Young people entering the workforce are increasingly worried that poor health could force them to leave work earlier than planned, research has revealed.
One third of employees aged 16 to 24 expect to retire early because of ill health, the highest share of any age group, a study by global health insurance firm AXA Health found.
A similar proportion (32.6 per cent) said their workplace prevented them from leading a healthy lifestyle, often because of stress, the Censuswide poll of 2,000 employees revealed.
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Tracey Paxton, clinical director at rewards and benefits platform Perkbox, said the findings should serve as a wake-up call for employers.
“Clinically, this doesn’t come as a shock. Young workers are reporting high stress levels and heavy workloads and too many workplaces still make it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” she added. “When someone starts their career already feeling close to burnout, it’s no wonder they’re anxious about the long-term consequences.”
Across the workforce, 33 per cent of workers said poor health could derail their careers, placing it just behind economic uncertainty (37 per cent) and ahead of concerns that AI will create job losses (26 per cent).
Among workers aged 45 and over, ill health has become the number one perceived threat to careers.
Separate research by organisation development business H2H found that two in five (39 per cent) people planning to retire within the next decade were already concerned about the impact retirement could have on their mental health.
Despite a willingness to retire early, financial pressures are forcing people to put these plans on hold. Although most people want to retire between the ages of 60 and 64, the AXA survey revealed many anticipate working for an additional five years and 39 per cent have already pushed back their planned retirement age because of financial strain.
Unhealthy habits also threaten careers
However, unhealthy working habits may affect employees’ ability to work for longer.
Workers aged 55 and over were the most likely to skip their lunch break, with 18 per cent not taking one. In contrast, only 1 per cent of employees in this age group used their break for exercise.
“Workers need motivation, engagement and psychologically safe environments to feel healthy at work,” said Heather Smith, CEO of AXA Health.
Employers must move beyond “blanket benefit” packages, she added, and focus instead on cultivating the right workplace culture and targeted support.
For employees, healthy workplaces were associated primarily with feeling motivated and engaged (43 per cent), having a clean and organised environment (41 per cent) and a psychologically safe workplace (39 per cent).
Michelle Robinson-Hayes, mental health trainer and preventative services lead at Vita Health Group, said employers and HR have a critical role in building sustainable working lives.
“By combining early support, structural flexibility and an open culture, employees can reduce the risk that young employees see their future as unsustainable, and instead help them to build resilient, fulfilling careers,” she advised.
Robinson-Hayes urged organisations to normalise conversations about stress and burnout, adding that involving occupational health and creating wellbeing programmes tailored to younger workers can help embed health and wellbeing into workplace planning.
For more information, read the CIPD’s guide to supporting mental health at work