New Mavie Stress Study: 83 percent continue working despite mental exhaustion

Insolvencies, workforce reductions, geopolitical crises and the growing impact of AI-driven change: the world of work is under pressure – and so are the people working in it. Nearly 70 percent of Austrian employees say they often or very often feel stressed. According to their own accounts, stress levels have even increased over the past one to two years for 40 percent.

One particularly striking figure shows just how much this strain is already affecting everyday working life: 83 percent continue to go to work despite feeling mentally exhausted. What may sound like resilience can become a hidden cost factor for companies – when employees are physically present but no longer fully able to perform.

The stress study conducted by holistic health provider Mavie reveals the high level of stress in Austria’s working world and the factors contributing to it. It also examines how stress affects performance, teams and companies.

“Workplace stress has long ceased to be an individual problem and has become an economic challenge. When people continue working despite exhaustion, the strain often remains invisible – but the consequences for performance, motivation and business success do not. Companies therefore cannot afford to wait until employees are already absent before taking action on stress,” says Christoph Schnedlitz, Managing Director of Mavie Work. “This year’s Mavie Stress Study highlights what causes stress in everyday working life and just how serious the situation really is. The key point is this: stress must not only become an issue once it makes people ill. Anyone who wants to create lasting change needs to act earlier – by addressing the root causes, fostering a healthy corporate culture and providing preventive support for employees and managers. Health promotion thus becomes a strategic priority and an investment in the performance and future of the entire company.”

Despite exhaustion at work: Financial pressure is the main reason

Stress has already become part of everyday working life for a large proportion of Austrian employees. There are also clear differences between genders: 73 percent of women and 61 percent of men say they often or very often feel stressed. For many employees, the strain pushes them to their mental limits: nearly a quarter of women (24 percent) and almost one in five men (18 percent) experienced several such phases over the past year. Nevertheless, 83 percent continue to go to work even during these periods. The main reason is financial pressure (39%). One third (33%) do not want to show weakness, while a similar proportion (32%) feel guilty towards colleagues or managers if they stay at home. This highlights a problem that is often difficult for companies to identify: although employees' health and performance are already suffering, many still continue to come to work. An international study estimates this form of so-called presenteeism at an average of 57.5 days per year, during which employees are present but not fully productive¹.

When the manager is stressed, the entire team suffers

It is not only an individual’s own stress that affects work performance. The way managers deal with pressure also has direct consequences for their teams. More than half (56%) of Austrian employees often or very often see their direct manager visibly stressed. For 32 percent, this stress has a negative impact on their motivation at work. Twenty-eight percent avoid raising issues or giving feedback when their manager is stressed, while nearly one in five (19%) experience a negative impact on their concentration and the quality of their work. Of particular relevance to companies: one in five respondents (20%) say that the visible stress of their direct manager makes them think more often about changing jobs. “High levels of pressure can significantly change the behaviour of managers. Personal strengths can become overused under stress and consequently develop into risks for an individual’s own performance or for the team. Self-confidence can turn into arrogance, decisiveness into a need for control, and conscientiousness into paralysing perfectionism,” says Michaela Hack, psychosocial counsellor at Mavie.

“Companies should therefore not wait to react until teams are already suffering from the situation. What is crucial is to support managers at an early stage and to consider the necessary competencies and their ability to deal with pressure already during the selection process – for example, with the help of scientifically validated personality assessments such as HOGAN Assessments, which can reveal how individual strengths may turn into risks under stress,” says Schnedlitz.

Mental health: People prefer to stay silent at work

Mental health remains a taboo topic in the workplace: three quarters (75%) do not talk about it at work. Forty-two percent fear negative consequences, while two thirds (66%) do not want to make themselves vulnerable. Only 30 percent of respondents would speak to their manager about workplace-related stress. Trust in one’s own manager is therefore only slightly higher than trust in artificial intelligence: 27 percent would confide in an AI when experiencing work-related stress. When pressure and mental strain arise, those affected initially rely on their own coping strategies and the support of others. When feeling stressed, 82 percent of respondents seek advice from people in their private lives, while 41 percent turn to colleagues. Professional support, on the other hand, is used significantly less frequently. Only 14 percent of those experiencing stress seek help from experts. “There can be various reasons why professional counselling is used so rarely. Limited access, costs and lack of time can all be barriers – as can the personal hurdle of admitting that you need help,” says Hack. “This makes it all the more important to provide services that are easily accessible and confidential, making it easier to take that first step.” At the same time, the Mavie Stress Study shows just how important this issue is to employees: more than half (54%) consider mental health services an important criterion when looking for a job.

The workplace is the number one source of stress

Mental illnesses cost Austria around €15 billion every year². A look at the population’s biggest sources of stress shows the role that stress plays in working life: for 37 percent, work is the biggest source of stress, while for another 23 percent, it ranks second. Financial worries and family-related issues are also major sources of stress. The findings clearly show that stress is not just an individual health issue. It is a factor that affects performance, employee retention and, ultimately, the future viability of companies. It is therefore becoming increasingly important for businesses to identify sources of strain at an early stage and implement effective measures.

“Stress has long become a normal part of life for many people: nearly 70 percent of Austrians feel stressed frequently or very frequently. At the same time, we must not accept stress simply becoming an inevitable part of everyday life. For Mavie, health promotion therefore means more than taking action only once health problems have already arisen. We want to support people in strengthening their health holistically and sustainably – in everyday life, at work and throughout every stage of life. Our vision is a society in which health does not only become important once it is lost, but one in which we create the conditions that enable people to live and work healthily,” says Lukas Mayrl, Managing Director of Mavie.