Section 2: The Pace of Change
An anxious workforce needs more support
The modern workforce is under considerable strain. As organisations grapple with change, the toll on mental health is impossible to ignore.
For HR leaders, the pressures are evident: 1 in 5 experience workplace anxiety daily, and 1 in 2 feel it weekly.
Daily anxiety
Weekly anxiety
Employees are similarly affected, with 51% reporting workplace anxiety at least once a week—a figure that climbs to 64% for younger workers aged 18–34.
0%
reporting workplace anxiety at least once a week
0%
for younger workers aged 18–34
The causes of workplace anxiety are clear.
Heavy workloads and time pressures top the list, affecting 54% of employees, while poor work-life balance and a lack of managerial support affect 26%
0%
heavy workloads and time pressures
0%
poor work-life balance
0%
lack of managerial support
0-90%
identify mental health support as critical
0%
considering mental health support unimportant
Employees are equally clear about the solutions:
84% identify mental health support as critical to their satisfaction and performance, a figure that rises to 90% among younger employees. Only 4% of employees dismiss mental health support as unimportant — a compelling case for embedding well-being into core business strategies.
Across the UK, 64% of HR leaders report implementing work-life balance policies and leadership training to reduce workplace anxiety.
Other measures include empowering peer support networks (52%), manager check-ins (52%), resilience programmes (49%), and goal-setting workshops (48%). These efforts are working: 9 in 10 HR leaders report these initiatives as effective, with leadership training (97%), goal setting (96%), and work-life balance policies (95%) delivering the greatest impact.
0%
of HR leaders report implementing work-life balance policies and leadership training
0%
empowering peer support networks
0%
manager check-ins
0%
resilience programmes
0%
goal-setting workshops
These efforts are working
9 in 10 HR leaders report these initiatives as effective, with leadership training (97%), goal setting (96%), and work-life balance policies (95%) delivering the greatest impact.
0%
leadership training
0%
goal setting
0%
work-life balance policies
Addressing anxiety is not just about reducing absenteeism or boosting morale; it is about safeguarding an organisation’s most valuable resource—its people. Leaders must act strategically and with empathy, embedding well-being into the heart of their business strategies. Those prioritising mental health today will empower an engaged and productive workforce.