Over a third of adults experienced high or extreme levels of pressure and stress always or often in the past year (35%), according to a new annual benchmark by Mental Health UK which warns that the UK is at risk of becoming a ‘burnt-out nation’.
Against a backdrop of rising levels of people out of work due to long-term sickness, the polling of over 2,000 UK adults by YouGov reveals that one in five workers needed to take time off due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress in the past year (20%) and nine out of ten UK adults experienced high or extreme stress.
Though the causes of people taking time off work due to poor mental health are complex, the polling reveals that poor working relationships and processes could be pushing people into burnout, with more than one-third of working adults saying they do not feel comfortable letting their line managers or senior leaders know if they are experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure and stress at work (35%). And nearly one in three said being bullied or intimidated by other colleagues had caused stress in the last year (31%).
Meanwhile the survey suggests workplaces could be ill-prepared to support staff experiencing high levels of stress, with nearly half of workers saying their employer doesn’t have a plan to spot signs of chronic stress and prevent burnout (49%), while a further 22 percent don’t know if their employer has such a plan in place.
Other factors in our jobs causing stress and contributing to burnout include a high or increased workload or volume of tasks (54%), working unpaid overtime beyond contracted hours (45%) and feeling isolated at work (42%).
And as soaring prices hit the nation’s pockets, four in ten workers experienced stress due to taking on additional work because of the cost-of-living crisis (38%).
“The Mental Health UK report is a welcome addition to the towering pile of evidence around burnout in the UK. The key to tackling this is to help employers realise that they can take effective action without a fundamental overhaul of a demanding workplace. There are many different drivers of burnout within organisations and it is often caused by gaps in support and resources that can be readily addressed if properly identified.” - Georgie Mack, CEO Peopleful
Read MQ's report on the impact of the workplace on mental health, produced by MQ, Peopleful and the Workwell research centre at Northwest University.
The survey also suggests that the UK is a nation of people tossing and turning at night, with six in ten saying poor sleep is contributing to stress and burnout (64%). Other factors potentially contributing to burnout in our personal lives include financial uncertainty due to the cost-of-living crisis (53%), money worries in general (53%), poor physical health (46%) and feeling isolated (43%).
Yet despite high or extreme levels of pressure and stress being common among the UK population, one in four adults feel unable to manage the stress in their lives (24%).
When it comes to what best helps alleviate stress and prevent burnout at work, over half cited having a healthy work-life balance (56%), while four in ten said having a supportive line manager (43%) or supportive colleagues and peers (42%). Other leading factors included reasonable adjustments at work (38%), professional support for mental health such as Employee Assistance Programmes or coaching (29%) and organisations offering staff training around mental health at work (24%).
The likelihood that someone had taken time off work in the last year due to poor mental health caused by stress decreased with age, with 34 percent of workers aged 18 to 24-years-old having done so, compared with 15 percent of those aged 55 or over.
Workers aged 35 to 44-years-old were most likely to have experienced high or extreme levels of pressure and stress often or always in the past year (40%), while workers aged 55 or over were least likely (33%).
Brian Dow, Chief Executive of Mental Health UK, said: “Simply put, this temperature test of the nation’s wellbeing suggests that the UK is rapidly becoming a burnt-out nation, and a worrying number of people are taking time off work due to poor mental health caused by stress.
“High levels of work absence due to poor mental health is a major challenge, but its causes are complex. Public attitudes and understanding towards mental health and work have changed, particularly as the workplace transformed overnight in response to the pandemic. Meanwhile, we live in unprecedented times, and life outside work has become increasingly difficult due to the cost-of-living crisis and pressures on public services, while global challenges such as climate change and artificial intelligence fuel stress, anxiety and feelings of hopelessness.
“What is clear is that we urgently need government to lead a national conversation about how we can best help people to stay in or return to work, given the positive impact that secure employment has on mental health. Part of this will involve looking at how employers can better spot and manage stress before it becomes burnout. But the onus isn’t just on organisations, and while it is positive that staff are more likely to raise concerns about stress and mental health than in the past, we will need to consider what support and adjustments from employers are reasonable. There will be no simple, one-size-fits-all solution, but a failure to properly understand and address the challenges faced will threaten our long-term health and success as a nation.”
"We need to move away from the idea that ‘workplace mental health’ is different to mental health”
Says Chris Parsons, a lawyer for the firm HSF and an MQ Mental Health Research trustee until 2023.
“I experienced a lot of stress and anxiety; the hours were long, I was losing sleep worrying about work and I struggled with the conflict that came with the job. Lots of this manifested physically. I often had a stiff neck and remember feeling lightheaded to the point where I was surprised I didn’t pass out.
I began self-medicating with alcohol, which turned into a reliance on alcohol, then a powerlessness over it.
Alcohol helped to change the way I felt, bringing relief and alleviating my symptoms after a long, difficult day.
The infrastructure of promotions at work helped keep me on track and gave me something to hold onto. But when I was promoted to an Equity Partner, it felt like I was standing on the head of a flagpole, knowing it was only a matter of time before I fell off.
Shortly after, I took a break from work one evening to go to the gym, collapsed and was rushed to hospital. Having had every test imaginable done, the consultant told me, “I've got great news – there’s nothing wrong with you.”
That was the last thing I wanted to hear – I wanted there to be some rare, exotic disease that I could announce to the world to explain why I felt like I did. Why I needed to drink to cope with life.
When I returned to work I proposed that I move to a career in the firm that wouldn’t make me ill. There were plenty of cynics, but I’m enormously grateful for the patience and support that allowed me to become Chairman of our India office, which has been brilliant.
The role has given me a platform to not only help our business grow, but also to share my experience of stress, anxiety and depression, and advise on best practise to make improvements to mental health in workplaces.
We need to move away from the idea that ‘workplace mental health’ is different to mental health.
1 in 4 of us will experience mental illness, and some of us just happen to work. We need to change the culture in our workplaces to look after people more and make it easier to talk about.
We also need to recognise that mental health is just as important as physical health, and that it can be life-threatening. If someone needs help, they must get it – even if that means taking time out. There also needs to be more signposting, so people know what help is available and what’s right for them."
You can read the full Burnout Report from Mental Health UK here.
