How to Drive Success in the Workplace by Mastering Stress
11 March 2025
We’ve just launched a new eBook in partnership with former England Cricketer Ashley Giles and Worcestershire County Cricket Club. ‘Game On: Empowering Teams to Thrive Through Pressure’ explores how we can use stress as a driver to success through building a solid foundation of employee wellbeing and support. During this blog, we’ll draw on topics covered in Game On, to present how resilient employees can master their mindset to thrive through pressure.
What is Employee Stress?
Between 2023 - 2024, the UK lost 16.4 million working days due to stress and depression. The average number of days taken per person who was off due to stress, depression, or anxiety was 21.1 days (HSE).
These numbers tell us two things - employee stress is prevalent and expensive for businesses to endure. Prolonged periods of excess stress can lead to employee burnout, which can take months to recover from. Dr Keith Grimes shares his journey of ‘Reaching & Recovering from Burnout: Breaking the Stigma’.
Stress can be a negative experience, but when we learn to master mindset - when employees are healthy and resilient - we can use stress to drive success.
Overload and Overwhelm: Exploring the Causes of Employee Stress
As a former professional cricketer, I’m no stranger to having to perform under pressure. But it seems to me that life has never been more pressurised than it is right now. And that stress is coming from every direction.” Ashley Giles, Game On
Stress and pressure are coming at your employees at every angle, at home and work. It’s becoming harder to leave them at the door, causing them to spill over into each environment, negatively affecting performance and mindset.
As we explore in ‘Game On: Empowering Teams to Thrive Through Pressure’, employers also face workplace challenges and cannot know every detail of their employees’ lives. Building a solid foundation of wellbeing and support is crucial to bridging this gap, so employees know where to turn for help.
Poor employee mindset = higher risk of being overwhelmed by pressure.
Employee Stress: Who’s Most Impacted?
Stress affects us all differently, and our levels of resilience play a role in our ability to cope. There are other factors to consider, such as personal demands, age, and gender, as we explore below.
Women Leaders
The gender stress divide isn’t limited to women in leadership, with 43% of women reporting feeling burnt out, compared to 31% of men (McKinsey). Still, as women progress through life and ‘climb the ladder,’ the risk of burnout increases. There are multiple reasons cited, including perimenopause and menopause, but also home life.
54% of senior-level female leaders feel exhausted compared to 41% of men (The Glass Hammer). 43.8 is the median age of general and operations managers, and the average age of female workers is 42.1 (Team Stage). Menopause generally starts from age 44 onwards, with perimenopause starting even earlier, so many women reach a position of leadership at an age when they may also experience hormonal changes.
A Generational Divide
Those aged between 35 and 44 are the most stressed age group, and 60% of 18 to 24-year-olds report that their higher stress levels are down to the pressure they feel to succeed.
In today’s climate, the cost-of-living crisis is also causing stress, with one in 10 UK adults feeling hopeless about their finances. Research has also found that those aged between 35 and 44 are the most stressed age group, with 28% revealing they’re stressed daily, with work and family being the leading causes.
While the causes may be different, each generation in the workplace will, at some point, feel highly stressed. Moderate levels of stress are natural and can be a driver, but when an employee experiences high levels of stress for prolonged periods, they’re at risk of burnout and further mental health issues.
Most-Impacted Industries
Unsurprisingly, the healthcare sector is the most stressful industry, with 80% of doctors reporting feeling stressed or burnt out (MQ Mental Health Research). The pandemic left its mark on the NHS, and it’s yet to recover.
Education, hospitality, and those in the legal profession are close behind, each reporting considerably high rates of employee stress.
Multiple factors impact employee stress levels, including external and personal circumstances. However, there’s also a difference between industries, which you’d expect given the varying nature of roles and responsibilities.
Leaders and Managers
Employee stress levels also vary depending on seniority, with 14% of upper management reporting high stress due to having a higher level of accountability and responsibility over other employees. Second to upper management is the other end of the seniority scale - interns and temporary workers, of which 10% recorded high stress levels.
67.9% of students attend internships, so interns are predominantly younger people embarking on their career path - we’ll look at the relationship between stress and age next. We can attribute the high-stress levels of those in temporary positions to having less job security.
What is Employee Stress Management?
There are legalities around the topic of employee stress. Employers must perform risk assessments to mitigate excess stress and to tackle the elements within their control to improve.
There are different ways to tackle the topic of employee stress management.
- Embed a holistic and inclusive employee wellbeing strategy that supports financial, mental, and physical wellbeing, reducing employee stress.
- Offer employees training to empower them to change their mindset, take ownership and control and teach them to thrive under pressure.
Employees must be resilient for the second solution to work, and your wellbeing strategy is vital here.
Mastering Mindset through Enhanced Employee Wellbeing
It’s amazing what a difference a little introspection can make. Even setting aside a few minutes each day to reflect on what you can and can’t control can be a game-changer. If we want to get fit, we go to the gym. If we want knowledge, we might read a book. So, if mindset is a skill, which I firmly believe it is, why don’t we set aside time to develop and improve it?” Ashley Giles, Game On
Here's how you can help your employees master mindset.
