Nearly one in three employees in the East of England do not clearly feel supported by their employer during periods of work-related stress or illness, according to new research.
The study, which surveyed 2,000 employees and 500 HR leaders and business managers across the UK, highlights both progress and challenges in how organisations respond to workplace health.
Just 62% of people in the East say they feel supported when experiencing workplace health challenges.
With 14% of employees feeling unsupported and a further 16% unsure, nearly a third do not report clear or consistent support when facing stress and health issues.
Based on an estimated 3.2 million employees in the East of England1, this suggests that approximately 960,000 people may not feel they receive reliable help when they need it.
Encouragingly, 15% of employers in the region claim they intervene early, before absence occurs. However, 3% admit to not stepping in to support their workforce at all, reinforcing concerns that support is inconsistent.
The data suggests that while many organisations aim to prevent issues from escalating, Verve warns that employees must feel this support.
Steven Pink, CEO of Verve Healthcare, which commissioned the research, said: “There are positive signs. Many employers in the East of England are trying to act early, and that’s a crucial first step. But the data shows there’s still a gap between intention and experience.
“Too many employees are either not feeling supported or are stuck in the middle, unsure where they stand. That uncertainty can be just as damaging as no support at all.”
He added: “The health assessment industry has spent decades handing out reports instead of solutions. That model is broken.
“Employees don’t need another PDF telling them they’re unwell; they need a clear pathway to treatment and someone who actually follows through.”
Despite some progress, Verve says many organisations still react too late and urges employers to rethink how they manage employee health:
Support must be proactive, not reactive.
Health assessments must provide pathways, not paperwork.
Employees must feel human-to-human connection, not corporate box-ticking.
Businesses must prioritise clinical expertise over generic wellbeing initiatives.
By focusing efforts on early intervention, Steven said: “The East of England has a highly skilled workforce.
“If businesses here want to retain talent, they can’t afford to wait for stress to turn into sickness.
“They need to understand that prevention is a productivity strategy.”
The data:
The employee survey was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Verve Healthcare in January 2026, with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults. People were asked: Thinking about your current job (or, if you are not currently employed, your most recent job), how supported or unsupported, if at all, did/do you feel by your employer when experiencing work-related stress or illness?
The employer survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Verve Healthcare in January 2026, with a sample of 500 HR and business managers. People were asked: At what point does your organisation typically intervene when work-related stress or ill health issues are identified?
Nationally, 57% of employees said they feel supported, with 17% feeling unsupported and 18% saying they feel neither supported or unsupported.
Only 18% of employers said they act before absence occur, 14% said they were unsure what their company does and 6% said their company doesn’t tend to intervene.
