Survey examines team dynamics and leadership challenges
The headlines of a new survey examining wellbeing in the workplace show how more than 60% of respondents are optimistic about career opportunities when looking ahead to 2030 – despite the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Secrets from a Coach podcast is releasing the findings from its 2025 Wellbeing at Work Survey. The regular podcasts are hosted by wellness coach Debbie Green at Wishfish and TEDx speaker Laura Thomson-Staveley at Phenomenal Training.
The study takes a deep dive into workplace wellness, team dynamics and leadership challenges in the advent of AI.
The survey reveals managers are good at their personal wellbeing. Almost three quarters (73%) of respondents get outside at least once a day.
Other common self-care approaches include eating regularly (58%), exercise (58%), connecting with others (57%) and maintaining good sleep hygiene (45%).
However, only 40% are using mindfulness techniques such as meditation or breathing practices.
The team explain the results suggest many leaders may not be investing in comprehensive wellbeing strategies. And this may mean they’re potentially limiting their effectiveness in supporting teams.
‘Leaders who are genuinely trying to do the right thing’
The findings reveal overwhelming workloads (58%), time pressures (53%) and lack of support from senior leadership (30%) are among the top obstacles preventing managers from providing the support their teams need during challenging periods.
It means there’s the potential for creating a cycle where stressed leaders struggle to help stressed team members.
The top concern for the biggest barrier to working well together as a team is a general air of pessimism (23%), closely followed by lack of engagement in business vision and weak professional relationships (both at 22%). Low team morale and poor motivation are ranking fourth at 13%.
Together, these four people-focused barriers account for approximately 80% of responses. Analysts say it highlights the fundamental challenge lies in team culture, emotional engagement and relationship quality.
In more upbeat news, UK managers have high confidence in handling mental health conversations, averaging eight out of 10. The distribution is overwhelmingly positive, with an extraordinary 93% of managers rating their confidence at seven or above.
This represents a significant cultural shift in workplace mental health around employee wellbeing.
The data suggests that mental health conversations have successfully transitioned from being taboo or intimidating topics to becoming a standard, comfortable part of managerial responsibilities.
‘Barriers to supporting teams effectively need urgent attention’
‘These findings paint a picture of leaders who are genuinely trying to do the right thing for their teams and themselves, but who are facing systemic challenges that make it difficult,’ explains Debbie Green, wellness coach at Wishfish and podcast host.
‘The commitment to professional development and growing confidence around mental health conversations is encouraging, but the barriers to supporting teams effectively need urgent attention.’
Notably, when it comes to AI the survey results reveal a thoughtfully mixed response from managers, with an average rating of six out of 10 indicating moderate optimism that sits slightly above neutral territory.
Rather than showing consensus, the responses are well-distributed across the scale, suggesting genuine mixed feelings about AI’s career impact.
Three distinct groups emerge from the data: a cautious / neutral section representing 33% of respondents (ratings four to five) who remain uncertain about AI’s benefits, an optimistic group of 38% (ratings eight to 10).
This group shows genuine enthusiasm for AI’s potential. Finally, there’s a group of sceptics 27% (ratings one to four). They express concern or pessimism.
Further results indicate managers tend to lean towards either neutral / cautious positions or genuine optimism – rather than sitting in the middle ground.
This distribution suggests that UK managers are neither panicking about potential job displacement – nor blindly embracing the technology.
Secrets from a Coach hosts: Debbie Green and Laura Thompson
Evidence-based approach to assessing AI’s implications
The data implies they’re taking a measured, evidence-based approach to assessing AI’s implications for their career trajectories.
‘The AI results are particularly fascinating – with an average optimism rating of 6 out of 10, it’s clear that managers are neither panicking about AI nor completely embracing it yet,’ says Laura Thomson-Staveley, L&D consultant at Phenomenal Training and podcast host.
‘This measured approach suggests leaders are still figuring out how AI will reshape their roles and career paths.’
‘Combined with the team motivation challenges we’re seeing, it points to a workforce in transition, trying to balance human connection with technological advancement.’
The survey also found that UK managers demonstrate cautiously positive sentiment about their personal career prospects looking ahead to 2030 (average rating 70%).
Notably, almost two thirds (63%) of respondents rated their career optimism between seven to 10 out of 10. This is suggesting solid but measured expectations.
Respondents expressed stronger confidence in their organisation’s long-term success, with an average rating of seven out of 10.
Resilience and adaptability
The data shows a clear positive skew, with rating 8 out of 10 being the most frequent response at 25%, followed by rating nine out of 10 at 20%. The survey’s research team says this demonstrates faith in companies’ resilience and adaptability.
The higher concentration at the upper end of the scale, combined with relatively few responses below rating six (only 20% total), suggest managers believe their organisations are well-positioned to navigate future challenges.
The professional development data reveals a mixed commitment to learning among managers, with half (50%) investing a modest one to three hours monthly in continuing professional development (CPD).
This is complemented by more than a quarter (27%) who demonstrate significantly higher commitment by dedicating one to three days per month to their development, suggesting these leaders recognise the importance of substantial skill-building in today’s rapidly evolving workplace.
The research team highlights a key part of the data which shows 17% of managers invest no time whatsoever in CPD. That said, 77% of managers are investing some time in development.
The full survey results and analysis will be discussed in detail on upcoming episodes of Secrets from a Coach, with the hosts exploring practical strategies for addressing the key challenges identified.
Wellbeing at Work Survey 2025: A nationwide approach
The Secrets from a Coach – Wellbeing at Work Survey 2025 was conducted between April and July 2025, collecting responses from 61 managers and directors across the UK.
Respondents represented a diverse range of industries including healthcare, retail, government, media and entertainment, housing, health and beauty and education.
The survey examined workplace patterns, professional development habits, team dynamics and attitudes towards AI, wellbeing and mental health.