Key takeaways
- Workplace wellbeing support must be visible and easy to access.
- Employers should measure awareness and equity of access, not just use.
- Support needs to be tailored by life stage, gender, pay and location.
New research from Wisdom Wellbeing, conducted by YouGov, finds Britain’s full-time workforce is operating under widespread and uneven pressure, with little spare capacity before problems escalate into burnout, absence or crisis.
The Mental Wealth Index 2026 found that 38% of workers are on the anxious end of the scale, 43% feel mentally drained often or always, 48% sleep six hours or less per night and 59% experience some level of financial stress. Some 22% are seriously stressed about money.
Only 47.5% know they can access workplace mental-health support, 26.9% do not know whether support is available and 18.5% have ever used it.
“Mental wealth is built through daily, proactive maintenance.”
Bertrand Stern-Gillet, CEO at Wisdom Wellbeing
Bertrand Stern-Gillet, CEO at Wisdom Wellbeing, said: “For too long, mental health in the workplace has been treated reactively; we wait until an employee is signed off with stress before we offer help. This report proves that mental wealth is built through daily, proactive maintenance.”
Women reported consistently greater pressure than men, with 51.6% of women feeling mentally drained often or always, compared with 36.9% of men. Younger men aged 25–34 were identified as a hidden-pressure group: 46.5% said they were uncomfortable discussing mental health with their manager.
Financial stress and burnout were highest among younger workers, while sleep deprivation increased with age, affecting 59.4% of workers aged 55 and over.
What employers can do
- Make support visible, straightforward and easy to access.
- Train managers to recognise early signs of stress and hold supportive conversations.
- Address underlying conditions including workload, flexibility and the ability to switch off.
Methodology
The Mental Wealth Index 2026 is based on an online YouGov survey of 4,249 GB adults aged 18 and over, including approximately 1,767 full-time workers. Fieldwork took place from 7–9 July 2026.
