New data from the Health and Safety Executive, HSE, highlights a growing challenge for UK employers, work-related stress, anxiety and depression have more than doubled over the past 25 years.
In 2001/02, there were around 1,380 cases per 100,000 workers. The latest figures for 2024/25 show this has risen to 2,770 per 100,000, with an estimated 964,000 workers affected. This resulted in 22.1 million working days lost, averaging almost 23 days per case. Notably, rates over the last three years remain higher than pre-Covid levels.
These figures are significant. Employers have a legal duty of care to protect employees’ health, safety and wellbeing, including mental health. Failing to identify and manage workplace stress risks can lead to increased sickness absence, reduced productivity, grievances, employment tribunal claims and HSE enforcement action.
Labour Force Survey data identifies workload pressures as the leading cause of work-related stress, particularly tight deadlines, excessive workloads and high levels of responsibility. Other key contributors include a lack of managerial support, bullying, harassment or violence, organisational change and role uncertainty or unclear responsibilities.
These are all areas where poor management practices or outdated policies can quickly create legal and operational risk. Employers should be reviewing whether workloads are reasonable, managers are properly trained, roles are clearly defined and stress risk assessments are carried out, particularly for employees with recurring absence or health disclosures.
The rise in mental health-related absence also increases the likelihood of disability discrimination issues, triggering employer obligations around reasonable adjustments, flexible working and fair capability or dismissal processes. Employers who take a proactive approach are far better placed to manage risk and support their workforce effectively.
As HSE Chief Executive Sarah Albon noted, while the UK remains one of the safest places to work globally, workplace health challenges persist, particularly around mental health. For employers, this reinforces the importance of moving beyond reactive absence management and embedding wellbeing into everyday people practices.
How Supportis can help
Supportis can help by reviewing your policies, updating contracts, auditing pay and absence records, training managers, advising on flexible working and dismissal processes and providing 24/7 insured HR advice to keep your business compliant.
Call us on 0161 603 2156 or email [email protected].
