The research, commissioned by AXA Health and conducted by Censuswide amongst 2,000 UK employees, reveals that fears about ill health leading to job losses are common in the workplace. Not only does this include those heading towards retirement age, where it is regarded as the biggest threat, but it also worries younger generations. Even those just starting in the workplace (age 16-24) already believe they may need to retire early (33%) due to health concerns.  

The data reveals a further vulnerability amongst younger workers and points to why future health concerns are so prevalent. A third of 16-24-year-old survey respondents believe their workplace prohibits them from leading a healthy lifestyle because they often feel stressed, which highlights that threats to careers includes both physical and mental health.  

The data shows that there is a huge opportunity for employers to respond to the findings and promote an open health culture. When asked what being healthy at work means, nearly half (43%) cited “feeling motivated and engaged” as their top priority, followed by working in a clean, organised environment (41%) and having a psychologically safe workplace (39%).  

This should be supported by tailored benefits, including addressing the practical barriers which prevent workers from accessing support. 19% of workers report they're too busy to use benefits and 17% find the process too complicated or inconvenient, highlighting the role for employers to provide flexible and simple options, proactively supporting their employees in accessing the right benefits for their needs.  

The survey also exposes a striking gap between perception and reality regarding workplace health habits. While nearly half of workers (45%) spend their lunch breaks scrolling on their phones, rising to 53% amongst 35-44 year olds, only 9% use this time for exercise. The habits are even more concerning amongst older workers; just 1% of those aged 55+ use their lunch break for exercise, while 18% don’t take a break at all, the highest of any group surveyed. Despite these stark differences in behaviour across generations, each age group believes they prioritise their health in the working day more than others, revealing a disconnect between perception and reality.   

These health concerns create a worrying paradox. While workers worry about ill health forcing them out of work early, financial pressures are simultaneously pushing retirement ages later. The research reveals that while most employees would ideally like to stop working between 60-64, they realistically expect to work until 65-69. Over a third (39%) have had to increase their retirement age due to financial pressures, meaning that employers must keep their employees healthy and support an ageing society that needs to continue to work.   

When considering this in the context of an ageing workforce and perceptions of an 'older worker', a quarter of respondents (27%) consider those over 50 to be 'older workers', while 31% put the threshold at 60+. When asked the ideal age to be in today's workplace, respondents said 32 years old, roughly half the age people expect they’ll still be working.   

This creates a perfect storm where workers are anxious about their health impacting their ability to work but feel compelled to work longer than desired for financial reasons, whilst in some cases missing the relevant workplace support systems that could help them maintain their health throughout extended careers.  

Heather Smith, CEO of AXA Health, said:  

"These findings should serve as a wake-up call for UK employers. When a third of workers see ill health as a major threat to their careers and young people are already worried about early retirement due to health concerns, we need to take action. Workers are telling us they need motivation, engagement, and psychologically safe environments to feel healthy at work. This needs more than just a blanket benefit structure – it’s about creating the right workplace environment and culture and, of course, choosing the right benefits to support the needs of their workforce.   

Ultimately, we need a shift from reactive healthcare to preventative wellbeing that's genuinely embedded in business strategy. Looking after your health is important at every age. No matter if you are 20, 40 or 60 – it is never too early or too late to make healthy changes so you can keep being active and well in later life.  

At AXA Health, we're part of this transformation by supporting businesses with healthcare, caring for the health and wellbeing of our colleagues and sharing our expertise with the Keep Britain Working Review to redesign workplace health. Healthcare benefits must be relevant, accessible, and aligned with what employees at every life stage actually need. But this isn't just about benefits packages, it's about creating workplaces where people can thrive throughout their careers and not just survive until retirement.”  

Lyndsey Simpson, Founder & CEO, 55/Redefined added:  

“There is a paradox about age and work in that the older the employee, the less likely they are to take a day off work sick, versus their younger colleagues. This stoic, resilient, always showing up attitude is admirable and benefits employers who typically see their over-50s workers 200% less likely to take a day off work than their under-30s.  

But our insight from our Me/Redefined career platform echoes today's AXA findings that health (both physical and mental) is the primary concern as we age, and we are not doing enough to support the decades-long careers of today’s employees. Working through to our mid-70s will be the norm for most, and thus to sustain 50+ year careers, we must move from reactive health to preventative health solutions.”  

-ENDS-