Risk of burnout as 9 in 10 experience high stress

High stress levels mean that many people in the UK are at risk of burnout, according to new research by mental health charity Mental Health UK.

In the past year nine in ten adults experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress -- with one in three reporting that they faced high pressure or stress 'always' or 'often'.

Recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an 'occupational phenomenon', burnout is a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. It can occur when people experience long-term stress and feel under constant pressure.

Symptoms of burnout can be physical (feeling tired or exhausted most of the time, frequent headaches, muscle or joint pain, loss of appetite, high blood pressure), emotional (feeling helpless, trapped and/or defeated, feeling overwhelmed or demotivated, loss of interest and enjoyment) or behavioural (procrastinating and taking longer to complete things, difficulty concentrating, decreased output and productivity, becoming isolated and withdrawing from people, responsibilities etc).

Generational divide

There's a growing generational divide in experiences of stress and poor mental health in the workplace, with younger employees in particular needing time off work.

A survey of 4,418 UK adults conducted by YouGov for Mental Health UK revealed that, although the overall proportion of people taking time off work due to poor mental health caused by stress has remained constant at around one in five (21%), there have been increases among those aged 18-24, 25-34 and 35-44 and a decrease among those aged 45-54 and 55+.

Work-related causes of stress for employees in the youngest age group included having to regularly work unpaid overtime (48%), taking on additional hours due to the increased cost of living (46%) and feeling isolated at work (44%). Those aged 25-34 were most likely to report high stress due to a high or increased workload or volume of tasks (56%) and fears of redundancy or job security (45%).

Younger people are also less able to enjoy a work-life balance, with just one-third (33%) of 18-24-year-olds agreeing that they could switch off from work when they needed to, compared with 46% of those aged 55+.

Worryingly, the proportion of 18-24-year-olds who would feel comfortable opening up to a line manager about pressure and stress dropped to 56% from 75% in the same survey a year ago.

But there are signs that organisations are responding to employees' need for support, with 32% of respondents saying their workplace had plans in place to help colleagues spot the signs of chronic stress and prevent burnout, up from 29% last year.

And 18-24-year-olds were most likely to say they had benefitted from reasonable adjustments at work (54%), time off work (51%) and professional support for mental health (44%) to help alleviate stress and protect against burnout.

The proportion of respondents who reported being able to manage their stress levels slightly increased (75% compared to 73% in the previous year), and on the whole people were more likely to say they felt comfortable discussing stress levels with a line manager (up to 60% from 57%).

Other sources of stress

In terms of what may contribute to burnout outside of work, three in five respondents mentioned lack of sleep (61%), half cited money worries (49%), and around two in five listed poor physical health (42%) and feeling isolated (39%). Challenges accessing childcare caused stress for 50% of parents with children aged 4 years and under.

The survey also highlighted the impact of poor access to healthcare, including the surprising finding that the proportion of people who needed time off work in the past year due to deteriorating health while waiting for NHS treatment was three times higher in people aged 18-24 (28%) than those aged 55+ (9%).

Workplace wellbeing initiatives

"As the government grapples with how to tackle high rates of economic inactivity, our report provides insights around how employers can turn the tide and create mentally healthier workplaces to prevent people reaching burnout and dropping out of work," said Brian Dow, chief executive of Mental Health UK.

Dow welcomed signs of progress compared with last year, but said the findings "pose important questions on whether employers are sufficiently adapting to the needs of a modern workforce, as well as the impact of external factors such as an overwhelmed NHS and money worries on our wellbeing".

He added: "We're calling on employers to reconsider the approach to mental health and explore reasonable adjustments and workplace wellbeing initiatives in collaboration with their young employees. Otherwise, they risk losing out on the newest generation of workers as they either seek employment elsewhere or disengage. Unfortunately, many organisations still offer 20th century mental health support for a 21st century workforce.

"Companies understandably have their bottom lines to bear in mind, but improved mental health support will benefit all workers and boost productivity, and should be seen as a win-win."