Research from Allianz Australia has revealed that mental health support in the workplace remains a challenge, with managers and employees feeling distressed due to the workload.

Almost two-thirds of surveyed managers and 80% of surveyed employees don’t believe their company enforces positive workplace habits and boundaries to reduce burnout.

Most of the surveyed managers (78%) say barriers promoting burnout are the lack of time and resources (26%), the availability of suitable technology (26%) and conflict with other priorities within the workplace (23%).

Out of the surveyed employees, 59% say they experienced work-related mental distress with workload pressure, meeting overload and unrealistic deadlines the leading factors.

Outside of work, 19% of the surveyed employees find it difficult to switch off from work due to technology. Additionally, one in four employees reported that cost-of-living worries and financial pressure also affect their focus at work.

Concerns about work-related mental distress are evident in a 28.4% rise in Allianz Primary Psychological Workers Compensation claims between FY21 and FY25, accompanied by a 10% increase in average time off per claim, now reaching 81 days.

“Our claims data tells us that mental stress and work pressure are the second-highest contributor of primary active psychological claims (34%). We are all on a journey and every day we are learning more and more about supporting mental health in the workplace,” Allianz Australia executive general manager – personal injury Mark Pittman says.

“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.”

As a result of the findings, Allianz has released a series of resources, including video tutorials and guidelines, for the construction, education, healthcare and professional services industries to prevent burnout in the workplace.

While active recovery is key to managing stress, 73% of employees report struggling to find regular personal time. At home, 78% report an unequal split of household duties and 81% lack a reliable support network for everyday tasks like school drop-offs or caregiving.

“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,” Allianz Australia national manager mental health strategy – personal injury Brianna Cattanach says.

“This should be accompanied by 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.”

Only 35% of managers believe their organisation genuinely recognises and supports the needs of working parents and carers and just 29% think employees feel comfortable speaking up about bias or discrimination related to family or caring responsibilities.

“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,” TANK co-founder Helen Lawson Williams says.

“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.”