More than two-thirds of employees (69%) say their managers influence their mental health, a figure that surpasses the impact of doctors (51%) and therapists (41%) and is on par with the influence of spouses or partners (69%), according to a 2023 global study by the UKG Workforce Institute. Given their strong impact on employee mental health, managers play a key role in retention. In fact, among workers who said their job has negatively impacted their mental health, 51% are actively job seeking, versus only 19% of those who said their job has had a positive mental health impact, according to the SHRM Global Worker Project. To make the most of managers’ impact on employee mental health — and to support retention — organizations should emphasize specific managerial best practices for mental health.