Patchy workplace management keeping stress levels high

Employees are showing concerning levels of distress, especially in medium-sized businesses, new data has revealed.

In its first annual Spotlight Report, Suicide Prevention Australia highlighted the near-universal experience that is workplace distress. The survey, conducted by YouGov, revealed these experiences are widespread, structural, and unevenly supported – and are fuelling renewed calls for stronger workplace safeguarding and policy.

As explained by Suicide Prevention Australia CEO Nieves Murray, the findings define workplace distress as a systemic workplace challenge, rather than an issue of individual resilience.

“According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, on average, Australians spend over eight hours a day working, which is more than they do socialising, with family or relaxing. Over a lifetime, that can add up to more than a decade spent in workplace environments. If those environments are chronically stressful or unsupported, the impact compounds,” Murray said.

The drivers of workplace stress are no mystery, but the numbers are nevertheless shocking. The leading contributor, heavy workload and burnout, was cited by 61 per cent of participants, and 50 per cent referenced demanding clients or customers as a major stressor. The report also identified a 39 per cent proportion feeling the strain of inadequate pay, and 39 per cent again for poor management support.

One in five workers claimed a lack of mental health support was a key factor regarding workplace stress.

As Murray reinforced, “workplace distress in Australia is no longer the exception; it’s the norm”.

She said: “This is not something we should feel comfortable with. When nine in 10 workers are experiencing distress at some level and more than one in five reporting extreme distress, this is not about individuals coping better. It’s about the systems, pressures, and cultures we have built into our workplaces.”

This issue, the report suggested, exists in both workplace environment and policy, with only 20 per cent of polled workers claiming mental health is regarded as a normal part of workplace culture, and a smaller 15 per cent proportion claiming this support is comprehensively embedded in their workplace.

And while policy may exist, it doesn’t guarantee a protective effect. In fact, a variable effect on reporting rates was identified: workers who were not reporting distress were more than twice as likely to say support is strongly encouraged in the workplace than those who felt moderately stressed.

As Murray said: “Having a policy on paper is not the same as having a culture that makes people feel safe to use it.”

“Every workplace has a role to play in shifting the narrative from individual responsibility to systemic safety. Embedding mental health support and suicide prevention into culture, leadership and systems is not optional; it is a safeguard that can save lives.”

This is also something that should be tailored to the organisation’s specific needs, given the trends in workplace size and worker generation that were identified.

Medium-sized businesses (20–249 employees) showed significant levels of distress, 30 per cent, which is double that of large corporations (250–499 employees) and even more than this for small businesses (1–19 employees).

The report suggested that, despite being integral to Australia’s workforce and productivity, medium-sized businesses lie in a difficult, grey zone – one where they are large enough for workers to feel pressure, but perhaps not so large that they can instil robust support infrastructure.

This, the report explained, creates a dangerous gap between employee needs and available help.

Distress rates within younger workers were particularly concerning, with 95 per cent of Millennials reporting feelings of stress and one in four Gen Z experiencing it to an extreme level. In addition, 31 per cent of entry-level workers did not report feeling confident responding to a colleague in serious mental distress.

Not only does this flag how high-strain environments are being normalised for the next generation and perpetuating problematic attitudes, but the extreme rate reinforces the idea that this is not an issue of resilience or work ethic.

Again, it suggests the need for stronger career safeguarding to address the capability gaps at the earliest stage of career development.

Suicide Prevention Australia called on governments, regulators and employers to strengthen their psychosocial risk enforcement, invest in leadership training, and embed suicide prevention into workplace systems to create a supportive and effective environment capable of making an actionable difference to employees.

While the report flagged medium enterprises and high-risk industries as particularly vulnerable to mental health issues, it is clear that employees at all levels and ages deserve to be protected and supported in their workplace. Calling for action that aligns with the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, which outlines the development of programs that strengthen equitable access to safe, meaningful and secure work, the report highlighted how psychosocial safety must be treated as a core governance issue.

“We’re urging workplaces to embed suicide prevention into risk management frameworks, leadership capability and performance expectations – not leave it to HR policies alone,” Murray said.

“Preventing distress is not just good for people, it is a workplace fundamental.”