A major all-island study has placed employee wellbeing at the top of the HR agenda for organisations across both jurisdictions. The Working in Ireland Survey 2025, published on 16 September 2026 and jointly led by Queen’s University Belfast, University College Dublin, and the Nevin Economic Research Institute, surveyed 4,300 workers in the Republic and Northern Ireland. It is one of the largest assessments of worker health on the island, giving HR leaders a well-evidenced case for action.

The data presents a clear opportunity for hr leadership on both sides of the border. While many workers report positive health and wellbeing, the survey identifies a significant minority for whom conditions are poor, and the drivers are structural. Three priorities emerge: redesigning jobs to manage workload, building a workplace culture that supports genuine disconnection, and equipping people management with the authority to intervene before health deteriorates.

The headline finding is a significant divergence between the two jurisdictions. In Northern Ireland, 18.4% of workers report poor health compared to 12.5% in the Republic, while 17.7% report work-related stress against 13.2% in the Republic. The gap is most acute in health, where 25.5% of Northern Ireland workers and 19.9% in the Republic report stress. Higher stress was recorded among full-time workers and women.

The research is unambiguous on causes. Lead author Dr Juliet Hassard from Queen’s Business School noted that conditions in which people work, including workload, management quality, employee voice, fairness, and workplace relationships, are closely associated with worker wellbeing. These are not individual issues; they are features of work that organisations can influence. Supporting wellbeing means looking at how jobs are designed and managed rather than focusing on individual resilience.

The difficulty disconnecting in an always-on culture is identified as a key stressor, and the report recommends employers give workers a genuine opportunity to switch off. This is an employee experience risk as much as a wellbeing one. The CIPD 2026 HR Practices in Ireland survey found over a third of Irish organisations experiencing productivity challenges, and 51% identify mental health as the leading cause of absence.

Three actions will allow HR leaders to convert these findings into advantage. First, conduct a job quality audit examining workload distribution, management practices, and employee voice, using the WIIS framework as a benchmark. Second, develop and enforce a right-to-disconnect policy, addressing the always-on pressure the research identifies as a driver of stress. Third, equip people management with the skills to have productive wellbeing conversations and intervene proactively.

The Working in Ireland Survey gives HR leaders an evidence base of exceptional depth. Improving job quality and working conditions should be central to building healthier, more sustainable, and more productive workplaces on both sides of the border.