The most common workplace anxiety triggers among British employees, Careerminds reveils

UNITED KINGDOM, October 2026 – As World Mental Health Day approaches on 10th October, HSE figures put work-related stress, depression and anxiety at a record 964,000 workers in Great Britain, more than half (52.0%) of all work-related ill health. 

With this in mind, Careerminds UK asked 600 UK employees which of 21 workplace situations make them anxious and what that anxiety has already cost them. 

Key findings: 

• Asking for a pay rise is the UK’s biggest workplace fear at 36.5%, ahead of speaking up in a large meeting at 34.0%. 

• More than half of UK employees (57.0%) have had a pay rise or promotion conversation derailed by anxiety. 

• Nearly 3 in 10 women (28.8%) have never asked for a pay rise or promotion because of anxiety, which is 1.5 times the rate of men. 

• Around 1 in 5 UK employees (19.8%) feel anxious calling in sick, a bigger trigger than admitting a mistake at work (12.8%). 

• Taking credit for your own work is the least anxiety-inducing situation at 4.7%, the only one named by fewer than 1 in 20 employees. 

Full research findings can be read down below: 

• Asking for a pay rise is the top UK workplace fear. More than one in three UK employees (36.5%) say asking for a pay rise makes them anxious at work, the single biggest fear among the 21 situations tested. Speaking up in a large meeting (34.0%), saying no to extra work (26.8%), asking for a promotion (26.3%) and presenting to senior leadership (25.2%) round out the top five. The shared theme is that the moments most directly tied to pay, visibility and progression are the ones UK employees dread most. 

• Anxiety is getting in the way of important career conversations. When asked directly whether workplace anxiety had ever stopped them from asking for a pay rise or promotion, 23.2% said yes and still hadn’t asked, and a further 33.8% said yes but eventually did. Combined, 57.0% of UK employees have had a conversation about a pay rise or promotion derailed by anxiety at least once. For the 23.2% who never went back and asked, that silence has a price tag. 

• Women and the youngest employees carry the heaviest confidence gap on pay. Nearly three in 10 women (28.8%) say workplace anxiety has stopped them from ever asking for a pay rise or promotion, around 1.5 times the rate of men, and they are also more likely to feel anxious giving feedback to a manager (24.5%), asking a “stupid” question (22.6%) and being put on the spot in a meeting (21.8%). A similar pattern emerges by age: 43.9% of those aged 18–27 feel anxious asking for a pay rise and 45.1% feel anxious speaking up in large meetings, compared with 29.4% and 26.5% of over-55s, while 68.3% of Gen Z say anxiety has stopped them asking for a pay rise or promotion at some point. The result is a confidence tax that can accumulate quietly over time, particularly when anxiety prevents employees from having conversations that influence pay and progression. 

• The other situations UK employees find anxiety-inducing. Beyond the headline fears, 21.0% of UK employees feel anxious confronting a difficult colleague, 17.7% feel anxious receiving feedback on their work and 15.5% feel anxious disagreeing with their manager. Further down the list are situations employers may assume are routine: 12.0% feel anxious being the only one who doesn’t understand something, 9.5% feel anxious returning after time off, 8.8% feel anxious requesting flexible working arrangements and 8.7% feel anxious asking for help or support. Taking credit for your own work (4.7%) is the only situation named by fewer than one in 20 employees, making it the least anxiety-inducing of the 21 situations tested. 

“Employers can’t address workplace anxiety if they don’t recognise where it tends to show up”, Augustine added. “The goal should be to remove some of the unnecessary friction around these everyday moments. Publishing clear pay bands, sharing agendas ahead of larger meetings and giving employees a straightforward way to push back when their workload becomes unmanageable can make difficult conversations feel much more manageable. Small changes to the way work is structured can make it easier for employees to speak up without feeling as though they’re taking a personal or professional risk”. 

Careerminds UK is a global workforce solutions provider delivering career transition, workforce design and talent development to organisations worldwide. Our consumer career brands extend that reach, giving individuals AI-powered career tools and coaching at every stage of the career journey. Together, we combine technology, data and human expertise to create a connected ecosystem that supports both workforce transformation and individual career success. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. 

Amanda Augustine is the resident careers expert for Careerminds, career.io, and its suite of brands: resume.io, TopInterview, Resume.ai, JobRapido, and others. As a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), she has spent more than 20 years helping professionals improve their careers and land the right job sooner. Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Careerminds UK surveyed 600 UK adults in employment via Pollfish in May 2026, measuring workplace anxiety by gender, age, seniority and salary. Results were stratified to reflect the UK working population.