One in three Gen Z workers have called in sick over stress recently... and far more than their older colleagues
A third of Gen Z workers took time off due to stress last year, a survey has found.
Workers under the age of 25 were more likely to need time off because of poor mental health caused by stress than any other age group.
Among older workers aged 45 and above, just one in 10 needed time off last year due to stress.
Meanwhile for workers aged between 25-34, around 29 per cent took time off due to burnout, up 23 per cent from the previous year.
There was a one per cent rise in stress-related sick leave for 18 to 24-year-olds from the previous year, while the percentage of 35 to 44-year-olds taking a day off rose from a fifth to one quarter.
In contrast, a smaller proportion of older workers said they were taking time off for stress.
Among 45 to 54-year-olds, the number was 14 per cent, down from 18 per cent the previous year. While 10 per cent of workers aged 55 and above took time off for mental health, down from 15 per cent.
In what the charity described as a 'warning sign of a breakdown in trust between employers and younger workers', its findings showed only a little over half of 18 to 24-year-olds said they would feel comfortable opening up to a line manager about the pressure and stress they felt.
Workers under the age of 25 were more likely to need time off because of poor mental health caused by stress (stock)
This was a sharp drop from 75 per cent of this age group in the previous report.
High stress among young workers was mostly caused by having to regularly work unpaid overtime, and taking on extra hours to deal with the increased cost of living.
Workers aged 25-34 reported high stress caused by a high or increased workload and fears of redundancy or around job security.
Only a third of Gen Z workers said they were able to switch off from work when they needed to, compared with 46 per cent of those aged 55 and above.
Brian Dow, the charity's chief executive, said their findings show that 'many organisations still offer 20th-century mental health support for a 21st-century workforce'.
He said: 'Our survey clearly reveals it is young people most at risk of high stress in the workplace, but raises doubts around whether they feel able to open up to their line manager and explore reasonable adjustments that could help prevent burnout.
'As the gap between generations widens, there's a need to rebuild bridges and open up conversations on changing attitudes and expectations around work.
'We're calling on employers to reconsider the approach to mental health and explore reasonable adjustments and workplace wellbeing initiatives in collaboration with their young employees.
High stress among young workers was mostly caused by having to regularly work unpaid overtime (stock)
'Otherwise, they risk losing out on the newest generation of workers as they either seek employment elsewhere or disengage.'
A total of 2,436 working adults were surveyed by YouGov in November and figures have been weighted to be representative of all UK adults.
It comes as another study suggested Gen Z adults are refusing to do basic DIY tasks and are instead choosing to hire a professional.
A survey by Halfords of 2,000 adults showed that those aged 18 to 27 were most likely to pay a professional for basic tasks around the home or car.
One in five did not know what a spanner was and nearly a quarter could not change a ceiling light bulb, often saying that going up a ladder was ‘too dangerous’.
Fewer than two thirds of the 323 people in the younger age group said they would be confident cleaning a car, often saying they would get a parent to do it.
One in five of the age group said they would call in a professional to change the bulb on a ceiling spotlight.
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