Record levels of stress in Britain’s workplaces

The UK is facing a work-related stress crisis, according to new TUC data released this week.

Almost eight in in ten (79 per cent) of union reps taking part in the TUC’s 15^th biennial survey reported stress as one of the main concerns they face at work – and that employers are routinely failing to assess or act on the risks.

The survey of more than 2,700 union safety reps found:

79% cite stress as a major hazard – the highest figure recorded and significantly above all other hazards.
Stress is rated as the top concern in every region and almost every industrial sector.
Workload, cited by 60% of reps, is close behind and rising sharply, with many reps saying excessive workloads are driving stress to unprecedented levels.

Employers are routinely failing to include stress in risk assessments.
Two thirds say they are not aware of any assessment into the risk of stress at work – let alone action to prevent it.
Nearly half (43%) say they were not consulted at all on their employer’s risk assessment process.

The TUC’s concerns are backed by the Health and Safety Executive’s official statistics for 2024/25, which show work-related stress has reached record levels.

The figures show:

The number of workers reporting work-related stress, depression or anxiety has risen from 776,000 in 2023 to 964,000 in 2024 – an unprecedented increase.
22 million working days were lost due to work-related stress in 2024/25.

The TUC says these stats underline the economic and human cost of employers’ failure to tackle stress and wider health and safety risks.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “These findings expose a growing national crisis. Stress is now entrenched as the biggest health and safety issue facing working people, and the situation is getting worse.

“No worker should find themselves lying awake at night from stress. But too many employers are ignoring the law, failing to assess stress risks, and piling impossible workloads onto staff. Workers are burning out, and they are paying with their health.

“Employers and managers need to do more to identify and reduce risks and to provide support to employees struggling to cope.”

Empower-Up has a dedicated section for Mental Health and Wellbeing in the workplace, which includes invaluable advice on legal obligations, as well as how to support employees.

You can find it here.