Culture & Flexibility
Remove the stigma by normalising conversations around employee mental health and ensure you train your managers effectively to minimise the risk of excess stress. Flexible working policies also reduce stress, helping employees manage home demands.
Consider working parents and all they juggle - the extra stress - and how flexible working can help them meet their demands. From a mastering mindset perspective, you’re giving them control - the power to change or adapt, helping them go from a stress mindset to a proactive one.
Supporting Employee Mental Health
Stress can worsen mental health issues already present, so it’s vital to mitigate excess stress where possible. Building mental wellbeing solutions into your employee benefits strategy helps to create a more mentally resilient workforce.
More mental resilience = stronger ability to master mindset and thrive through pressure.
Be proactive. Empower your people to recognise the signs of mental ill health and give them a safe place to turn when they need support.
Our Employee Assistance Programme includes resources for managers to support their people and advice on financial matters, like unexpected bills and debt, legal advice, relationships, and parenting. Most importantly, it includes 24/7 access to BACP-accredited counsellors and a dedicated menopause support service.
Reward and Recognition
As we explore in our blog, ‘Reducing Stress by Increasing Recognition’, lack of appreciation can increase employee stress, especially when they go above and beyond to achieve results. A thank you costs nothing but holds a lot of power - reward power. You can also learn more about our cost-effective reward and recognition products - eVouchers and our Pluxee Card - in the blog mentioned above.
Employee rewards boost morale and can improve employees’ finances, reducing stress levels.
When employees feel valued and appreciated - that their contribution is recognised - it boosts their self-esteem and mental positivity. The better employees feel about themselves, the more able they’ll be to master mindset and use pressure to drive success.
Boosting Financial Wellbeing
Reduce the impact of high living costs by helping employees stretch their salaries further. In our blog, 'How to Support Your Employees During the Cost-of-Living Crisis', we share the impact our Employee Discounts Platform can make in reducing the cost of everyday living.
Employees bring their money worries to the workplace, so the steps you take to reduce their financial anxiety will help them become more resilient, healthier and happier. Mastering mindset is about a sense of power, and helping employees feel in control of their money will help them thrive.
A Case Study for Prioritising Physical Wellbeing Support
According to the British Journal of Nursing (BJN), palliative care nurses are at high risk of burnout. However, the BJN also suggests that physical wellbeing initiatives can help, becoming a ‘coping mechanism’ and reducing the risk of occupational fatigue.
For this reason, Matt Bullock, CEO of Acorns Children’s Hospice, contacted Pluxee UK to add our Gym Discounts to the employee benefits package he was already providing.
At Acorns, our people are at the heart of all we do, and therefore their wellbeing is very important to us. The gym discount scheme allows us, as a charity, to provide our people with a very tangible employee benefit that promotes physical wellbeing and makes it much more affordable and accessible to them. The offer has been totally embraced by our people, and I am delighted in the uptake by the Acorns workforce.” Matt Bullock
Acorns has seen a consistent increase in month-on-month uptake since its initial launch, and the scheme’s success highlights how well Acorns has embedded this message within its core values. Read the case study here.
Online GP
Online GP is our digital health platform that prioritises your employees’ physical wellbeing, providing them access to healthcare professionals when needed and from the comfort of their homes 24/7, 365 days a year.
The NHS is under pressure, and this is impacting the mental wellbeing of your employees. 38% of people say that accessing an Online GP would improve their mental wellbeing because of the speed and ease of booking an appointment.
With wellbeing toolkits at the touch of a button, employees can take better care of themselves, helping to keep them physically and mentally healthier. It’s also a healthcare benefit employers can provide at a fraction of the cost of private medical insurance.
Cycle to Work Salary Sacrifice Scheme
Cycling helps employees keep fit, lose weight, and raises their immune system, preventing illnesses like heart disease and cancer. It also benefits mental health, reduces stress, and improves your state of mind, productivity, and sleep quality.
When employees purchase or upgrade their bikes with a Cycle to Work salary sacrifice scheme, they can stretch their salaries further, thus reducing financial stress and anxiety.
Research by Halfords found that the average monthly cost of running and maintaining a car is £228. In comparison, an £850 bike purchased through the Cycle to Work scheme would cost £48 per month. That’s a cost saving of £180 per month that employees can use towards everyday expenses, and in addition to the (up to) 42% savings employees can make in tax and NI contributions.
How to Master Mindset with Pluxee UK
Game On offers practical tools to help leaders recognise individual needs, support employee wellbeing, and create environments where teams excel. With lessons drawn from sports and coaching, this eBook provides a fresh perspective on leadership and success.
Download Game On today to nurture a workforce who thrives through pressure, master your mindset and use stress to drive success.
Sources: HSE, McKinsey, The Glass Hammer, MQ Mental Health.
