Employees are increasingly working through illness, staying connected outside working hours and taking stress-related sick leave as workplace pressure continues to grow, new research suggests.
A study of 1,500 UK workers found that 60 percent of employees classified as being “under pressure” continue working while sick, while more than half regularly respond to messages outside working hours. Nearly a quarter have taken sick leave due to stress or burnout during the past three months.
The research, commissioned by employee benefits platform BHN Extras and conducted by Sapio Research, suggests many workers are relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms to keep up with workplace demands.
It comes as employers continue grappling with rising sickness absence, burnout and mental health concerns, while attempting to balance productivity expectations with employee wellbeing.
The Health and Safety Executive estimates that stress, depression and anxiety accounted for 40.1 million working days lost across Britain in 2024/25, making it one of the leading causes of workplace absence. The average worker affected lost 21.1 days.
Burnout behaviours become increasingly common
The study segmented workers into five groups ranging from “thriving” to “under pressure” based on their wellbeing and ability to manage workplace demands.
Among employees identified as being under pressure, 60 percent reported working while sick, compared with just 6 percent of workers classified as thriving. More than half said they regularly responded to messages outside working hours, compared with only 8 percent of thriving employees.
The pressure appears to be affecting life beyond work as well.
Nearly a third of workers under pressure said they regularly sacrifice social connections to keep up with workloads, compared with just 2 percent of thriving employees.
The study also found that workers experiencing the greatest pressure were among the most likely to access health cover, mental health support and wellbeing benefits, suggesting many are already attempting to manage the effects of workplace stress.
Yet fewer than half said they made full or good use of their overall benefits package.
Leaders and employees see workplace wellbeing differently
One of the most striking findings was a disconnect between how employers view workforce wellbeing and how employees experience it.
While 90 percent of employers said they were confident they understood their workforce, 43 percent of employees under pressure said they felt their employer did not understand them.
The divide was even more pronounced across organisational hierarchies.
More than half of C-suite executives said they felt fully understood by their employer, compared with just 19 percent of semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers.
The report suggests that some leaders may be experiencing a very different workplace reality from the employees they manage, creating what it described as a “leadership bubble” around wellbeing and support.
Regional differences also emerged. London workers were the most likely to put in at least five additional hours beyond their contracted working time, while employees in the South East reported the greatest difficulty managing job demands.
Support needs to be more proactive
Peter Dando, senior director of employee benefits and recognition at BHN Extras, said many organisations were mistaking signs of struggle for signs of commitment.
“For many employees, coping has become the new normal at work. Behaviours often associated with commitment – like working while sick or staying online after hours – are increasingly signs that employees are struggling under sustained pressure.”
He said the same behaviour could reflect very different experiences depending on the circumstances.
“Employees who are thriving are far more likely to say they work late out of personal choice, while those under pressure are more likely to stay online because of workload or management expectations.”
Dando warned that employers risked misunderstanding the warning signs.
“Our research suggests many organisations are still misreading these coping behaviours as signs of productivity. It therefore highlights a growing need for employers to take a more active role in supporting workforce wellbeing and addressing the pressures impacting employees day-to-day.”
The findings add to growing evidence that presenteeism, working while unwell, may be becoming as significant a challenge for employers as sickness absence itself.
William Furney is a Managing Editor at Black and White Trading Ltd based in Kingston upon Hull, UK. He is a prolific author and contributor at Workplace Wellbeing Professional, with over 127 published posts covering HR, employee engagement, and workplace wellbeing topics. His writing focuses on contemporary employment issues including pension schemes, employee health, financial struggles affecting workers, and broader workplace trends.
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
