Britain risks being a ‘burnt-out nation’ due to poor mental health, charity says

A “worrying” number of people taking leave due to poor mental health puts Britain at risk of becoming a “burnt-out nation”, a charity has said.

The head of Mental Health UK has suggested that global issues such as climate change and artificial intelligence fueling ‘feelings of hopelessness’ could be contributing to burnout.

It comes after a survey found that more than a third of adults faced extreme pressure in the workplace in the past year.

The YouGov survey of 2,060 adults – 1,132 of whom were employees – found that 35% had experienced high or extreme pressure at work, with 20% needing leave due to poor mental health caused by stress in the past year.

Mental Health UK CEO Brian Dow warned that Britain is “fast becoming a burnt-out nation” with a “worrying number of people” taking time off due to poor mental health caused by stress.

“High levels of absenteeism due to poor mental health pose a major challenge, but their causes are complex,” he added.

“Public attitudes and understanding towards mental health and work have changed, especially as the workplace changed overnight in response to the pandemic.

“Meanwhile, we live in unprecedented times and life outside of work has become increasingly difficult due to the cost of living crisis and pressure on public services, while global challenges such as climate change and artificial intelligence fuel stress, anxiety and feelings of hopelessness .”

Dow called on the government to intervene and better support the workforce. He called for a ‘national conversation’ on the issue.

Deidre Bowen, the director of national programs at Mental Health UK, said she had experienced burnout in a previous role and said she was “exhausted, constantly nervous and struggling with headaches”.

She said: “Experiencing burnout myself has really shown me how damaging it can be to our wellbeing and why employers need to prioritize concrete actions to prevent it.”

Mental Health UK has urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to hold a national summit to bring together ministers, employers and experts in a bid to create healthy workplaces and better support workers.

A government spokesperson said: “We are investing £2.3 billion in mental health care and bringing almost 400,000 extra people onto NHS talking therapies.

“But the link between work and good mental health is clear, which is why our ‘back to work’ plan will help hundreds of thousands of people, including those with long-term health conditions, break down the barriers to work.

“Inactivity has fallen by more than 300,000 since the peak of the pandemic, and our occupational health advice will ensure businesses provide the best possible health support to their staff.”

The YouGov survey also found that 35% of people do not feel comfortable raising concerns about pressure and stress to line managers or business leaders, while 31% say bullying and harassment from colleagues is the cause of their stress in the been last year.

Nearly half (49%) of employees say their employer has no plan to detect signs of chronic stress.