Under-pressure Australian employees call for more practical solutions to work-related wellbeing

• Nearly two million employees in Australia report losing sleep due to work-related stress and pressure.¹
• Allianz Australia data reveals a relative 17.3% increase in Primary Psychological Workers Compensation claims in 2025.ⁱ
• Australian organisations are set to invest $36.2 billion in wellbeing and culture initiatives this year.²
• Allianz launched its Unschedule the Burnout hub, with resources to help Australian businesses and their employees prevent burnout.

New research from Allianz Australia reveals nearly 2 million Australian employees report often losing sleep due to work-related stress and pressure¹ with many saying their workplace does not have clear initiatives and support in place to reduce burnout, raising a need for more practical solutions to improve workplace wellbeing.

Most surveyed employees (74%) believe their organisation doesn’t have a clear strategy in place to reduce workplace burnout.³ This is despite a reported total $36.2 billion investment from Australian businesses being earmarked for wellbeing and cultural initiatives,² with one in 10 organisations planning to spend over $100,000 this year.⁴

When it comes to initiatives, nearly half (45%) of surveyed Australian employees want their organisation to invest in mental health days and wellbeing leave,⁵ while 31% say they would value initiatives that reduce admin and unnecessary tasks that can contribute to cognitive overload at work.⁶

Over a third of surveyed workers (35%) want better benefits in the office such as free coffee and lunches, to allow for social connection and to take a break in the day.⁷ Furthermore, almost one in five (18%) say they would be open to negotiating their salary for flexible or hybrid working conditions.⁸

Claims data from Allianz Australia reflects these sentiments, revealing a relative 17.3% increase in Primary Psychological Workers Compensation claims between the 2024 and 2025 calendar years; 42.3% of overall psychological claims being caused by mental stress and work pressure.ⁱⁱ With psychological injuries costing 2.7 times more than a physical injury,ⁱⁱⁱ there has never been a better time for organisations to invest in initiatives to improve employee wellbeing.

To support organisations, Allianz launched the Unschedule the Burnout - a series of resources, including video tutorials and comprehensive guidelines to help prevent burnout in Australian workforces.

The research also found that nearly 2 million Australian employees hold negative feelings towards their work,⁹ with three quarters saying they do not have clear communication channels to discuss burnout with their manager.¹⁰ A further 15% said the demands of their work have a negative effect on their relationship with friends and family.¹¹

Brianna Cattanach, Allianz Australia National Manager Mental Health Strategy – Personal Injury, says, "We know organisations care deeply about their people, but there's a clear opportunity for leaders to incorporate feedback from employees to improve their approach to workplace culture, job design and support. It’s a critical time for Australian leaders and organisations to evaluate if their current wellbeing and cultural initiatives are positively impacting their employees."

"Our new research revealed that employees believe proactive mental health days, a greater focus on social connection and recovery opportunities, initiatives to address low value work and a focus on leadership capability would most benefit their experience at work."

"By doubling down on the fundamentals of culture, job design and capability, organisations can start to truly turn the dial on workplace burnout.”

Visit Allianz’s Unschedule the Burnout Hub to access the suite of resources.

1. Data extrapolated to the general population of those employed in middle management and below. The methodology is number of employees who say they often lose sleep due to the stress and pressure of their job (18%) multiplied by the number of employees 18+ (1,099,200) in Australia (per ABS extrapolated stats).
2. The methodology is is the average amount of surveyed managers who claimed their organisation is planning to invest in wellbeing and culture initiatives over the next 12 months ($36,469) multiplied by the number of employing businesses (994,178) in Australia (per ABS stats).
3. 74% of employees don’t believe their organisation has clear initiatives and support in place to reduce workplace burnout.
4. 1 in 10 (10%) organisations in Australia are planning to invest over $100,000 into wellbeing and culture initiatives this year.
5. 45% of surveyed employees say they want mental health days and wellbeing leave when asked which initiatives they want to see their organisation to invest in to improve employee wellbeing and workplace culture.
6. 31% of surveyed employees say they want initiatives that reduce admin / unnecessary work (i.e. shorter meetings, AI, productivity tools) when asked which initiatives they want to see their organisation to invest in to improve employee wellbeing and workplace culture.
7. 35% of surveyed employees say they better benefits in the office (i.e. free coffee, catering and lunches) when asked which initiatives they want to see their organisation to invest in to improve employee wellbeing and workplace culture.
8. 18% of Australian employees would be open to negotiating their salary for flexible or hybrid working conditions.
9. Data extrapolated to the general population of those employed in middle management and below. The methodology is number of employees who say they have negative feeling towards their work (17%), multiplied by the number of employees 18+ (1,099,200) in Australia (per ABS extrapolated stats).
10. 74% say they do not have clear communication channels to discuss burnout with their manager.
11. 15% of surveyed employees say their work demands have a negative impact on their relationships with friends and family.The methodology is the average amount of surveyed managers who claimed their organisation is planning to invest in wellbeing and culture initiatives over the next 12 months ($36,469) multiplied by the number of employing businesses (994,178) in Australia (per ABS stats).is the average amount of surveyed managers who claimed their organisation is planning to invest in wellbeing and culture initiatives over the next 12 months ($36,469) multiplied by the number of employing businesses (994,178) in Australia (per ABS stats).