Nav & Modal

Methodology:

The survey on which these findings are based was carried out between 28th April and 19th May 2025 and received over 600 responses. The survey was completed by employers and employees across Ireland, working across a range of industry sectors and employed in various types and sizes of organisation in both the private and public sectors.

Workplace Hero

Two people standing close together in a modern indoor space with a glass ceiling and metal framework. One wears a dark blue suit with a white shirt, and the other wears a yellow top. Faces are blurred for privacy.

Workplace wellbeing overview

Workplace wellbeing Block 1

Work and wellbeing are undeniably connected. When employees are supported in healthy workplace environments, they feel better, perform better, and are more likely to stay engaged. But when that support is missing, stress and burnout can quickly take hold – unfortunately, this is still commonplace across many sectors.

How does work influence wellbeing?

More than half of all respondents (54%) often feel stressed at work, according to our survey findings, with 14% feeling this way very often. Meanwhile, 39% of employers rate overall staff stress levels as being high and over a third (34%) believe their employees’ stress levels have worsened over the last 12 months. This figure is notably higher than those who said employee stress levels had improved, with only a fifth (20%) agreeing with this statement.

When it comes to certain aspects of wellbeing, physical wellbeing had the highest volume of positive responses (65%), followed by mental wellbeing (56%) and social wellbeing (54%), with financial wellbeing being the lowest rated (41%).

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of professionals often feel stressed at work

Workplace wellbeing Block 2

What is causing negative wellbeing?

According to professionals, the main work-related issues that negatively impact their wellbeing are high workload (49%), inadequate compensation and benefits (44%) and a lack of career development opportunities (40%). When asking employers, high workload (68%), inadequate compensation and benefits (41%) and a lack of recognition and appreciation (39%) were believed to be the leading factors for negative workforce wellbeing.  

Top work-related factors contributing to negative wellbeing (according to employees)

High workload

49

Inadequate compensation and benefits

44

Lack of career development opportunities

40

Workplace wellbeing Block 3

Blurred lines between work and home life

Being able to disconnect from work has long been an important barometer of good wellbeing, yet the significant changes to traditional ways of working in recent years has blurred the boundaries for some.

Most professionals seem to be maintaining a healthy split, with close to two-thirds (62%) saying they have a positive work-life balance. However, 88% of professionals say they work outside of contracted hours to some degree, with half (50%) believing they do so often.

Even dedicated time away from the workplace may not serve as a respite for some professionals, with a quarter (25%) feeling unable to disconnect from work when on annual leave.

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of professionals say they work outside of contracted hours to some degree

Workplace wellbeing Block 4

Flexibility proves influential

Flexible working options remain popular, and over half of our surveyed respondents currently work in a hybrid pattern (53%). The correlation between flexible ways of working and wellbeing is evident, with over four-in-five (85%) professionals believing that the option to work in a hybrid way has positively impacted their wellbeing.

Despite the popularity and benefits of flexible working practices, the past year has seen numerous multinational organisations make headlines for mandating return-to-office (RTO) policies, and 42% of professionals say that related news coverage has negatively impacted their wellbeing. Interestingly, RTO news coverage has had a significantly greater negative impact on women’s wellbeing (49%) compared to their male counterparts (33%).

Workplace wellbeing Block 5

Person working on a laptop at a desk with papers, a coffee cup, and electronic devices. Background includes shelves with books, decorative items, and framed pictures. Face is pixelated for privacy.
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Return-to-office news coverage has negatively impacted the wellbeing of 49% of women compared to 33% of men

Workplace wellbeing Block 6

Now that we’ve explored the current state of wellbeing in the workplace, read on to discover the impact wellbeing is having on organisations and professionals.

Introduction Importance of wellbeing