Profit Over People: Burnout Epidemic Looms as UK Workers Feel Abandoned by Employers

• 62% of staff worried about being over-worked this year

• 60% believe businesses are more concerned about profit and productivity than their people

• 30% of workers believe that the increase to NICs will put more pressure on them to do more with less

Almost two-thirds of UK workers fear burnout in 2025 as businesses cut back on resources to battle the growing costs of employment. That’s according to the latest data from international recruitment expert, Robert Half.

The firm’s 2025 Candidate Sentiment Survey – a study of over 1,200 UK workers between 30th December 2024 and 3rd January 2025 – revealed that 62% of staff believe businesses are at risk of over working their employees this year. This has created a growing negative sentiment in the workforce, with 60% of workers stating that companies prioritise profit over people.

Almost a third (30%) of workers also indicated that the increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) will put more pressure on them to do more with less. This comes at a time when the UK S&P Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) revealed that employers are cutting staff at the fastest rate in nearly four years, amid reports from the British Chamber of Commerce that business morale has hit a two-year low thanks to planned tax hikes.

Younger workers hit hardest

According to Robert Half’s data, younger demographics are seemingly at greater risk of burnout in view of the increase in NICs. More than a third (37%) of 18-34-year-olds are worried that this will lead to more pressure on them to do more with less. The majority (65%) of those in this age group also revealed that employers are at risk of over-working them this year.

Matt Weston, Senior Managing Director UK & Ireland, at Robert Half, commented:

“Our research shows that the majority of the workforce feel that their employers’ priorities are not in the right places, with 60% saying businesses are more concerned about profit and productivity than their people.

“Nonetheless, budgets are clearly tight at the moment and businesses are struggling to find ways to balance the books. In fact, according to our latest Hiring Intentions data, 68% of employers are concerned about budget constraints for the year ahead. On top of the high borrowing costs businesses have had to deal with in the past two years, such sentiment is further driven by the hikes in NICs and minimum wage announced in the latter part of last year. However, the worry from the workforce is that they will have to shoulder the burden and do more work with less resources, likely leading to burnout.

“While it’s understandable that employers are concerned with the additional staffing costs that they will incur this year, there’s a significant risk in over-burdening workers. Aside from protecting staff’s mental well-being, businesses need to be mindful of the potential long-term impact on their employer brand as this could likely have a detrimental impact on staff engagement, morale and hiring in the future.”

Ends

Press contact

Vickie Collinge

vickie@bluesky-pr.com

01582 790 705