More than a quarter of UK employees are considering leaving their jobs this year due to a lack of meaningful workplace wellbeing support, new research has revealed.
The study found that 26% of workers — rising to 33% among those aged 18-34 — are actively looking for roles at companies that prioritise their wellbeing. Meanwhile, only half (51%) of employees feel their current employer provides adequate support, resources, or initiatives to improve their health and wellbeing.
Concerns around employer priorities are also widespread. Over two-fifths (44%) of employees believe their bosses care more about performance than staff wellbeing, while 39% feel their organisations only pay lip service to wellbeing without taking meaningful action.
The findings, commissioned by flexible workspace operator infinitSpace, highlight the growing frustration among UK employees over wellbeing initiatives that fail to materialise into concrete benefits.
Wellbeing Gaps Fuel Retention Crisis
The lack of proper wellbeing support is proving costly for businesses, with employee dissatisfaction translating into higher turnover. This trend mirrors other recent research, which has found that wellbeing concerns are among the top reasons workers are reconsidering their jobs.
A report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) last year warned that workplace stress, burnout and lack of mental health support are contributing to the UK’s high rates of employee disengagement and resignation. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has also flagged rising economic inactivity due to long-term illness, much of which is linked to work-related stress and poor mental health support.
Wybo Wijnbergen, CEO of infinitSpace, said businesses must back up wellbeing rhetoric with action or risk losing talent.
“Over the past decade, there have been far more open, progressive conversations when it comes to the relationship between people’s wellbeing and their work,” he said. “But it’s clear that there is still work for organisations to do.”
Wijnbergen said the research showed that many workers wanted change related to wellbeing, especially action and not just empty words. He said “if organisations don’t act, it seems that the employees will, with a quarter thinking of moving jobs this year to find better wellbeing support.”
He said companies “not only need to think long and hard about the strategies they have in place, but also how their choice of workplace can benefit their employees.”
And that he was “seeing wellbeing facilities play an ever-greater role in organisations’ choice of workspace, and understandably so. By selecting the right workspace, employers can show their teams that they care about and are investing in their physical and mental wellbeing.”
Workplace Wellbeing as a Business Priority
The pressure on employers to improve workplace wellbeing has grown in recent years, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought mental health, work-life balance and flexibility into sharper focus.
Many companies have responded by offering initiatives such as mental health support, flexible working arrangements and wellness programmes. However, employees remain sceptical about their effectiveness, with many reporting that such efforts feel more like PR exercises than genuine commitments to staff welfare.
Employers failing to act could see increased staff turnover and difficulty attracting new talent. Research by financial advisory firm Deloitte estimates that poor mental health costs UK businesses up to £56 billion per year in lost productivity, absenteeism and turnover.