Manchester, England – As we approach the end of January, a month when many struggle with their mental health, it’s important to keep the conversation going. While Blue Monday was created as a marketing campaign and not rooted in tangible data, it does serve as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of the triggers for low mood over the winter months.
In addition to bad weather, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and other traditional triggers, HA | Wisdom Wellbeing, the UK’s largest independent employee assistance programme (EAP) provider has identified financial stress as a key pressure this time of year.
- 31% of the workforce said money worries negatively affect their work performance (source CIPD)
- 78% of people are still worried about the cost-of-living crisis; 3 in 5 say it has negatively affected their mental health
- 45% of employees are more worried than they were last year
- People dealing with debt whilst struggling with depression are 4 times more likely to still have depression 18 months later
- People in debt were 3 times as likely to have thought about suicide in the last year
- It is reported that financial stress led to 2 million workplace absences in 2025. 31% of those employees missed over 5 days of work due to financial strain.
Bertrand Stern-Gillet, CEO at HA | Wisdom Wellbeing, says “With an estimated 8.1 million working age adults living in poverty and 4.5 million earning below the Real Living Wage, financial stress is now one of the leading causes of stress.
“It’s something we’ve seen clearly in recent years at HA | Wisdom Wellbeing with the number of financial wellbeing calls to our helplines increasing year on year. And the impact is being seen in workplaces across the UK. Stress is a key cause of burnout and can cause a notable decline in mental health, leading to workplace absences.
“Financial stress in particular can be all encompassing. Worrying about how you’re going to pay the bills or keep a roof over your family’s head can make it incredibly hard to focus on anything else.
“Signs an employee may be struggling with financial stress include dips in performance, irritation and mood swings, increased absences and low concentration. Knowing how to spot these signs can help employers provide meaningful, proactive support, promoting mental wellbeing, preventing sickness absence and loss of productivity. Providing financial coaching as part of your overall employee wellbeing programme demonstrates that you care about individuals in your organisation. It also helps increase employee retention, and organisational reputation when recruiting.
“Let’s make sure we keep the conversation going long after ‘Blue Monday’ has passed, to ensure that maintaining positive mental health doesn’t just feel like a marketing exercise but a commitment to bringing about real, long-lasting change.”
–ENDS—
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