More than half of British workers make mistakes at work due to stress, while one in four have been taken off sick for this reason. This is according to a new study that highlights the growing pressure on productivity and wellbeing in the workplace.
A survey by health and safety training provider Astutis found that 52.6 percent of employees admit that stress has caused them to make mistakes at work, while 28.5 percent say they have missed deadlines because they felt overwhelmed. Almost a third (32.9 percent) said that arguments with colleagues had occurred as a direct result of stress.
The findings come as new figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that 964,000 workers in the UK suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety last year, underlining the scale of the problem facing employers.
Astutis’ Workplace Silent Stress Survey 2025, which surveyed 553 people across the UK, paints a worrying picture of how stress is quietly affecting performance and relationships in the workplace. Beyond lost productivity, the report estimates the financial cost to businesses runs into millions of pounds each year through absenteeism, errors and staff turnover.
Perhaps most strikingly, few employees feel able to talk openly about workplace stress. Only 4.7 percent of respondents said they would raise concerns with their manager, while only 1.3 percent would approach someone in a higher management position.
Astutis chief executive Steve Terry said the findings point to a culture in which many employees feel unable to speak out.
“These numbers reflect a widespread workplace culture in which people do not feel safe raising stress-related concerns, preferring instead to suffer in silence,” he said.
While workers talk about stress, they do so away from the workplace. More than half of respondents said they would be more likely to confide in friends or family than anyone at work. Terry warned that while this provides emotional support, it does little to resolve the underlying causes.
“Friends and family can listen, but they have no power to change workloads, deadlines or processes,” he said. “It is management that is able to address the causes of stress.”
Astutis is now urging employers to take a closer look at their internal processes and company culture and create environments where employees feel empowered to have honest conversations with managers before stress escalates into burnout.
The benefits, the company argues, go both ways. Companies can reduce the costs of downtime, errors and employee attrition, while employees feel more supported, valued and able to perform at their best.
