- Over half (62%) of employees are worried about their finances
- Managers and working parents are 70% more likely to say financial stress is damaging their performance at work
- Nearly a quarter (22%) have no emergency savings and are 1.5x more likely to lose productivity than financially secure colleagues
Money worries are moving from the kitchen table to the workplace. New data from the TELUS Health Mental Health Index reveals widespread financial anxiety across the UK workforce, with over three in five (62%) employees reporting feeling worried about their finances.
The research identifies significant chronic anxiety among Brits, with one in ten UK employees always anxious about money. This group records the lowest mental health score of any demographic, sitting 48 points below those who never feel anxious about their financial situation.
The data also exposes a stark gap in financial security among the workforce, as nearly a quarter (22%) of workers admit to lacking emergency savings to cover basic needs. Those in a poor financial position score 28 points lower than peers who report feeling financially secure, and 19 points lower than the national average.
Financial stress is taking a toll in all aspects of life with workers citing anxiety (32%), sleep disruption (29%), reduced motivation and engagement (15%) and strained relationships (12%) among the greatest impacts to their lives inside and outside of the workplace.
It’s showing up in output too. The data shows a direct connection between financial stress and productivity, with nearly a fifth (17%) reporting a negative impact on their performance. It’s not just junior staff struggling. In fact, managers and parents struggle the most, with 70% more likely to report productivity loss as a result of financial burden.
The findings highlight that the most financially vulnerable workers – those without emergency savings – are one and half times more likely to experience reduced productivity than their financially secure colleagues.
The cost of living remains the dominant catalyst for concern, cited by an overwhelming 62% of employees as the root of their financial anxiety - ahead of retirement savings (12%) and emergency savings (8%).
Yet, the research highlights a distinct generational divide emerging with workers over 50 who are two and a half times more likely than their colleagues under 40 to cite retirement savings as their top financial concern.
Paula Allen, Global Leader, Research and Insights, TELUS Health adds; “Financial stress is no longer a personal worry employees can leave at the door. The data shows just how deeply financial pressure is shaping the mental health of today’s workforce, and the impact it has on productivity in the workplace when not addressed. When one in ten employees live in a constant state of financial anxiety, the effects show up in sleep, relationships, and inevitably, the quality of work. Treating financial wellbeing as a peripheral issue is not an option. Employers may not be able to solve the cost-of-living crisis and generational concerns, but organisations that invest in meaningful support, such as financial wellbeing programmes, or proactive mental health resources, will be better positioned to protect both their people and business performance.”
Source: TELUS Health Mental Health Index UK, Q2, 2026. A survey of 2,000 employed adults, conducted between June 5 and June 18, 2026.
Calculations: to create the Mental Health Index, a response-scoring system assigns point values to individual responses. Higher point values are associated with better mental health and less mental health risk. The sum of scores is divided by the total number of possible points to generate a score out of 100. The raw score is the mathematical mean of the individual scores. The distribution of scores is defined according to the following scale: Distressed 0 - 49, Strained 50-79, Optimal 80 – 100
