The 9-to-5 (or more accurately, the 8-to-6) is making us sick. In 2025, the workplace has become a primary source of chronic stress for millions. While some pressure can be motivating, the line between healthy challenge and harmful anxiety has been crossed. We are in the midst of a burnout epidemic, with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reporting that stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 17.1 million working days lost in Great Britain in 2023/24.

The financial toll is staggering — costing the UK economy an estimated £28 billion annually in lost productivity . But for workers, the cost is personal: it is their health, their families, and their futures at stake.

Too often, stress is treated as a personal failing — a lack of resilience or poor time management. In reality, workplace stress is a systemic issue driven by employer decisions. To protect worker rights and well-being, we must identify the root causes. Here are the top 10 causes of stress at work in today's high-pressure economy.

Read More

In the modern workplace, exhaustion has become a badge of honour. We wear our fatigue like a medal, proof of our dedication in a culture that demands we always be "on." But when does a bad week at the office cross the line into something more serious? When does regular stress become a health crisis?

According to the World Health Organisation, burnout is an "occupational phenomenon" resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is not a weakness, nor is it simply being tired. It is the body and mind's desperate signal that the demands being placed upon workers have exceeded their capacity to cope. As pro-worker advocates, we must stop treating burnout as an individual problem to be solved with yoga and resilience training, and start recognising it for what it is: a systemic failure of the workplace.

The first step in fighting back against this epidemic is knowing what we are dealing with. Here is a guide to the signs of burnout, why they matter, and what we can collectively demand from our employers.

Read More