New 2025 data from Instant Offices reveals that high workloads, unpaid overtime, and the cost of living are fuelling a mental health crisis in the workplace. Birmingham has emerged as the UK’s most stressed city, but the challenge is nationwide.

The good news? Businesses are in a unique position to lead the shift towards healthier, more human ways of working.

Analysing factors such as average salaries, gender pay gaps, and Google search trends for terms like ‘burnout’ and ‘work stress’, the study identified stressors across the country as well as solutions and arrangements that promote a healthier work-life balance, such as hybrid or remote working options and flexible initiatives.

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Understanding the challenge

In 2024, UK employees took an average of 21.1 days off due to stress, anxiety, or depression — adding up to more than 16 million lost workdays. Gender inequality continues to play a major role, with women reporting significantly more stress than men, according to the data (11.7 days a month vs. 8.7).

While cities like London led in stress-related Google searches, the West Midlands region — including Birmingham and Coventry — recorded the highest overall stress levels. In these areas, people reported a noticeable drop in exercise, self-care, and social interaction — the exact behaviours known to buffer stress.

What’s driving the pressure?

Workplace stress is often linked to tensions around looming deadlines and long hours — but it goes beyond that; increasingly our stress levels are tied to how work intersects with our wider lives. In 2025, employees are juggling professional demands alongside rising costs, family responsibilities, and a growing expectation to always be ‘on.’ For many, work no longer stops at the office or the laptop screen — it seeps into evenings, weekends, and moments that used to offer rest. This blurring of boundaries can quietly erode mental wellbeing, especially when workers don’t feel valued, supported, or able to speak up. The cumulative effect? A slow-burning strain that shows up in absenteeism, disengagement, and eventually burnout.

Key stressors identified in the study include:

  • Excessive workloads and unpaid tasks
  • Job insecurity and redundancy fears
  • Cost of living pressures
  • Gender pay inequality
  • A lack of workplace support or belonging

One in four UK adults now says they feel stressed more often than not — and one in nine experiences stress daily.

Without meaningful action from employers, these patterns risk becoming entrenched. But with this month being Stress Awareness Month (April), there’s opportunity to open up conversations, normalise support-seeking, and invest in workplace cultures that value mental wellbeing as much as performance.

That means moving beyond surface-level gestures and committing to real, structural change. Are workloads sustainable? Are deadlines realistic? Do employees feel psychologically safe to speak up when they’re struggling? Companies that actively prioritise these questions — and respond with empathy and action — stand to gain not just healthier, more resilient teams, but also improved retention, stronger morale, and a workplace people genuinely want to be part of.

The shift towards solutions

From mental health training for managers to redesigning roles with wellbeing in mind, progressive organisations are beginning to rethink how work works. The Instant Offices study also highlights what helps, with 71% of people saying support from friends and family is vital, and 56% citing regular exercise as a key stress-reliever.

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What’s becoming clear is that flexibility matters more than ever. Workers with hybrid or remote options continue to report better work-life balance and lower stress. And in 2025, the four-day week trend is gaining ground. Following a successful UK pilot, more companies are trialling reduced hours without reducing pay — and reaping the benefits. Increased productivity, fewer sick days, and higher employee satisfaction are just the beginning.

Building a better work culture in 2025

So what can employers do today? Start with small, meaningful shifts: Introduce or expand flexible working policies. Prioritise workload management and open dialogue. Invest in wellbeing initiatives that go beyond token gestures.

Acknowledging different stress experiences (especially around gender) is also imperative. Stress is not a one-size-fits-all experience. The data shows that women report feeling stressed significantly more often than men — and in cities with the widest gender pay gaps, such as Derby, Coventry and Luton, that disparity is even more pronounced.

This points to a deeper need for employers to understand how stress manifests across different demographics. When companies actively acknowledge and respond to these differing experiences, they create more psychologically safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

Employee wellbeing is no longer a ‘soft’ benefit — and in 2025, the organisations that take mental health and burnout seriously are the ones that will attract, retain, and empower their people.