Work stress is seriously affecting the mental health of employees and fueling destructive behaviors such as insomnia and phone addiction.

Good morning!

Everyone knows that workers are stressed. But a new study reveals just how much that stress is seeping into their personal lives, damaging everything from their sleep and phone habits to their physical health.

About 47% of employees say work-related stress is harming their mental well-being, according to the recent State of Work-Life Wellness 2025 report by Wellhub, a corporate wellness platform. In general, the vast majority of workers experience pressure during the working day and many take it home with them. With the exception of Baby Boomers, work stress is the most common cause of declining mental health for all other generations: about 54% of Gen Z, 49% of Millennials, and 48 % of Gen Xers say work is their biggest stressor.

“It’s very scary,” says Lívia de Bastos Martini, Wellhub’s CPO the fortune “The ability for this type of stress to multiply very quickly is far greater than any other. Nothing is more important from an HR executive standpoint.”

Impaired mental well-being among workers continues to create a ripple effect of problems in their personal lives. About 55 percent say their degraded mental state is preventing a good night’s sleep, according to the report. Meanwhile, around 27% of staff say poor mental health affects their relationships, 22% report it influences binge or mindless eating, 22% believe it worsens their digital media addiction, 20% believe it has led to lower work performance and 7% say it has led them to substance abuse.

Bastos Martini says many of these problems reflect employees dealing with work stress by engaging in small pleasures, such as endlessly scrolling through TikTok or eating sugary, fatty foods to feel better.

“If you feel like your mental health isn’t so good, it’s ‘Oh, let me have a snack.’ That makes me feel good,’” he says. “If you’re not feeling well, sometimes you can’t sleep or you sleep too much.”

Work stress and its subsequent impact on mental health can trap workers in a vicious feedback loop of unhealthy decision-making, which only hurts them more. CHROs are already well aware of the importance of employee wellness, but there’s a gap between what company leaders think they’re offering their employees and what those workers think about their own benefits. While 94% of CEOs believe they are doing enough to support mental wellbeing in the workplace, only 67% of workers agree, according to a different study published this year. A lack of awareness among workers about what benefits are actually available is likely contributing to the divide.

Bastos Martini recommends three steps for companies to ensure that their wellness benefits are effective and actively improve the mental and physical well-being of staff. Benefits should be comprehensive enough to support a wide range of employees, workers should be aware of their benefits, and people leaders and colleagues should encourage their peers to take advantage of them.

“Companies must take action in this regard. Well-being is a virtuous circle or a vicious circle,” he says. “Otherwise, change will not happen.”

Emma Burleigh
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This story was originally featured on Fortune.com