Marvin OnumonuMental health issues have remained the main reason employees call helplines, with anxiety and low mood making up 30% of calls in 2024, according to Zurich Corporate Risk data.
Anxiety stayed as the top category for the fourth year, responsible for 19% of calls, while low mood accounted for 11%.
Research found mental health was the fifth most common cause for work absences, making up 7.9% in 2022.
Previous Zurich and Cebr research found that poor mental health led to long term sick leave costing the economy around £5.9bn a year.
Calls about partner issues rose 16% and calls about family increased 4%, with both together making up 12% of total call volumes in 2024.
Since the start of 2025, the most common call reasons have stayed the same, with anxiety, low mood, partner issues and employment concerns in the top four.
Employment concerns moved up to fourth place, rising 14% year-on-year. Calls about work relationship issues went up 118%.
Redundancy fears saw a 39% increase in calls, as research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found just over a third of 2,000 firms planned to reduce headcount this year.
Caring responsibilities also led to more calls, with childcare concerns up 31% and eldercare up 41%.
The OECD estimated childcare costs in the UK at 25% of the average income, one of the highest in the world.
The ONS projected that people aged over 65 will make up 27% of the population by 2072.
Year-on-year, calls about neurodiversity went up 13% and those about diagnosed mental health issues increased 44%.
Nick Homer, head of group risk at Zurich UK, said: “Our data shows that poor mental health is still the main reason employees are calling helplines, with anxiety the number one call category for the fourth year running.
“But we can see that other issues are emerging in response to labour market uncertainty and the rising costs of caring responsibilities.
“At a time when there are a multitude of issues impacting employees, it is more important than ever that employers offer proactive and preventative support.”
Homer added: “Our EAP offers guidance to individuals to help them resolve personal issues, which in turn supports their mental wellbeing and helps them to thrive at work.”
