01 / 03
When the mind keeps going while the body reacts
You can be capable, responsible and productive — and still be under strain.
Tension, restlessness, changes in sleep, fatigue or the sense of always being “on” can be early signals.
Stress & Wellbeing
The body often speaks before we do.
Stress can be hard to see from the outside. The strain is often felt long before sick leave.
People can keep showing up, delivering and taking responsibility even when their sleep, concentration, energy or ability to switch off is already affected.
The NFA describes stress as a response to strain or threat — not as an illness or a diagnosis in itself.
02 / 03
When it is hard to reach out
A strong sense of responsibility and the wish to keep delivering can make it hard to say:
“This is becoming too much.”
A familiar, confidential place to talk can make it easier to respond earlier.
03 / 03
Work and private life meet in the same person
Strain can come from work, from private life — or from both.
That is why there should be room for the whole person.
01 / 03
What does stress mean for Danish workplaces?
15.6%
experience frequent stress
In NOA-L 2025, 15.6% of Danish employees report that they have felt stressed often or all the time during the past two weeks.
Source: NFA / Danish Working Environment Authority, NOA-L 2025
9 out of 10
point to work, or work combined with private life
Among employees with frequent stress, 9 out of 10 name work, or the combination of work and private life, as the main source. Just over half point to work alone.
Source: NFA – Stress in the workplace
61.9 million
working hours lost each year
The NFA estimates that stress-related sickness absence causes 61.9 million lost working hours a year — equivalent to the working time of 37,335 full-time employees.
Source: NFA, 2023
Stress also has a financial dimension
Stress is first and foremost a human burden. But when it leads to absence, leave or people leaving, it also has financial consequences.
The NFA estimates the value of lost working time and production related to stress at a minimum of:
DKK 16.4 billion
per year
Source: Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA), 2023
01
DKK 10.4 billion
Sickness absence
02
DKK 4.8 billion
Lost production when employees leave the company
03
DKK 1.2 billion
Other production losses, such as leave
These figures are research-based estimates at labour-market level and should not be read as a direct cost to any individual company.
What if work-related stress could be reduced?
In a hypothetical NFA scenario, researchers calculated the effect of 10% fewer employees with high levels of work-related stress.
This corresponded to an estimated reduction in lost working time of:
2,446
full-time positions per year
DKK 1.2 billion
approximately, in lower annual costs
The scenario illustrates the scale of the human and economic value linked to stress across the labour market.
Source: NFA, 2023
Prevention starts before sick leave
Professional support does not need to wait until an employee can no longer work.
It can start with:
“I’m not sleeping the way I normally do.”
“I can’t really switch off.”
“I feel like I’m always on.”
“I can still do my job — but it takes more out of me.”
These are relevant places to start a conversation, too.
Where does the dedicated therapist fit in?
The Dedicated Workplace Wellbeing Therapist gives employees and managers direct access to a professional, confidential space close to their working day.
Conversations can cover stress signals, work pressure, boundaries, relationships, change, personal strain or how the body reacts under pressure.
The aim is to make it easier to reach out while there is still room to act.
The individual and the workplace are connected
Individual support is one part of wellbeing work.
Workload, organisation, influence, leadership and collaboration may also call for action at organisational level.
Individual support can therefore be combined with workshops, joint initiatives and leadership support when the need extends across the organisation.
From stress prevention to wellbeing
A good psychosocial work environment is not only about reducing strain.
The NFA highlights these positive factors in the psychosocial work environment:
- Influence
- Development opportunities
- Role clarity
- Collaboration
- Leadership quality
- Fairness
- Recognition
The goal is not only that people can cope with their work — but that they can thrive in it.
Wellbeing starts before strain takes over.
Would you like to make professional support more accessible to your employees and managers?
Start a conversation