A quarter of workers believe their job has a negative impact on their health, according to research from the CIPD.

Despite an increase in job quality over the eight years the HR body’s Good Work Index has been running, work continues to have a negative impact on people’s wellbeing, it found.

A quarter of UK workers equates to around 8.5 million people, who report factors such as excessive workloads, too much stress or pressure, poor relationships with colleagues and ineffective line management.

Employees who report that work harms their mental health are less likely to be satisfied with their jobs (37% compared with 93% who feel work has a positive influence on their mental health).

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They are also more likely to voluntarily quit their roles in the next 12 months (34% vs 14%), and are less likely to put in discretionary effort for their employer (39% vs 69%).

Just under half (46%) of working adults have experienced a physical health condition in the last 12 months, the CIPD found, and 42% have experienced a mental health condition.

Echoing the latest data on sickness absence from the Office for National Statistics, musculoskeletal issues were the top physical illness, reported by almost a third of respondents.

This was followed by anxiety (27%), sleep issues (27%), and depression (15%).

The Good Work Index is based on seven measures of job quality: pay and benefits, contracts and job security, job design, workplace relationships, employee voice, and health and wellbeing.

The government’s Keep Britain Working review is tasked with looking into how employers and workplace health professionals can prevent health issues occurring at work, and the role of employers in supporting good health.

Peter Cheese, CIPD chief executive, called on employers to “look beyond the symptoms of unhealthy work to its root causes”.

“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,” he said.

“Tackling work-related stress, one of the main causes of sickness absence and associated with rising levels of economic inactivity, must be a priority for both employers and policy makers.

“The government’s efforts to encourage more focus on the wellbeing of the workforce will require more organisations to equip managers with the time and skills they need to manage people properly, and to keep people well and in work.”

 

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