Australian employees spend over three hours weekly on unnecessary tasks as burnout intensifies across workplaces.
What’s happening: Nearly six in ten Australian employees have experienced work-related mental distress due to workload pressure, meeting overload and unrealistic deadlines, whilst psychological workers compensation claims have surged 28.4% between FY21 and FY25, according to new Allianz Australia research.
Why this matters: With 2.73 million Australians considering leaving their jobs within the next year and organisations set to invest $33.83 billion in mental health support, employees are calling for structural workplace changes rather than surface-level wellness initiatives to prevent burnout.
Australian workplaces are facing a mental health crisis that goes beyond yoga classes and meditation apps, with new research revealing structural barriers to wellbeing are driving employees toward breaking point.
Nearly six in ten surveyed employees stated they have experienced work-related mental distress, with workload pressure, meeting overload and unrealistic deadlines the leading contributors, according to research from Allianz Australia released today.
The findings align with a concerning trend in workers compensation data. Allianz Primary Psychological Workers Compensation claims have surged by 28.4 per cent between FY21 and FY25, whilst the average time off per claim has risen 10 per cent, jumping to 81 days.
Claims surge
Mark Pittman, Executive General Manager of Personal Injury at Allianz Australia, said the insurer’s claims data reveals mental stress and work pressure is the second highest contributor of primary active psychological claims at 34%.
“We are all on a journey and everyday we are learning more and more about supporting mental health in the workplace. While Allianz works to support injured workers who have been harmed by workplace stress, we recognise that the best outcomes are achieved through prevention,” Pittman said.
The research, now in its seventh year, surveyed both employees and managers to identify gaps in workplace mental health support. Almost 80 per cent of surveyed employees and almost two thirds of surveyed managers do not believe their organisation enforces good workplace habits and boundaries to reduce burnout.
Unnecessary work
Time wastage emerged as a significant frustration. The average Australian employee reports spending 3.31 hours per week on tasks or meetings deemed unnecessary, whilst nearly a third felt unable to take proper breaks due to their back-to-back schedules.
The majority of surveyed managers cite systemic barriers to reducing burnout, ranging from a lack of time and resources to the availability of suitable technology and conflict with other workplace priorities.
Beyond work hours, 19 per cent of surveyed employees said technology made it difficult to switch off from work, whilst one in four employees also report that their cost of living worries and financial pressures affect their ability to focus at work.
Breaking point
The pressure is pushing people toward the exit. The research reveals that 2.73 million Australians are considering leaving their jobs within the next year.
In response, Australian organisations are set to invest $33.83 billion in mental health support services this year. However, employees are calling for more fundamental changes including better manager training, fewer unnecessary tasks and recurring mental health days.
Brianna Cattanach, National Manager Mental Health Strategy for Personal Injury at Allianz Australia, said business leaders need 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,” Cattanach said.
“This should be accompanied with 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.”
Beyond the office
Allianz’s approach recognises that burnout extends beyond the workplace. A staggering 73 per cent of employees report being unable to schedule regular personal time for themselves, whilst 78 per cent were not splitting household responsibilities equally and 81 per cent do not have a reliable network to help with routine tasks like school drop offs or caregiving.
Support for working parents and carers also remains inadequate. Just one in three managers believe their organisation recognises and accommodates the needs of working parents and carers, whilst just 29 per cent believe employees feel comfortable raising concerns about bias or discrimination related to family or caring responsibilities.
Helen Lawson Williams, co-founder of anti-burnout programme TANK, said early intervention is critical.
“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,” Lawson Williams said.
“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.”
She emphasised that small changes can make significant differences, including taking proper breaks, setting boundaries and prioritising recovery activities like sleep and exercise.
Allianz has launched the Unschedule the Burnout hub, featuring resources including video tutorials and comprehensive guidelines for the construction, education, healthcare and professional services industries.
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