Work pressures force half of workers to delay accessing health support

More than half of workers (56%) have delayed seeking help or medical attention for a mental or physical health issue because they did not want to take time off work, according to a poll.

The survey of more than 8,000 adults for private healthcare provider Bupa also found 22% said ignoring symptoms had resulted in them in fact needing more urgent medical attention.

The findings, published as part of the annual Bupa Wellbeing Index report, concluded many workers were trying to ‘push through’ and simply carry on working when they were in fact ill or struggling.

More than half (57%) said they continued working when exhausted, 41% worked through illness rather than take sick leave, and 71% had gone to work while struggling with their mental health. A third (33%) worried that taking time off for health reasons could affect their career.

Two in five people (41%) admitted they were unable to put their wellbeing first because of the cost of living and 24% said they had delayed treatment because of the cost of living. This, again, had made their condition worse.

Almost half (44%) said financial stress and worries were negatively affecting their mental health, while 20% said they felt anxious or stressed every day as a result.

Of those who had been employed in the past 12 months, 24% said their mental wellbeing was a key factor in leaving a job and 18% said the same about their physical health.

In all, more than half (51%) said it had become harder to prioritise their health and wellbeing in the current economic climate.

In a separate poll of 500 business leaders, Bupa also found employers are increasingly recognising that delaying access to healthcare affects employee wellbeing, as well as retention and productivity.

Half (50%) of the business leaders surveyed said employees were citing wellbeing as a primary reason for leaving, with 42% agreeing this had increased over the past 12 months. Nearly nine out of 10 (86%) agreed that delaying accessing healthcare ultimately affected workplace productivity.

Chris Carroll, CEO for Bupa Global, India & UK, said: “Financial pressures and competing demands are causing many people to put their health on hold, delaying diagnosis and treatment.

“The consequences are felt not only by individuals, but also across workplaces and the wider economy, as health issues become more complex to treat, recovery takes longer and people struggle to stay well and in work.”