IRISH workers are ‘quietly exhausted’ despite a rise in workplace wellness initiatives, new research shows.

Organisations are being encouraged to look beyond once-off initiatives and focus on the deeper cultural factors that influence employee wellbeing.

It comes as research from PwC shows that over a third (36%) of Irish workers feel overwhelmed at work at least once a week.

Workplace wellbeing specialist Sinéad McKiernan warned that staff continue to experience high levels of stress, exhaustion and poor work-life balance.

She noted that many employees are balancing demanding roles alongside rising living costs, childcare pressures, and caring responsibilities.

Research from Ibec and Healthy Ireland continues to identify stress and workload as key concerns for Irish workers.

‘Employees are not lacking motivation,’ explained Sinéad. ‘They are trying to sustain energy in systems that can sometimes expect too much for too long.’

She pointed to the importance of policies including Ireland’s Right to Disconnect Code of Practice, but stressed that staff must feel safe to use them.