WIREDGOV

Britain is facing a work-related stress crisis, according to new TUC data released today (Monday).

• New TUC survey reveals unprecedented levels of workplace stress 
• Almost 8 in 10 union reps cite stress as top concern 
• TUC declares work-related stress “crisis” as HSE stats show 22 million working days were lost due to stress in 2024/2025 

Almost eight in in ten (79 per cent) of union reps taking part in the TUC’s 15th biennial survey reported stress as one of the main concerns they face at work - and that employers are routinely failing to assess or act on the risks. 

The survey of more than 2,700 union safety reps found:

• 79% of safety reps cite stress as a major hazard – the highest figure recorded and significantly above all other hazards. 
• Stress is rated as the top concern in every region and almost every industrial sector, particularly sharp in central (80%) and local government (66%), health (68%), education (74%) and the voluntary sector (71%). 
• Workload, cited by 60% of reps, is close behind and rising sharply, with many reps saying excessive workloads are driving stress to unprecedented levels. 
• Safety reps report that employers are routinely failing to include stress in risk assessments. 
• Two thirds of reps say they are not aware of any assessment into the risk of stress at work - let alone action to prevent it. 
• Nearly half (43%) of safety reps say they were not consulted at all on their employer’s risk assessment process – a serious breach of safety regulations. 

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stats 

The TUC’s concerns are backed by the Health and Safety Executive’s official statistics for 2024/25, which show work-related stress has reached record levels. 

The figures show:  

• The number of workers reporting work-related stress, depression or anxiety has risen from 776,000 in 2023 to 964,000 in 2024 – an unprecedented increase. 
• 22 million working days were lost due to work-related stress in 2024/25. 

The TUC says these stats underline the economic and human cost of employers’ failure to tackle stress and wider health and safety risks. 

The TUC is calling on government and employers to: 

• Enforce existing law requiring employers to assess and prevent work-related stress. 
• Strengthen the HSE with the funding needed to properly investigate hazards and inspect workplaces. 
• Reduce excessive workloads and ensure safe staffing levels. 
• Give safety reps the rights and time they need to carry out their roles effectively. 
• Treat harassment and violence as core health and safety risks, given their strong links to stress, reportable to the HSE 

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:  

“These findings expose a growing national crisis. Stress is now entrenched as the biggest health and safety issue facing working people, and the situation is getting worse.   

“No worker should find themselves lying awake at night from stress. But too many employers are ignoring the law, failing to assess stress risks, and piling impossible workloads onto staff. Workers are burning out, and they are paying with their health.  

“Employers and managers need to do more to identify and reduce risks and to provide support to employees struggling to cope.  

"It is vital that we now implement the Employment Rights Act quickly and in full, so that we can improve employment standards and create happier, healthier and more productive workplaces."

Editors note’s

• Methodology – The survey of reps is representative, with reps from 36 of the TUC’s affiliated unions taking part, across Britain, between August and October 2025. While all sectors participated, around two-thirds of respondents worked in the public sector (67%). 
• The full results of the TUC’s health and safety reps survey are available at: https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-12/SafetyRepsSurvey20242025.pdf 
• About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.3 million working people who make up our 47 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living. 

Contacts: 

TUC press office  
media@tuc.org.uk   
020 7467 1248