10 years of Britain's Healthiest Workplace
Discover the cause. Discover the solution.
Powered by a decade of data
Over the past 10 years, Britain's Healthiest Workplace, one of the UK's largest surveys of employee wellbeing, has gathered deep insights into some of the main challenges facing employers and their employees.
This 10-year report marks a key milestone in our research and we have connected the dots to draw conclusions on the workplace wellbeing trends over this time.
These insights can help us:
- Understand workplace wellbeing trends and some of the key risks to businesses
- Build and offer products to help your clients' businesses create a healthier, happier and more productive workforce
- Strengthen relationships with your clients' businesses by providing data driven insights and support.
"A healthier, happier, more productive workforce is better for everyone"
- Dame Carol Black
UK Productivity Problem
The average UK employee lost approximately 50 days of productive time in 2023.
Mental Health Decline
Employee anxiety and depression rates are up 75% over the last 10 years.
Employees Seek Support
63% of employees want their employers to do more to support their health and wellbeing
Let's take a closer look
The UK's productivity problem
The UK is facing an increasing productivity challenge linked to employees' ill-health:
- £860bn is the estimated cost to the UK economy for lost productivity due to ill-health between 2014 and 2023
- Lost productivity has more than doubled since 2014
- On average, approximately 50 productive days were lost per employee in 2023.
However, the research also shows that healthier employees lose less productive time on average, compared to less healthy employees. So, it makes sense that supporting healthy behaviour in the workplace can unlock business benefits. That's why we give our members access to the Vitality Programme - the world's largest behaviour change programme linked to insurance.
Health deterioration is increasing
- Employee anxiety and depression rates have increased 75% over the last 10 years
- Compared to older employees, those aged 35 and younger are 63% more likely to suffer from depression, and 15% more likely to experience burnout
- Obesity rates have increased by 51% since 2014
- In 2023, 37% of employees were physically inactive.
But some of this can be prevented. Vitality data shows a strong relationship between physical health and mental wellbeing. Analysis of Vitality Health data found that when people get active just two days per week, this reduces their risk of hospitalisation for a mental health issue by 17%. Plus, fast and easy access to Talking Therapies like CBT can significantly reduce the risk of severe mental health issues.
The changing face of the work environment
A snap survey from October 2024 revealed the following insights:
- 73% of employees believe that all employers should offer flexible working options
- 63% of employees want their employer to do more to support their health and wellbeing.
On top of quick access to private GPs and specialists, our business health insurance gives your clients and their employees the tools to improve their health. In fact, employees with Vitality Health Insurance are 13% less likely to report low job satisfaction and 11% less likely to be suffering from depression, compared to those without Vitality Health Insurance.
Source: 10 Years of Britain's Healthiest Workplace: The changing face of the UK at work, 2025
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10 years of Britain's Healthiest Workplace report
At-a-glance infographic
UK productivity is at a crossroads
