Stress Awareness Week: Understanding Burnout as a Health and Safety Hazard

National Stress Awareness Week is a critical reminder that workplace stress is not an individual failing, it is a systemic health and safety hazard driven by poor management, understaffing and relentless productivity demands.

As trade unionists, we know that workplace stress is an industrial issue. Employers have a legal duty of care to protect workers, yet high-demand, low-control environments continue to cause severe collective harm, contributing to anxiety and serious cardiovascular diseases.

In January, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) declared a work-related stress crisis after Health and Safety Executive stats showed 22 million working days were lost due to stress in 2024/2025.

In its own survey of more than 2,700 union safety reps, the TUC found that 79% cited stress as a major hazard – the highest figure recorded and significantly above all other hazards.

Company failings impact employee’s health

When workers face chronic, long-term pressure due to excessive workloads or toxic cultures, the body’s “fight or flight” response stays permanently activated. This causes profound physical, psychological, and behavioural wear and tear:

• Physical Toll: Aches, pains, chest tightness, constant exhaustion, headaches, hypertension (high blood pressure), digestive issues, and a weakened immune system.
• Psychological Strain: Severe anxiety, irritability, clinical depression, panic attacks, and constant sadness.
• Behavioural Coping Mechanisms: When pushed to the brink without support, workers may develop habit-forming behaviours to cope, including increased reliance on alcohol, smoking, overeating, or substance use.

Together, these symptoms could be described as “burnout” – a syndrome that develops as a result of workplace stress.

While the term “stress” describes a short-term response to perceived danger, burnout is something that affects you on a long-term basis. It can leave you unable to function and impacts your immune system in a way that exacerbates underlying health conditions.

Demanding industrial solutions, not just “wellness”

Unions reject the idea that stress should be managed solely by individual “resilience.” We demand that employers address the root causes of stress by changing how work is organised. We fight for:

• Collectively bargained workloads: Bosses must ensure realistic goals, manageable workloads, and proper staffing levels. Investing in worker well-being isn’t just “good business” to retain the 94% of workers who want support – it is a fundamental right.
• Paid time for well-being: Workplace mindfulness and relaxation sessions can reduce stress by 28%, but these must be provided on paid company time, alongside open, blame-free forums to challenge excessive workloads.
• Healthy work environments: Employers must provide ergonomic equipment, mandatory regular breaks, and opportunities for physical movement, which is proven to cut stress feelings by 20%.

Your health is not collateral damage for profit

If you or your colleagues are suffering from workplace stress, contact your local Community trade union rep immediately. For external medical resources, you can also visit the NHS website.