Companies are more concerned about mental health, but taking action is still a challenge

The general index of concern about the well-being of workers in Brazil increased from 5.06 in 2024 to 8,19 em 2025points out the Mental Health in Companies 2025 Yearbook, from the Philos Org Institute, released this Friday (10).

O 62% increase reverses the drop recorded in the previous year, but is still far from the maximum score of 16. In 2023, the general index had been 5.40.

The study, which is now in its third edition, uses as a basis the initiatives declared by companies in their Integrated Reports and Sustainability Reports.

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However, the Yearbook analysis points out that, although the general index has grown, “there is still a significant distance between what companies declare in their reports and the real experience lived by workers”. The study does not present individual leave data by company, but highlights which sectors are at the center of this inconsistency, based on their high investment rates and, at the same time, on public leave data.

For Carlos Assis, editor of the Yearbook and founder of the Instituto Philos Org, leaders must be “courageous” and see mental health as an “investment”.

“Truly listening to company employees requires courage from leaders, who need to deal with subjectivity in a world guided by objectivity. In this sense, it is not enough to just collect information: it is necessary to act on it and understand that mental health is not a cost, but an investment”, he assesses.

Advance

The increase in the indicator did not happen spontaneously, according to the yearbook, but rather due to recent regulatory pressures. The document mentions that companies were pressured to adopt more consistent positions due to public policies that established clear rules for the promotion of mental health, in addition to the Ministry of Social Security’s publication of data on sick leave due to psychological disorders.

“Thus, the growth of the index should not only be seen as a result of greater awareness, but also as a response to an environment in which the risks of omission have become increasingly high and visible”, says the document.

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Itaú, Lojas Renner, Banco do Brasil, RD Saúde and Dasa lead the top 5 in the general ranking among the companies that showed the most concern for the well-being of workers.

Highlights by sectors

In the sectoral analysis, finance maintained its leadership; trade rose one position; and services, transport and logistics went from 6th place to 3rd. The worst rated sector was agribusiness.

Check out the highlights in each sector below:

• Financial: maintained leadership, although the index fell from 11.34 (2024) to 11.03 in 2025. Banco Itaú obtained the best evaluation (15.29), followed by Banco do Brasil (14.29) and Bradesco (13.33).
• Commerce: rose from third place, in 2024, to second place, in 2025, with an index of 8.51. Highlights include Lojas Renner (15.14), followed by RD Saúde (13.90) and Drogarias DPSP (10.38).
• Services, Transport and Logistics: advanced from sixth place in 2024 (2.96) to third place in 2025, with an index of 8.00. Highlights include Grupo Dasa (13.24) and Rede D ́Or (10.19).
• Energy and Natural Resources: sector with the largest number of companies evaluated, increased the index from 3.44 (2024) to 7.97 in 2025. The Enel Group leads with 12.76 points, followed by CPFL (11.67) and Petrobras (11.19).
• Industry: the mental health concern index increased from 4.98 (2024) to 7.43 in 2025. Gerdau maintained its leadership (12.90), followed by Volkswagen (12.24) and Renault (11.33).
• Technology, Telecom and Communication: fell from 8.81 (2024) to 7.12 in 2025. The best performance was presented by Telefônica Brasil (10.62).
• Food and Beverages: maintained a fragile performance, showing a great contrast between the companies evaluated, which resulted in an index of 5.88. Ambev maintained sector leadership with an index of 13.
• Agribusiness: worst performance among sectors with an overall index of 4.02. Lar Cooperativa Agroindustrial obtained the best score in the sector (9.19)