Workplace Stress and Staff Shortages Drive New Focus on Mental Health in German Companies
Published on 07/23/2026 at 23:20 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A Swiss hospitality group has secured a fourth consecutive certification for workplace health management, underscoring how companies are increasingly using employee wellbeing programmes as a competitive tool in a tight labour market. SV Schweiz and SV Hotel Schweiz received the “Friendly Work Space” label from Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz, valid for another three years. The award is granted only to organisations that demonstrate strategically embedded occupational health management, where health promotion is treated as a permanent part of corporate culture rather than a one-off initiative.
The push for such credentials reflects a broader crisis. Germany faced a shortfall of 369,516 skilled workers in 2025, according to the Kompetenzzentrum Fachkräftesicherung (KOFA). That gap is hitting existing teams hard. Specialists at TÜV Rheinland warn that understaffing forces remaining employees to take on heavier workloads, creating both physical and psychological strain. Preventive action, they argue, is not merely a social obligation but an economic necessity to stop further absences.
Speaking of preventing strain before it leads to absenteeism — keeping a thorough risk assessment on file is one of the simplest ways to spot those pressures early. A free toolkit provides 41 ready-to-use templates and checklists for documenting workplace hazards, from manual handling to lone working. Download the free Risk Assessment Toolkit
Data from the Barmer Krankenkasse underlines the urgency. In 2025, sickness rates stood at 6.2 percent in Rhineland-Palatinate (down from 6.3 percent) and 6.1 percent in Hesse (down from 6.2 percent). Despite the slight dip, the toll remains high: workers in Rhineland-Palatinate were absent for an average of 22.5 days, and those in Hesse for 22.2 days. Mental health conditions accounted for the largest share of missed time, averaging 4.7 days in both states.
That trend is showing up in legal disputes. Swiss insurer Axa-Arag reported a 36 percent rise in 2025 in cases involving breaches of employer duty of care. Disputes over unfair dismissals and employment references also climbed. Experts attribute the uptick to cost-cutting pressures, challenges linked to home-office arrangements, and deteriorating trust between management and staff.
When employer duty-of-care obligations are under closer scrutiny, having the right documentation in place is your strongest defence. A free Health & Safety Toolkit covers key UK regulations including the Health & Safety at Work Act and COSHH, with checklists and risk assessments you can use immediately. Get the free Health & Safety Toolkit
To help smaller businesses cope, the service provider BG prevent — which marked its 50th anniversary in July — is developing a digital tool for risk assessments. A key project is an AI assistant designed to guide small firms in evaluating psychological hazards. The aim is to lower barriers to workplace health protection by making prevention easier to integrate into daily operations. The industry is responding to a growing demand for simple, accessible ways to safeguard employees’ mental health.
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