Perception gap revealed in workplace stress support  

Only 57 per cent of UK employees feel supported by their employer when experiencing work-related stress or illness, despite many organisations believing they are intervening early, according to research commissioned by Verve Healthcare. 

The dual surveys of 2,000 employees and 500 HR leaders and business managers, carried out in January 2026, point to a clear disconnect between employer intent and employee experience at a time when UK workplace health and wellbeing remains high on the corporate agenda. 

While 40 per cent of employers claim they intervene before or at the very start of short-term absence – including 18 per cent who say they act before absence occurs – employees tell a different story. Seventeen per cent say they feel actively unsupported during periods of work-related stress or ill health, and more than 350 respondents described falling into a grey area where concerns were neither clearly addressed nor escalated. 

Six per cent of employers admit they do not step in to support their workforce at all. 

The findings suggest that, across UK workplaces, health support is still perceived as reactive rather than preventative, despite years of investment in mental health awareness and wellbeing initiatives. 

Steven Pink, CEO of Verve Healthcare, said: “These numbers expose a dangerous illusion of support. Employers think they’re stepping in early, but employees simply aren’t feeling it. If support doesn’t land early enough to prevent absence or deterioration, then it isn’t really support at all. It only counts when it leads to action, treatment and real outcomes.” 

For UK employers grappling with rising sickness absence, presenteeism and retention challenges, the gap has implications beyond individual wellbeing. If employees do not experience support as timely or meaningful, early intervention strategies risk failing before they begin. 

Regional data highlights further variation in how support is perceived and delivered. Employees in Greater London report the highest levels of support, at 65 per cent. In contrast, Wales records the lowest levels, with 46 per cent saying they feel supported and 27 per cent reporting feeling unsupported. 

Scotland presents a mixed picture. While 62 per cent of employees say they feel supported, Scottish employers are the most likely to intervene only after long-term absence, at 27 per cent. This raises questions about whether support is arriving early enough to prevent more serious health deterioration. 

Pink argues that the issue reflects a deeper structural challenge in how occupational health and assessment services are delivered in the UK. 

“Businesses are haemorrhaging productivity because they’re reacting instead of preventing,” he said. “Early intervention isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s the difference between a healthy workforce and a burnt-out one. 

“The health assessment industry has been stuck in the 1990s for far too long, where it’s standard practice to find a problem, write a report, cash the cheque. That model doesn’t work in today’s workforce. Employees don’t need another report telling them they’re unwell; they need clear, fast pathways to treatment and practical support.” 

For employers focused on workplace health and wellbeing, the message is clear: perception matters as much as policy. Support that exists on paper but fails to translate into tangible, human-to-human intervention risks being experienced as box-ticking rather than care. 

Verve Healthcare is calling on organisations to shift from reactive responses triggered by absence or performance decline to proactive models centred on early clinical input and defined pathways to care. The company argues that health assessments should move beyond documentation towards direct access to treatment and practical support. 

“When employers wait for short-term absence or performance issues before acting, they’ve already missed the opportunity to prevent harm,” Pink said. 

The research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Verve Healthcare with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults, alongside a YouGov survey of 500 HR leaders and business managers. 

As UK organisations continue to navigate cost pressures, productivity concerns and workforce expectations, the findings reinforce a central challenge in workplace health and wellbeing: early intervention only works if employees recognise it, trust it and feel its impact before problems escalate.