Mortgage industry mental wellbeing improves sharply – but MIMHC warns underlying burnout risks remain

14 September 2026

Largest-ever MIMHC survey finds good or excellent mental wellbeing rises from 41% to 53%, while recognised employer wellbeing support falls significantly

Mental wellbeing across the UK mortgage industry has improved significantly over the past 12 months – but persistent problems around working hours, sleep, workplace pressures and access to visible employer support mean there is no room for complacency.

That is the central finding from the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) Mental Health & Wellbeing Survey 2026, its largest study to date.

The research gathered responses from 536 people across the mortgage sector, comfortably up from around 300 in 2025, providing MIMHC with its strongest evidence base since the annual research began.

The headline finding provides genuine cause for optimism. 53% of respondents now describe their overall mental wellbeing as good or excellent, up from approximately 41% in 2025. At the other end of the scale, those describing their wellbeing as poor or of concern have fallen from approximately 22% to 15%.

However, the wider findings reveal a more complicated picture.

Almost half of respondents still work more than 45 hours a week, despite this improving from around 59% in 2025 to 49% in 2026. Nearly 9% continue to report working more than 60 hours.

Sleep remains one of the clearest warning signs. Around 21% get eight hours' sleep on none of the working days in a typical week, while approximately 63% achieve that level of sleep on no more than three working days – virtually unchanged year-on-year.

And while 29% say their wellbeing has improved over the previous 12 months, almost half say it has stayed the same and 24% believe it has worsened.

Employer wellbeing support emerges as major concern

One of the most striking findings is the apparent reduction in the visibility and reach of workplace wellbeing support.

Only 53% of respondents say their company currently participates in a mental health or wellbeing initiative or strategy, compared with 70% in 2025. Meanwhile, 30% say their employer does not and 17% do not know.

Similarly, just 35% believe their workplace's mental health and wellbeing provision has improved over the past year, down from 47% in 2025.

MIMHC cautions that the significantly larger 2026 respondent base means the findings should not automatically be interpreted as employers withdrawing support. However, the results raise important questions about whether existing provision is sufficiently visible, accessible and meaningful to employees.

Economic and operational pressures take their toll

The economic environment is now the largest defined source of workplace stress, cited by 30% of respondents.

But the anonymous responses reveal pressures extending well beyond economics. Workload, targets, staffing shortages, internal systems, management change and lender and solicitor service all feature repeatedly, suggesting that everyday operational friction is contributing significantly to people's stress.

The timing of that pressure has also changed. Around 67% identified the first half of 2026 as the most stressful period of the previous 12 months, including 38% who selected January to March alone. This contrasts sharply with the 2025 survey, when the final quarter of 2024 was the dominant pressure point.

Jason Berry: “Progress – but certainly not job done”

Jason Berry, Co-Founder of the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter, said:

“There is a huge amount to be encouraged by in this year's results. Seeing good or excellent mental wellbeing increase from 41% to 53%, alongside fewer people reporting poor or concerning wellbeing, represents real progress and should be recognised.

“But we mustn't allow an improving headline number to disguise what is happening underneath it.

“Almost half of our respondents are still working more than 45 hours a week, sleep has barely improved, almost three quarters have either seen no improvement in their wellbeing or feel it has worsened, and fewer people recognise meaningful wellbeing provision from their employer.

“For me, that creates a really important question for our industry: are we actually working in a healthier way, or have people simply become better at coping with the pressure?

“Mental health awareness across our industry has come a very long way. The next phase has to be about turning that awareness into practical, visible and measurable action.

“This isn't about working less, lowering expectations or reducing ambition. It is about creating an industry where people can perform at a high level, build successful careers and achieve their ambitions without routinely sacrificing the things that keep them well.

“Our goal for 2027 is simple: fewer people merely coping and more people genuinely thriving.”

Flexibility is here to stay

The survey also challenges suggestions of a widespread return to traditional office working.

Hybrid remains the largest working model at 45%, while permanent home working has increased from 32% to 37%. Just 18% report having returned to the office, meaning more than four in five respondents spend at least some of their working week away from a traditional office environment.

However, only 30% now say their working arrangements have improved their mental health, down from 39% in 2025. MIMHC says this suggests flexible working has matured into part of the industry's infrastructure rather than being a wellbeing solution in itself.

From awareness to meaningful action

The anonymous responses provide a clear indication of what people now want from employers and the wider industry: human check-ins, confidential professional support, healthier workloads and boundaries, better-trained managers, greater connection and specific support for self-employed and potentially isolated advisers.

In response, MIMHC will focus its 2027 programme around six areas: Healthier Balance, Confident Leadership, Wellbeing in Business, Stronger Connections, Personal Resilience and Sustained Impact.

Activity will include Mental Health First Aid, practical resources for managers, industry events, physical wellbeing and connection initiatives, peer communities and continued engagement with leaders across the mortgage sector.

The Charter is also calling on more mortgage businesses to become signatories and on existing supporters to strengthen their commitment by making wellbeing visible, equipping managers, protecting healthy working conditions and routinely measuring employee wellbeing.

The 2026 survey's 500 Voices campaign was supported by PepperMoney, which pledged £2 to MIMHC for every completed survey response. Following the 536 responses, PepperMoney will donate £1,072 towards MIMHC's ongoing work.