One in three Scots likely to quit their job as work takes its toll on mental health

Over a quarter (26%) of Scottish workers - equating to around 690,000 people – feel that work negatively affects their mental health and more than a third (34%) of those impacted are likely to quit their job in the next 12 months, according to new research from the CIPD.

The CIPD’s annual Working Lives Scotland report analyses the day-to-day experiences of over 1000 Scottish workers. The findings from the latest report highlight the urgent need for organisations to prioritise good people management and employee wellbeing, with high workloads, stress and exhaustion among the contributing factors negatively impacting workers health:

• Over half of Scottish workers (59%) said they are always, or sometimes, under excessive pressure at work.
• Close to two-thirds (64%) said they feel exhausted at work either all or some of the time.
• Nearly half (46%) of workers in Scotland, who say their workloads are too high, find it hard to relax in their personal time because of their work.

Over the past 12-months close to half (48%) of Scottish workers have experienced some form of physical health condition, whilst 44% have experienced a mental health condition.

Those who say work has a negative impact on their mental health also report significantly lower job satisfaction (34%) than those who said work has a positive impact on their mental health (95%).

The CIPD’s findings are published as the UK Government seeks to understand how to keep more people healthy and in work through its Keep Britain Working review, in the context of rising health-related economic inactivity. According to figures from the Scottish Government, around 800,000 people in Scotland aged 16 to 64 are currently not in in work and are economically inactive; many due to long-term sickness or disability.*

In response to the findings in the report, the CIPD is calling on employers to prioritise providing line managers with the development and support they need to manage people well, given their central role in managing workloads and stress and providing flexibility and support to staff.

Marek Zemanik, senior public policy advisor for the UK nations at the CIPD commented:  

“Work should always be a force for good, so it's deeply concerning to find that it is negatively affecting many people’s health and that a significant number are likely to quit their job as a result.  

“This points to a real need to address the root causes, including poor line management, which can contribute to excessive workloads and people feeling under excessive pressure at work.

“Employers need to equip their managers with the right training, time, and resources to be able to identify issues early on, and support staff effectively. Without this, efforts by the Government to improve workforce wellbeing will be undermined. Good people management isn’t optional - it’s essential for a healthy, sustainable and productive workforce.”

Further findings in the CIPD report underscore the urgent need for employers to prioritise investing in good people management, revealing many managers in Scotland currently lack either the training or the time needed to manage staff effectively:

• One in five (20%) of those with management responsibilities said they do not receive the training and information needed to manage staff effectively.
• 21% of line managers reported not having enough time to dedicate to managing their teams properly.

Job quality in Scotland 

The CIPD Working Lives Scotland report provides a benchmark of job quality based across five fair work dimensions: respect, security, opportunity, fulfilment and effective voice. Other findings in these areas include:

• AI boosts performance when utilised: A significant majority (72%) of Scots who had tasks automated by AI said that it has improved their performance at work and 30% think that there is a great deal/fair amount of potential to automate some of their tasks in the future.
• More workers have good development opportunities: Over half (51%) of Scottish workers say their job provides good opportunities to develop their skills. However, skills gaps and overqualification remain an issue, with over a third of employees (35%) educated to undergraduate degree level feeling they are overqualified for their job.
• Rates of flexible working remain higher than pre-pandemic and 76% of those with flexible working arrangements said this has had a positive impact on their quality of life.
• Most workers are satisfied with pay: Close to two-thirds (65%) of Scots said their pay is enough to support an acceptable standard of living, without having to go into debt to pay for food and bills. But many are still struggling with the rising cost of living, with three in ten (30%) workers admitting they would not be able to manage an unexpected £300 bill, without having to use any of their savings.