Poor mental health continues to be the leading reason UK employees contact their workplace helplines, according to new data from Zurich Corporate Risk.
Anxiety and low mood alone accounted for nearly a third (30%) of all employee assistance programme (EAP) calls in 2024.
Anxiety remains the top issue for the fourth consecutive year, making up 19% of all calls. Low mood follows at 11%, reflecting the continued mental-health challenges faced by the workforce.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that mental health was the fifth most common reason for sickness absence in 2022, accounting for 7.9% of recorded absences.
Zurich’s earlier research with Cebr estimates that long-term sick leave linked to mental health costs the UK economy around £5.9bn annually.
The latest data also highlights a rise in personal and family-related stress. Calls about partner relationships rose by 16%, while general family issues increased 4%, together accounting for 12% of total call volumes.
Work-related concerns have also climbed. Employment issues moved from sixth place in 2023 to fourth in 2024, with calls up 14% year-on-year. Reports of workplace relationship problems more than doubled, rising 118%.
Job insecurity is another growing issue. Redundancy-related calls rose 39%, following April’s National Insurance increase and mounting employer caution.
A recent Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey found that more than a third of employers plan to reduce headcount in 2025 via redundancies or hiring freezes.
Caring responsibilities are adding further strain. Childcare-related calls increased 31%, while eldercare concerns rose 41%.
The OECD estimates UK childcare costs at 25% of average household income, and the number of over-65s is expected to reach 22 million by 2072, further compounding pressure on working carers.
Calls about neurodiversity and diagnosed mental-health conditions also increased by 13% and 44% respectively. Zurich research last year found that half of neurodivergent adults report experiencing discrimination during recruitment.
Nick Homer, Head of Group Risk at Zurich UK said: “Our data shows that poor mental health is still the main reason employees are calling helplines, with anxiety the number one call category for the fourth year running.
“But we can see that other issues are emerging in response to labour market uncertainty and the rising costs of caring responsibilities.”
