Something is deeply wrong with Britain’s relationship with workplace wellbeing, and it has been getting worse for years.

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According to the 2026 Gallup report, 46 per cent of UK employees say they experienced stress for much of the previous day, compared to 39 per cent across Europe. Only 10 per cent feel engaged at work, slightly below the European average of 12 per cent. These are not minor statistical one-offs, but warning signs that something is broken and needs a solution.

So why is Britain so stressed? The reasons are well known. A punishing cost-of-living crisis, a lack of meaningful wellbeing support, and a work culture that still quietly expects employees to overwork whilst vocally supporting work-life balance. With little being done to address it, this is also contributing to rising stress-related absence at work, which is only getting worse. According to estimates, poor mental health costs UK employers up to £45 billion each year in absenteeism and presenteeism. Mental health-related absence is now the leading cause of lost working days, with stress and burnout driving up both short-term and long-term leave. Investing in employee well-being is no longer just a moral imperative, but a clear business necessity. Having a ‘Wellness Wednesday’ email or having a one-off talk on mental health is not going to fix that.

Businesses may not be able to control the cost of living, but they can make a difference in what happens in the working day itself. Small, regular incentives can go a long way. Encouraging proper breaks, getting people away from their desks, or even taking short walks during the day have been shown to improve employee emotional happiness. There is plenty of evidence that simple habits like walking improve focus, well-being, and productivity. When these actions are embedded into daily working life, businesses create an environment where wellbeing is not just discussed but truly encouraged and supported.

By contrast, much of mainland Europe places far more emphasis on quality of life and has clearer expectations around rest and workplace wellbeing, as many European countries offer employees incentives and opportunities to focus on their mental health. In the UK, we talk a lot about work-life balance and employee wellbeing, but in reality, it is still not properly built into working culture in any meaningful way.

Employers need to take an honest look at how they are supporting their workforce. No business can sustain long-term success when its workers are taking extended absences due to deteriorating stress-related illnesses. The human cost alone should be reason enough to act, but the commercial consequences will increasingly be hard to ignore.

Unless British employers deal with the reality of the situation, it will only worsen, not just for employees, but for everyone.

Paul Kelbie is the co-founder of incentifi.

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