CSR News in partnership with APEC / Bpifrance / COLAS / La Maison Bleue / La Poste / MGEN
While the vast majority of working people say they are satisfied with their work environment and the main dimensions that make it up (integration, usefulness, autonomy, balance), many also express a feeling of high professional mental workload.
8 out of 10 working people express a positive perception of their work environment. However, there is room for improvement in certain areas: fewer than 7 out of 10 employees feel that their work is recognized for its true value (66%), or that they receive support in managing their career path and development prospects (63%). Satisfaction with remuneration is even lower (58%), with a significant 9-point gap between men (63%) and women (54%, stable compared to 2024). In addition, 71% of working people feel they have a high mental workload, a similar score for men (71%) and women (70%), and stable for the latter compared to 2024.
Although working people say they are largely satisfied with their personal lives and find pleasure in their non-work activities, many of them experience a high personal mental workload and feel stressed or anxious. This tension is particularly marked among precarious women and those most exposed to family responsibilities.
In 2025, nearly two-thirds of working people surveyed say they will experience a high mental workload in their personal lives (62%), a feeling particularly pronounced among caregivers (73%). This perception differs significantly by gender: 67% of women report a high personal mental workload, compared to 57% of men. The personal mental burden appears all the more pronounced among women when the family burden falls mainly on them (85% vs. 67% of men in the same situation), when they live in a household with children under 14 (82% vs. 65%), or when they have already taken parental leave (73% vs. 66%).
It should be noted, however, that in 2024, 71% of women said they had a high personal mental workload, down 4 points this year.
Despite positive developments since last year, the distribution of domestic and family responsibilities is unequal, and falls mainly on women, especially mothers.
Women, and especially those with dependent children, report a higher mental workload than men for :
- monitoring their children’s education (81% vs. 66%, +4pts vs. 2024)
- managing household finances: paying bills, planning expenses and savings (70% vs. 63%, +4pts vs. 2024)
- managing the family calendar: scheduling medical appointments, extracurricular activities and vacations (69% vs. 54%, -4pts vs. 2024)
- organizing household chores: shopping, cleaning, laundry… (67% vs 51%, -3pts vs 2024)
- maintaining social relationships: celebrating birthdays, keeping in touch with family and friends (60% vs. 52%, +3pts vs. 2024)
- household health and well-being: making sure everyone eats a balanced diet, looking after the sick (70% vs. 63%).
A high mental workload, with tangible effects on working people’s health, relationships and plans.
When asked about the impact of their mental workload on their personal lives, 81% of working people report a deterioration in their physical and/or mental health, as well as difficulties in disconnecting (66% of whom cite this first). Nearly 1 in 2 working people also mention a deterioration in personal and/or family relationships, or giving up on personal projects (45%, of which 20% cite this first).
As for mental workload, 67% of employees (46% of whom cite it first) see it as a deterioration in physical and/or mental health at work, including an increase in chronic fatigue (35%) and stress (28%).
Lightening the mental, personal or professional load: a strong expectation of support from the employer, and a variety of solutions mentioned
When asked what employers can do to alleviate mental workload, employees first cite time and space dedicated to well-being (43%), followed by better organization of work and teams (37%), a reduction in workload (35%), social and psychological support (30%), policies to support work-life balance (28%) and, finally, exchanges with managers (19%), and a reduction in the level of demands placed on the work performed (18%).
