Resolutions aside, health and wellbeing are some of the biggest trends we have seen in recent years, often influenced by social media influencers. It’s become a big topic of conversation in the workplace, too, which is no surprise when you consider how much absenteeism and presenteeism can negatively impact both employees and organisations. Our own research shows that sickness absence rates jumped by 55% between 2019 and 2023, peaking at 128 days.
Factors affecting workplace wellbeing
We’ve probably all had a dose of the Sunday Blues, or ‘scaries’ – the feeling of dread and nerves about returning to work on a Monday.
But for those suffering from work-related stress or anxiety, the start of a new working week is often overwhelming. Around 776,000 workers today suffer from stress, depression or anxiety linked to their job, and with 16.4 million working days lost as a result, employers need to implement effective strategies and tools to promote better wellbeing across their organisation.
While workplace stress isn’t new, we’ve seen many traditional working practices upended over the past five years due to remote/hybrid working and rapid advances in technology, including AI. This shift has been a good thing for most employees, giving them the flexibility and tools to work more effectively. However, if the changes are not managed well, they can be an additional source of stress.
Where does AI fit in?
The rise of AI in the workplace is one of the biggest changes employees have seen in recent years, as we saw in our report, The powerful impact of AI on workplace behaviour.
According to our research, around half of people say they use AI and 93% said it’s had a positive impact. It’s helping them to be more efficient and productive, deliver a better standard of customer service and support their creativity. Because of all this, many are noticing benefits to their stress levels and wellbeing too.
How can AI support you at work?
- Manage time better (56%)
- Assist with repetitive tasks (45%)
- Improve accuracy (43%)
- Help problem-solving (36%)
- Manage workload (35%)
However, while respondents are overwhelmingly positive about AI, nearly half had concerns about it replacing their jobs, which could negatively impact wellbeing if not carefully handled. Worries about job replacement are highest in HR and recruitment and health and social care (both 52%), followed by public sector (51%).
Dr Phil Parker, health and happiness expert, said:
"AI can boost workplace well-being by improving time management and reducing workloads, but balance is key. Employers should provide training, ensure transparency, and use AI to create opportunities for growth and support. When AI empowers rather than replaces, it can enhance both productivity and happiness at work."
Wellbeing in action
Claire Carter, Managing Director – Access ERP and wellbeing champion explains how The Access Group uses AI to support wellbeing strategies employers can use to develop confidence in new technology.
“We have a great opportunity to leverage AI capability to support wellbeing in the workplace. Whether supporting employees' mental health with AI-powered mental health content or wellness tools, or reducing work-related stress by automating repetitive tasks, introducing personalised training could be a great motivator too.
It’s important for employees to see AI as a partner rather than a threat. Educate your team early on and help them understand what it is with real examples and real examples to bring it to life. Lead by example so that your team feels more comfortable using AI.
Leaders can also encourage a culture of innovation by enabling their teams to experiment with AI tools in non-critical projects to build confidence and gain hands-on experience. Celebrating wins and sharing successful AI implementations and their positive impact on the business or customer brings the human touch into focus.
At Access, our employees' wellbeing is always on our agenda. We have already started to explore the use of AI, using Access Copilot to connect colleagues across the globe, which is already helping drive efficiency and building relationships.”
Five ways AI could help reduce stress at work
- Managing workloads: AI assistants can organise schedules, prioritising the most urgent deadlines.
- Handling repetitive tasks: AI takes the legwork out of routine information-heavy tasks, allowing people to focus on the work that offers better job satisfaction and career progression opportunities.
- Better work-life balance: Getting more done during the day means being able to leave on time.
- Helping hand: AI supports different learning styles and is particularly useful for those who struggle to make sense of large amounts of information, such as people with dyslexia.
- Identifying trends: With smarter AI-driven insights, HR teams and senior managers have instant access to sickness absence levels so they can proactively take steps to address them. AI could also identify skills or knowledge gaps and suggest personalised training courses to help people build their competencies and feel more confident in their roles.
Access Evo is an AI-enabled software experience designed to help companies and employees streamline their tasks. It can help to complete admin tasks, answer questions (big or small) and analyse data to enable better decision-making.
Although organisations must navigate their AI journeys, the right tools allow them to standardise processes within a secure environment that protects data and promotes compliance. Employers also need to train their teams in the technology, answer their questions, and empower them to use it effectively and responsibly.
Find out more about how Access Evo can support your team’s wellbeing and access the full research.