Workplace Stress Is Still Rising: Finding New Ways Forward
Workplace stress is a familiar topic. In fact, according to the latest CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work report, mental ill health and stress remain the two leading causes of workplace absence. Absence levels are now at their highest in over a decade, averaging 9.4 days per employee each year.
This raises an important question. Why is stress still so prominent in the workplace, even though organisations are investing more in wellbeing than ever before?
What Can Workplaces Do?
Part of the answer lies beyond the workplace. We live in a rapidly changing world, with economic uncertainty, global unrest, and constant connectivity all contributing to a heightened sense of pressure. Personal challenges will also always be part of the picture too, because life doesn’t pause at the office door. Even in the healthiest of workplaces, employees are not insulated from these external challenges.
That doesn’t mean organisations are powerless, far from it. Many workplace pressures can be reduced by tackling avoidable stressors such as excessive workload, unclear roles, or poor communication, and building the cultural and social aspects of work that support wellbeing such as a sense of belonging, positive relationships and support.
Looking Beyond Traditional Stress Management Approaches
Workplaces can also equip employees with practical stress management tools: exercise, breathing techniques, massage, and mindfulness are just a few examples. These approaches matter. They create safer, healthier workplaces and can make a real difference in the moment.
But perhaps there’s more to explore.
What if the key isn’t only in managing stress, but in understanding it differently?
Stress doesn’t only come from external events. It also arises from how we think about and interpret those events. This means that while organisations reduce risk factors and create a supportive environment, individuals can also build resilience by developing a deeper awareness of how their own psychological experience works.
Building Psychological Fitness
Imagine if we could strengthen not just our ability to bounce back from adversity, but proactively build and maintain the mental skills, awareness, and flexibility that help us stay well, handle challenges, and thrive in the long term. This is what we mean by building psychological fitness;
- Self-awareness — recognising habitual patterns of thought and emotion and how they shape our actions and re-actions.
- Cognitive flexibility — being able to see situations in different ways, rather than getting stuck in one perspective.
- Emotional regulation — noticing and managing feelings without being overwhelmed by them.
- Connection to values — making choices aligned with what truly matters.
- Inner stability — knowing that wellbeing isn’t lost when circumstances are tough, it’s always present beneath the surface.
A Fresh Approach to Workplace Wellbeing
At Work Wellbeing supports organisations on both sides of this equation. We help employers reduce risks and improve working conditions through consultancy, while also providing workshops and coaching to help individuals build resilience and psychological fitness.
✨ If you’re curious about how your organisation can address stress differently, get in touch, we’d love to explore this with you.
