Who is experiencing the most work related stress in the UK?

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Written By Laura Linham

Work stress is the most common type of stress experienced in the UK.

Organisational factors, including working conditions, workload, interpersonal support, and even workplace leadership and management, affect employees' stress, and exhaustion levels.

Even for those of us who enjoy our careers and get along with our bosses - or are our own bosses - work pressures can take a toll on our health, making it difficult to switch off and leave it all behind at the end of the working day.

We know that one in six workers is experiencing depression, stress, or anxiety right now. But according to a recent Mind survey, most managers do not feel they have had enough training or guidance to support them. 2021 findings show that UK workers more likely to experience stress on a daily basis are those aged 45-54.

But why is this, and what can we do to temper it?

As careers advance, employees are likely to find more value in their work through meaningful interactions with their colleagues and mentoring roles with younger co-workers. Feeling respected and treated fairly is important to all age groups, but not having such support has a greater impact on older employees. When these elements were lacking in their job, older participants reported much higher stress levels.

It is evident that employees have different needs across their lifespans.

The term "occupational health" is widely used in the workforce to describe employee safety, but it includes more than safety. It encompasses both the physical and mental well-being of employees.

NICE and Public Health England have recently released guidelines on Mental Wellbeing at Work and how you can start an inclusive and diverse conversation about the right conditions to support all ages, genders and nationalities in the workplace.

The outline gives examples from mental health experts, employers and professionals on creating the right conditions to support mental wellbeing at work through an environment and culture of participation, equality, safety, and fairness in the workplace based on open communication. Managers who undergo training to raise their awareness of mental health issues in their employees should consider programs that include the following:

  • Information about wellbeing, mental health symptoms and conditions

  • Reduces the stigma associated with poor mental health and how to tackle it

  • How to identify early warning signs of poor mental wellbeing

  • How to have a conversation about mental health and wellbeing with an employee

  • Accessible resources on mental health and wellbeing

  • Ongoing monitoring of mental wellbeing in the workplace



Laura Linham