Around 8.5 million people, equal to a quarter of the UK workforce, say their jobs have a negative impact on their health, according to the CIPD Good Work Index 2025.
The index, an annual in-depth survey of job quality, shows that while work is improving for some employees, 25 percent said work negatively affected their mental health and 24 percent said it undermined their physical health.
Data from the survey with 5,000 working people revealed that the main factors associated with unhealthy work are excessive workloads, excessive pressure (stress), poor relationships with colleagues and the quality of line management.
The latest findings are part of a longer term trend, which shows that the negative impact of work on wellbeing has “remained stubbornly high for many people for the eight years the survey has been running”.
The report found that employees who report that work harms their mental health are less likely to be satisfied with their jobs. The percentage is 37 percent compared with 93 percent for people who feel work impacts their mental health positively.
Employees reporting that work negatively impacts their health are also more likely to quit voluntarily in the next 12 months (34 percent vs 14 percent), and are less likely to be willing to work harder than they need to for their organisation (39 percent vs 69 percent).
Survey data shows 46 percent of working adults have experienced a physical health condition in the last 12 months and 42 percent have experienced a mental health condition. The most common health issues were musculoskeletal problems (32 percent), anxiety (27 percent), sleep issues (27 percent) and depression (15 percent).
The CIPD published its report as the UK government continues its work to understand how to keep more people healthy and in work through its Keep Britain Working review. This work is taking place in the context of rising health-related economic inactivity.
The institute urged employers to prioritise line manager development and support to ensure they have the skills to manage people well.
Line managers’ central role in managing workloads and stress, and offering employees work flexibility and support, means that better management skills should lead to better employee health and more healthy workers that stay in work.
This focus on improving development and support for people managers will be crucial as only six in ten managers say they have the training and information (60 percent) or the time (59 percent) to manage their staff well.
Interestingly, the proportion of people who say they have a supportive manager if they have a problem has grown from 74 percent in 2023 to 79 percent in 2025. In addition, more than two thirds (69 percent) feel their line manager is open and approachable on issues like mental health, compared to 63 percent in 2023.
Peter Cheese, chief executive at the CIPD, said: “While certain aspects of job quality have improved for some workers, for a significant minority work isn’t getting better and is negatively impacting their health. This points to a real need to look beyond the symptoms of unhealthy work to its root causes, including job design and workload management, lack of awareness or capabilities in good people management, and the supportive cultures needed to help people give their best.
“There’s a clear business and moral case for prioritising wellbeing at work. It’s not just good for individuals, but helps boost employee performance and retention, as well as reducing health-related inactivity in the labour market.
“Tackling work-related stress, one of the main causes of sickness absence and associated with rising levels of economic inactivity, must be a priority for both employers and policy makers. The government’s efforts to encourage more focus on the wellbeing of the workforce will require more organisations to equip managers with the time and skills they need to manage people properly, and to keep people well and in work.”
The index is based around seven measures of job quality: pay and benefits, contracts and job security, work-life balance, job design, relationships at work, employee voice and health and wellbeing.
Further interesting findings from the index reveal that employees feel that cost of living pressures have decreased slightly. More people feel they can keep up with bills without difficulty (from 50 percent in the previous survey to 54 percent in the latest data).
Worker sentiment towards the increasing use of AI at work is positive overall, with 85 percent reporting that it has improved their performance. Only 16 percent of workers report tasks being automated by AI, and this group of workers say they are more satisfied in their job and experience a positive effect of work on their mental wellbeing.
