2 out of 3 employees feel more stressed at work than last year

Reveal Market Resources, study no. 211

The latest study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research aimed to find out more details about the manifestation and evolution of the phenomenon of burnout among Romanian employees, comparing the results with the similar study conducted a year ago.

• Employees are more anxious in 2026, with the percentage of those who feel happy and fulfilled at work is decreasing by 8% compared to 2025 reaching 27% today.
• 66% say that the economic, social and political changes of the last year have increased the level of stress at work.
• Financial difficulties affect employees’ stress levels more strongly (41% compared to 29% in 2025), and changing jobs is gaining ground as a solution (29% compared to 21% in 2025).
• 65% of Romanian employees have noticed colleagues affected by burnout, and 42% have witnessed or been victims of abuse by superiors.

Only 27% of employees feel happy and fulfilled at work, and 57% self-assess themselves as having a higher level of professional stress compared to last year

According to the results of the study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research, only 27% of Romanians feel happy and fulfilled at work, the percentage is decreasing by 8% compared to 2025, and 57% are self-evaluating as having a higher level of professional stress compared to last year.

The increase in anxiety is directly related to the economic, social and political context: 66% of employees say that the changes in the last year have significantly increased their stress levels at work, the percentage being higher among those aged 25-34 (72%).

The main aspects of the current context that affect stress levels include  the rising cost of living (62%), decreased purchasing power (56%), economic instability and fear of job loss (44%) and uncertainty about the future (36%). In this new reality, half of employees (55%) believe that employers do not offer sufficient support measures to employees.

Internally, employees identify the main factors of stress at work as high workload (58%), taking on too many responsibilities (49%) and financial difficulties encountered (41%). Compared to 2025, stress related to financial difficulties increased (41% vs. 29% in 2025), while stress generated by heavy workload decreased slightly (58% vs. 64% in 2025).

The main strategies to combat high levels of stress at work remain rest leave (52%) and relaxing activities in free time (47%)

Employee proactivity in the prevention of burnout is decreasing: 52% take anti-stress measures (up from 60% in 2025). However, behaviour continues to be more pronounced among young people aged 18 to 24 (74%).

To cope with this type of stress, Romanians resort to rest leave (52%) or relaxation activities in their free time, such as going out or shopping (47%), but both “solutions” are down from the previous year by 15% and 7%, respectively. Another difference is that changing jobs has become more common as a workplace stress management strategy (29% in 2026, up from 21% in 2025).

65% of Romanian employees have noticed colleagues affected by burnout, and 4 out of 10 have witnessed or been victims of abuse by superiors

In the same vein, 65% of employees have noticed colleagues affected by burnout, and 4 out of 10 say they have witnessed (15%) or been victims (27%) of abusive behaviors from superiors. Young people between 18-24 years old (35%) and those with incomes below 5000 lei (34%) differentiate themselves as being more victims of abusive behavior from superiors.

The most common abuses at work are verbal harassment – high tone, insults, irony (45%) and  psychological  harassment – excessive pressure, intimidation (39%). Also, 48% of employees believe that there are no effective policies to protect employees in the workplace, and only 25% believe that they exist and that they are applied correctly.

 

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About Reveal Marketing Research

Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in marketing research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in more than 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and brand positioning. Qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and other European countries for 17 years.

Reveal Market Resources, study no. 211: Reveal Market Resources is a data hub that includes free studies given to publicity, with the aim of supporting the marketing and communication market in Romania.

Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online between 9-13.03.2026  on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, internet users, from urban areas, active in the workplace. The sample size was 1000 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/-3.1% at a 95% confidence level.