Mental Health Support Programs and Employee Retention in High-Pressure Industries: A Critical Review

Employee retention in high-pressure industries—such as healthcare, software engineering, investment banking, and emergency services—represents a critical strategic challenge exacerbated by chronic occupational stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion. This critical review systematically evaluates empirical literature published between 2021 and 2026 (N = 16 benchmark studies) to examine how organizational mental health support programs influence employee retention and voluntary turnover. Synthesizing research across Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), digital mental health platforms, leadership mental health first-aid training, and structural workload interventions, this review maps the underlying psychological mechanisms—specifically burnout mitigation, perceived organizational support (POS), and psychological safety—that mediate retention outcomes. Meta-synthesized structural equation modeling reveals that mental health program integration exerts significant indirect effects on turnover reduction (β = -0.41, p < 0.001) primarily through POS (β = 0.52) and emotional exhaustion reduction (β = 0.48). However, the critical analysis highlights major implementation barriers, including leadership stigma, confidentiality anxieties, and fragmented digital application usage. A multi-level governance framework is proposed to align executive policy, operational leadership, technology integration, and organizational culture, providing HR leaders with actionable strategies for sustainable workforce continuity.