$1tn
lost a year · WHOlost to depression and anxiety each year · WHO
£4.70
back per £1 · Deloitteback for every £1 spent on mental health · Deloitte
2.3×
average return · PwCaverage return on a mentally healthy workplace · PwC
Six of the most trusted names in research measured workforce health. The verdict: strain is paid for late and in full, and catching it early returns far more than it costs.
the evidenceis already in.
the evidence, in one conversation.
the loss you cannot see.
It isn't sick days. It is capable people running quietly below their best: present, but depleted. By the time it shows up as absence or turnover, the capacity is gone and the cost is spent.
Hidden in presence. Most of the £51bn poor mental health costs UK employers each year is presenteeism: people at their desks, below their best. It never reaches a sick-day report.
Disengaged, not absent. Only 21% of employees worldwide are engaged. The other four in five still turn up, and disengagement costs the world economy $438bn a year.
Systemic, not personal. About one in four employees report burnout symptoms. The drivers are the work itself: workload, hours, meetings, autonomy and staffing.
Counted too late. Absence, turnover and claims are lagging records. By the time they move, the strain is months old and the cost has already been paid.
by the time it shows, the capacity is gone.
Depression and anxiety cost the world 12 billion working days and about US$1 trillion a year. Disengagement costs another $438 billion. None of it waits for a sick note.
A canary went down the mine because it felt the air change before the miners did. The question for an employer is no longer whether to invest, but how early the signal can be read.
act early, it pays more.
Every credible study finds the same thing about the fix: early action returns multiples of what it costs, and the earlier it comes, the more it returns. Move the marker to see why.
€5
back for every €1, acting early
Week 4, the strain is silent. Nobody has said a word yet. Support costs least here and returns most. This is the window Canary reads.
Seven reports from six publishers, read side by side. Each figure is the publisher's own estimate, linked to its source.
seven studies, one case.
| source | finding | figure |
|---|---|---|
| World Health Organization Mental health at work, 2024 | 12 billion working days lost each year to depression and anxiety. | US$1tna year in lost productivity |
| Gallup State of the Global Workplace, 2025 | Only 21% of employees are engaged. Full engagement would be worth about 9% of global GDP. | $438bna year lost to disengagement |
| Deloitte Mental health and employers, 2024 | £51bn a year to UK employers, mostly presenteeism. Proactive support returns more than reactive. | £4.70back for every £1 |
| McKinsey Health Institute and WEF Thriving Workplaces, 2025 | Only 57% of 30,000+ employees report good overall health. Presenteeism is the biggest lever. | $11.7tnof value, at the top of a $3.7–11.7tn range |
| McKinsey Health Institute Addressing employee burnout, 2022 | The drivers are systemic. Fixing the work, not the worker, is where the returns are. | 1 in 4employees report burnout symptoms |
| PwC and Beyond Blue Creating a mentally healthy workplace, 2014 | $2.30 back for every $1 on average, and up to $15 in some settings. | 2.3×average return on investment |
| Aon Global Wellbeing Survey, 2023 | Across 1,100+ companies in 46 countries. Integrated programmes beat standalone perks. | 11–55%higher company performance |
US$1tn
a year in lost productivity
12 billion working days lost each year to depression and anxiety.
World Health Organization, Mental health at work, 2024$438bn
a year lost to disengagement
Only 21% of employees are engaged. Full engagement would be worth about 9% of global GDP.
Gallup, State of the Global Workplace, 2025£4.70
back for every £1
£51bn a year to UK employers, mostly presenteeism. Proactive support returns more than reactive.
Deloitte, Mental health and employers, 2024$11.7tn
of value, at the top of a $3.7–11.7tn range
Only 57% of 30,000+ employees report good overall health. Presenteeism is the biggest lever.
McKinsey Health Institute and WEF, Thriving Workplaces, 20251 in 4
employees report burnout symptoms
The drivers are systemic. Fixing the work, not the worker, is where the returns are.
McKinsey Health Institute, Addressing employee burnout, 20222.3×
average return on investment
$2.30 back for every $1 on average, and up to $15 in some settings.
PwC and Beyond Blue, Creating a mentally healthy workplace, 201411–55%
higher company performance
Across 1,100+ companies in 46 countries. Integrated programmes beat standalone perks.
Aon, Global Wellbeing Survey, 2023
Figures are the publishers' own estimates and vary by study, geography and year; where a range is given, we show it. They describe the problem and the case for prevention, not Canary's results: our own early-warning model is still under prospective validation.
2–6×
what early action returns on its cost, across the studies above.
for your business, and for your people.
your business
The loss is mostly presenteeism, so it never shows until it is too late to act on. Early action returns two to six times its cost. Reading the early signal, team by team, is the highest-return move on the table.
your people
Strain is felt long before it is spoken. Catching it early means support arrives while it still works, not after someone has broken. That is not surveillance. It is foresight, and foresight is a form of care.
This is the entire reason Canary exists.
be the first to hear the canary sing.
Every relationship starts with a conversation about your team, the model, and what a controlled pilot would measure. A real person replies within one business day.