A new report, Mental Health UK’s Burnout report 2024, reveals escalating statistics about work-related stress in the UK. It points to increasingly stressed staff and inadequate employee wellness strategies in 2024.

The report, based on a YouGov poll, found that 91% of UK adults interviewed experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress in the past year, leading to one in five workers (20%) in the UK needing to take time off work in that period.

According to the charity, the UK is rapidly declining into a “burnt-out nation”. More than a third of adults revealed that they have faced extreme pressure in the workplace within the past year.

Key issues raised, include:

• Poor working relationships
• Poor processes
• Communication problems between employees and line managers
• Workplace stress in general

The report produced recommendations for both employee and employer, to help tackle the unprecedented levels of workplace stress, as well as calling on businesses to look at innovative, new ways to reverse this trend.

Underpinning these strategies needs to be open dialogue and clear lines of communication; where everyone — at all levels of the business — feels comfortable seeking support for their mental health, should they need it.

The Burnout Report’s recommendations: Incentivise good mental and physical health

According to Mental Health UK’s report, when it comes to what helps alleviate stress, the replies were as follows:

• Having a healthy work-life balance (56%)
• Having a supportive line manager (43%)
• Supportive colleagues and peers (42%)

When asked about the factors at work which contribute to stress/ burnout the following issues were cited by staff:

• 54% - a high or increased workload / volume of tasks at work that are unpaid
• 45% - regularly working unpaid overtime, beyond contracted hours
• 42% - feeling isolated at work
• 40% - fear of redundancy/job security

It’s clear that open and regular communication is vital to both understanding the needs of employees, and for those who are struggling to feel comfortable asking for help.

For managers, good practice includes:

• Establishing achievable goals and deadlines
• Better two-way communication
• Promoting a healthy work-life balance
• Encouraging employees to take breaks
• Ensuring they book their annual leave
• Ensure overtime is not excessive
• Avoiding stigmatising language around mental health and mental illness

Ways senior leaders can help to create a healthier work environment that reduces the risk of burnout and fosters the wellbeing of all employees:

Leading by example, as follows:

• Being visible in how they maintain their own wellbeing and work-life balance
• Refraining from working when unwell
• Clearly communicating access to resources, such as counselling or Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)
• Having robust policies / procedures in place to address workplace bullying and harassment
• Conducting regular assessments of workplace stressors
• Adjusting policies based on employee feedback not just paying lip service to it
• Listen regularly to staff suggestions e.g. for improvement of business processes, staff welfare etc.

Numerous press reports reiterate this widespread employment crisis:

The Guardian recently reported that the number of workers taking sick leave has hit a 10 year high, finding that stress is one of the main contributors to absence with staff taking 7.8 days off a year on average.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) analysed sickness absence and employee health among 918 organisations representing 6.5 million employees, with 76% of respondents reporting they had taken time off due to stress in the past year. Only 53% of organisations surveyed have a stand-alone wellbeing strategy - a slight increase from the previous survey in 2021 (50%).

The latest, Mental Health UK, report comes as firms warn of continuing difficulties with recruitment and a lack of skilled staff, prompting its authors to say it was clear employers needed to offer more support to get people back to work.

Become Your Best offers a range of courses to help your organization improve your Employee Wellness Programme. Please see our range of workshops and get in touch for a chat about your needs.