Marvin OnumonuChronic worker stress in the UK fell sharply in 2024, with the number of people reporting daily stress dropping to 7.5% from 15% in 2023, according to ADP research.
The latest ‘People at Work 2025’ report found that, despite less stress, many workers were still not thriving in their roles.
28% of workers in the UK reported that they felt judged for using flexible working arrangements.
A further 33% said their manager was monitoring everything they did.
The share of workers saying they were thriving went up from 21% in 2023 to 24% in 2024.
The research also found that 20% of workers in the UK felt overloaded, 57% felt rattled and 24% said they were thriving.
Women reported slightly higher stress levels than men.
Mary Hayes, research director of people & performance at ADP Research, said: “There is a strong relationship between the frequency of bad stress and being overloaded or thriving.
“Those who report bad stress daily are much more likely to feel overloaded.
“But as the frequency of bad stress decreases, the share of overloaded workers drops and the likelihood of thriving rises.”
Additionally, the report found that 32% of workers who had daily stress also felt overloaded, while just 7% described themselves as thriving.
For workers with low stress, 11% felt overloaded and 34% were thriving.
The report also showed that workers who felt judged for using flexible working, or who said their manager was monitoring them, were much less likely to thrive.
Workers who felt judged were 3.4 times less likely to thrive, while those who felt watched were 3.3 times less likely.
Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, said: “The simple absence of bad on-the-job stress doesn’t guarantee that workers will thrive.
“Other factors, such as a lack of trusting relationships with one’s coworkers or leaders, or feelings of limited freedom and flexibility within the workplace, might also be involved.
“This matters for employers because overwhelmed and stressed workers are generally less efficient and tend to be less productive.”
Richardson added: “Additionally, these individuals are more likely to look for new job opportunities. In contrast, employees who are thriving are less inclined to search for a new position.”
