Ryan FowlerResearch conducted by Unum UK, with findings from WPI Economics, indicates that high levels of stress are nearly as influential as salary in driving UK employees to consider leaving their jobs. The survey reveals that 79% of employees would consider quitting due to stress, closely trailing behind salary concerns at 80%.
The study underscores the impact of stress on employee turnover against the backdrop of the British economy losing 17.1 million days to work-related stress, depression, and anxiety in 2023. Despite the widespread issue, less than half of the employees surveyed (49%) feel their organizations sufficiently support their mental health.
Liz Walker, COO at Unum UK, highlighted the importance of addressing this issue: “It’s concerning enough to find that, without proper prevention and intervention in place, nearly 80% of the UK’s 30.4 million employees say workplace stress would influence them to seek another job. To then discover that work-related stress, depression and anxiety together account for almost half of work-related sickness absence is far worse.”
However, there is a positive note: 57% of respondents said that effective health and wellbeing schemes could make them more likely to stay with their current employer. This suggests that by implementing robust mental health support services, employers could significantly reduce the turnover rate and the number of workdays lost to mental health issues.
Walker also noted the proactive steps some companies are taking: “Many employers have already recognised the need to support their staff as part of their wellbeing strategies. Indeed, data from Help@hand, the health and wellbeing app from Unum, shows that anxiety, depression and stress accounted for 76% of mental health appointments last year alone.”
