Australian employees call for structural change amid mental distress in the workplace

• New research from Allianz Australia reveals nearly six in ten of surveyed Australian employees have experienced mental distress as a result of factors like workload pressure, meetings overload, and unrealistic deadlines.
• Allianz Primary Psychological Workers Compensation claims have surged by 28.4 per cent between FY21 to FY25, with 2.73 million Australians likely to consider leaving their job within the next year.
• Surveyed Australian employees are calling for better manager training to support employee wellbeing, fewer unnecessary tasks and recurring mental health days.
• In response, Australian organisations are set to invest $33.83 billion in mental health support services this year.
• Allianz is launching the "Unschedule the Burnout" hub, a suite of resources to support Australian workplaces and their employees to prevent burnout.   

SYDNEY, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- New research from Allianz Australia reveals that supporting mental health in the workplace continues to be a challenge, as managers and employees alike are feeling mental distress as a result of workload.  

Almost 80 per cent of surveyed employees and almost two thirds of surveyed managers do not believe their organisation enforces good workplace habits and boundaries to reduce burnout. The majority of surveyed managers (78 per cent) cite systemic barriers to reducing burnout, ranging from a lack of time and resources (26 per cent) to the availability of suitable technology (26 per cent) and conflict with other workplace priorities (23 per cent). 

Nearly six in ten (59 per cent) surveyed employees stated they have experienced work-related mental distress, with workload pressure, meeting overload, and unrealistic deadlines the leading contributors. The average Australian employee reports spending 3.31 hours per week on tasks or meetings deemed unnecessary and nearly a third (32 per cent) felt unable to take proper breaks due to their back-to-back schedules.  

Beyond the workplace, 19 per cent of surveyed employees said technology made it difficult to switch off from work. One in four employees also report that their cost of living worries and financial pressures affect their ability to focus at work.

The research also reveals that 2.73 million Australians are considering leaving their jobs within the next year.

Concerns around work-related mental distress are reflected in a relative increase of 28.4 per cent in Allianz Primary Psychological Workers Compensation claims between FY21 and FY25, alongside a 10 per cent rise in the average time off per claim; jumping to 81 days.  

Mark Pittman, Executive General Manager – Personal Injury, Allianz Australia says, "Our claims data tells us that mental stress and work pressure is the second highest contributor of primary active psychological claims (34%). We are all on a journey and everyday we are learning more and more about supporting mental health in the workplace. While Allianz works to support injured workers who have been harmed by workplace stress, we recognise that the best outcomes are achieved through prevention. Through our insights, guides and other resources, we hope to positively contribute to creating more mentally healthy workplaces."  

Unschedule the Burnout 

Allianz's research, now in its seventh year, identifies opportunities for workplaces to "Unschedule the Burnout" in order to support the mental health of their workforce.  

To support organisations, Allianz has released a series of tailored resources, including video tutorials and comprehensive guidelines for the construction, education, healthcare and professional services industries to help prevent burnout across their workforce. Given the surveyed employee feedback that external pressures affect their ability to focus at work, this approach goes beyond a purely workplace lens, reconsidering the established notion that burnout is caused solely by the demands of the workplace.   

While active recovery is critical for reducing stress, a staggering 73 per cent of employees report being unable to schedule regular personal time for themselves. When it comes to household duties, 78 per cent were not splitting responsibilities equally, and 81 per cent do not have a reliable network to help with routine tasks like school drop offs or caregiving.  

Additionally, just one in three (35 per cent) managers believe their organisation recognises and accommodates the needs of working parents and carers and just 29 per cent believe employees feel comfortable raising concerns about bias or discrimination related to family or caring responsibilities. 

Brianna Cattanach, National Manager Mental Health Strategy – Personal Injury, Allianz Australia says, "Allianz is calling on Australian workplaces to take a holistic view of employee wellbeing. Business leaders can support this through job design that ensures; manageable workloads, a natural ebb and flow to work demands, adequate 'recovery' time during work hours and ground rules for disconnecting after-hours.  "

"This should be accompanied with manager training on how to set these healthy workforce habits, and respond with empathy to work-related burnout and mental distress. This was the most sought after measure that surveyed employees want their organisation to commit to." 

Helen Lawson Williams, co-founder of anti-burnout program TANK^[1] says: "Burnout looks differently, depending on the person, role or industry. But burnout certainly doesn't have to be part of a job. It can be prevented when teams are checking in with each other on the right things, and taking action early. Employees can start by recognising when their stress / recovery balance is off, which could feel like fatigue, overwhelm, irritability, or caring less about their work than usual. "

"Speak up before things escalate, and be specific about what's making it harder to limit stress or recover well – whether it's meeting overload, lack of breaks, unrealistic deadlines or inability to focus due to pressures outside the workplace. Ask for what you need, and use the support your workplace offers, like Employee Assistance Program services. Don't underestimate the power of small changes: taking proper breaks, setting boundaries, and prioritising recovery activities like sleep and exercise can be enough to reset your stress / recovery balance, preventing burnout for good." 

Visit Allianz's Unschedule the Burnout Hub at Allianz.com.au/UnscheduleTheBurnout^[2] to access the suite of resources.

References

1. ^{^} TANK (www.thisisyourtank.com)
2. ^{^} Allianz.com.au/UnscheduleTheBurnout (www.allianz.com.au)