health in the Workplace: Findings from Peninsula Group's 2025 Global Survey

According to Statistics Canada, the average absenteeism rate in Canada is 3.5% with mental health concerns being one of the causes, thus costing the economy millions and making it critical for business owners to address these issues.

Every year, The Peninsula Group conducts a global survey to analyze attitudes towards mental health in the workplace. This year, we surveyed 79,000 businesses across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK to better understand how these trends are changing over time.

This blog explores the Canadian results and how they compare globally.

Mental health awareness is on the rise, but a lot needs to be done by employers to provide staff with the right support and resources. An overwhelming majority of employers we surveyed in Canada (80%), say they are not fully confident that their employees would disclose mental health concerns.

Our findings showed that employers themselves tend to overlook the pressures affecting their wellbeing. 1 in 6 Canadian employers surveyed reported experiencing poor mental health over the last year. And when they’re struggling, who do they turn to? 21% said they spoke to friends and family, and just 10% spoke to their GP.

Interestingly, while 23% of employers surveyed have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place, only 2% of employers who have experienced mental ill-health over the last 12 months sought support from it. 

Results of the Peninsula Group Global Mental Health Survey

Here are the results briefly:

• 24% of Canadian employers have seen increased mental-health related absences
• 80% of employers said they do not feel confident that employees would disclose mental health issues
• Only 1 in 5 employers (20%) are very confident that employees would disclose mental health issues
• 22% of employers are uncomfortable discussing mental health with their employees
• 34% saw an increase in people experiencing issues with mental health  
• 16% of Canadian employers have experienced poor mental health over the last 12 months
• 66% do not offer mental health days in addition to leave entitlements
• Only 1% of Canadian businesses have mental health first aiders in the workplace
• 14% of organizations offer mental health training to their employees or managers
• Only 2% of employers experiencing mental health issues used an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

There’s still a long way to go in educating employers on the significance of psychological safety and mental wellness, but we’ve noticed positive sentiment from employers looking to adopt measures to improve employee mental health and wellbeing.

Global results at a glance

Besides Canada, the Peninsula Group surveyed employers in Ireland, UK, Australia and New Zealand to understand how mental health issues impacted the workplace over the past year. The impact varies per territory, with the UK and Australia seeing the highest rates of absences because of mental health.

• 1 in 3 employers globally saw increased sickness absence due to mental health over the last 12 months
• Canada and Ireland have seen the lowest increased rates of absences related to mental health; Australia saw the largest increase
• The UK is leading the way when it comes to mental health support in the workplace
• Employers in New Zealand are least likely to have workplace mental health support in place
• Most employers globally do not provide any mental health training to their staff
• Australia leads the charts with work-life balance, but also in increased absences
• Employers in New Zealand are most likely, with UK and Irish employers least likely, to take time off because of mental ill health

The way forward

Based on our survey findings, we share our top three recommendations for employers:

1. Implement mental health and wellness initiatives

Ensure you have provisions in place to support mental health and wellbeing in your workplace. Create a workplace that normalizes conversations about mental health, and lead by example. Look for ways to proactively support employees; this, in turn, will help reduce absence rates and increase productivity.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) offers free courses for education around mental health. It also runs a Mental Health First Aid program to improve mental health literacy and teach skills to better manage potential mental health problems.

MHCC has also developed a framework called the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. It is a voluntary set of guidelines, tools, and resources to help employers promote mental health and prevent psychological harm at work.

2. Do more than signpost support

Signposting isn’t enough. We recommend encouraging real interactions to facilitate open conversations and to really get to the crux of what may be going on with an individual who has experienced increased sickness rates due to poor mental health. This can look like implementing new wellbeing initiatives or something as simple as starting an open discussion about a mental health awareness campaign or concern. Ensure that all your managers receive proper training, including regular refresher training, in how to spot signs that someone is struggling and have open, transparent, supportive conversations with them.

3. Empower your people

It’s not about solving an individual's problems. It’s about empowering them to do so. Ultimately, it’s down to the individual to seek support, but they may not have the systems or skills. It could be that their working environment is making them feel worse. What small changes can you implement to make a difference in their lives for the betterment of workplace engagement, peak performance, and psychological safety at work?

Need help creating policies on employee mental health & wellbeing?

We are here to help! Our certified advisors can help you create a policy on mental health, employee wellbeing, and with any other HR, health and safety, and employee issue that may arise. To learn more about how our services can benefit your business, call us today at 1 (833) 247-3652.