Perception of negative impact of work on wellbeing remains high, despite improvements in job quality

A quarter of UK workers – an estimated 8.5 million people – feel their jobs have a negative impact on their mental health (25 per cent) or physical health (24 per cent). This is according to the CIPD Good Work Index 2025, which provides the UK’s most in-depth annual survey of job quality.

The latest research shows the negative impact of work on wellbeing has remained stubbornly high for many people for the eight years the survey has been running, despite improvements for some employees on certain areas of job quality.

The analysis in the report, based on a survey of 5,000 working people, shows that employees who say work harms their mental health are:

• less likely to be satisfied with their jobs (37 per cent compared with 93 per cent for those who feel work impacts their mental health positively).
• more likely to voluntarily quit their roles in the next 12 months (34 per cent vs 14 per cent).
• less likely to be willing to work harder than they need to for their organisation (39 per cent vs 69 per cent).

The report also found 60 per cent of managers say they have the training and information or the time (59 per cent) to manage their staff well. Yet the proportion of people who feel they have a supportive manager if they have a problem has grown from 74 per cent in 2023 to 79 per cent in 2025 manager is open and approachable on issues like mental health, compared to 63% in 2023.

It also found that AI (when it is used) boosts performance when utilised. Although just 16 per cent of workers report tasks being automated by AI, the vast majority of those (85 per cent) say this has improved their performance. Those whose tasks have been automated also report being more satisfied in their job and experience a positive effect of work on their mental wellbeing.

Peter Cheese, chief executive at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, 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.”

Click here to read the report.