Imagine waking up every morning feeling like you’re running on a hamster wheel – endlessly spinning, feeling exhausted, and yet unable to stop or find a way out. This is how many people describe burnout: a relentless cycle of constant pressure and fatigue that drains energy, motivation, and hope.
Take Aiden’s story, shared in the Mental Health UK Burnout Report 2026. Fresh out of university, Aiden landed a prestigious job, only to find himself overwhelmed by rising workloads and unspoken expectations. “One day, I logged on to work and felt completely frozen – crashed, like a computer,” he recalls. “It felt like I was stuck in a pot of tepid water, gradually being boiled without realising it.” This vivid metaphor captures the insidious nature of burnout related to work – it creeps up slowly, until one day, you simply can’t go on.
It’s a state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged chronic workplace stress. People often report feeling detached, trapped and helpless – as if they’re watching their lives pass by from behind a glass wall. The Burnout Report found that 91% of UK workers experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or work stress in the past year, with younger workers aged 18-24 hit hardest. Nearly 40% of them took time off work due to poor physical and mental health caused by these pressures.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) paints a similarly stark picture.
Their recent data shows that stress, depression, and anxiety remain the leading causes of work-related ill-health in Great Britain, resulting in over 22.1 million lost working days in 2024-25 alone.[MS1]
The HSE highlights that occupational burnout is often the result of unmanaged psychosocial risks – workplace factors like excessive demands, lack of control, poor support, and unclear roles.
Common descriptions include:
These experiences are not just anecdotal.
They reflect a widespread crisis that affects organisations and the economy, as well as individuals' personal life and personal relationships.
The Burnout Report reveals that only 27% of workers feel their employer genuinely prioritises mental health, and over a quarter receive no support when returning to work after burnout. This gap between intention and action leaves many stuck on that hamster wheel, unable to step off.
Marsh Claims data shows stress and psychosocial claims continue to rise and represent an increasingly complex risk for businesses to manage.
The solution lies in embedding a psychosocial safety framework – a proactive approach that prioritises mental health as much as physical health and safety. This means:
At Marsh, we are committed to helping organisations build these frameworks.
Our tailored Psychosocial Safety Framework equips employers with the tools to:
Recognise that your organisation has challenges that are influenced by many factors including unhealthy habits and longer hours for example. You can provide support through training and resources to support employees being physically active, getting enough sleep, and learning to take deep breaths during daily life challenges.
Help employees set boundaries and avoid burnout before it escalates to a medical condition such as heart disease. Remember, annual leave and time off are essential to prevent burnout and manage long term stress. If an employee is experiencing burnout, help them seek professional health care promptly to ensure it is successfully managed and does not become the worst case scenario.
By recognising symptoms and warning signs, and by learning to set clear boundaries, you can reduce their self doubt and improve both work life balance and overall wellbeing.
We invite you to complete our free psychosocial safety survey – a confidential and insightful tool designed to assess your workplace environment and identify key areas for improvement. By understanding your organisation’s unique challenges, you can begin to build a culture that truly supports mental wellbeing and breaks the burnout cycle. Please email us for your unique link.
Don’t let your team stay stuck on the hamster wheel. Reach out now to access the survey and start creating a healthier, more resilient workplace where everyone can thrive.
Sources
Learn more. Speak to our Mental Health & Wellbeing Practice Leader, Lorna Feeney.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Practice Leader, Marsh – Risk Consulting
Lorna is a qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist Practitioner, Mental Health First Aid Instructor and Head of Mental Health risk management for Marsh. Utilising her own and others’ experiences, Lorna provides a unique and people-centred approach to help organisations navigate mental health and wellbeing matters.
