Galway workplace wellbeing specialist highlights problems caused by stress and exhaustion
A Galway-based workplace wellbeing specialist has claimed that employees across Ireland are continuing to experience high levels of stress, exhaustion, and poor work/life balance – despite many workplaces investing in wellness programmes.
Sinéad Mc Kiernan says that recent research from PwC Ireland shows that over a third (36%) of Irish workers feel overwhelmed at work at least once a week.
She was commenting as Ireland marked National Workplace Wellbeing Day this week – led by Ibec and now in its twelfth year – and she said that companies should be encouraged to look beyond once-off initiatives and focus on the deeper cultural factors that influence employee wellbeing.
“Workplace wellbeing is often associated with perks or wellness days,” she said.
“While these can be positive, they don’t address the everyday pressures people are facing. What employees really need are supportive environments where expectations are realistic and communication is clear.”
Sinéad Mc Kiernan has over 20 years’ experience across the arts, wellbeing and education sectors, designing and delivering programmes for charities, community groups and corporate organisations.
She holds a postgraduate qualification in Workplace Wellbeing from Trinity College Dublin.
She has worked on long-term projects with organisations including Wayfair, the HSE, CAMHS, Healthy Ireland, Galway Sports Partnership and Galway Autism Partnership.
And she has collaborated on wellbeing initiatives with TG4, Arup, Aro, Baboró Children’s Festival, the Simon Community, Glenlo Abbey, University of Galway and GTI.
Backed by that experienced across community, healthcare, education, and corporate sectors, Ms Mc Kiernan highlights that many employees across the West of Ireland are balancing demanding roles alongside rising living costs, childcare pressures, and caring responsibilities.
Employees are not lacking motivation,. They are trying to sustain energy in systems that can sometimes expect too much for too long.
Research from Ibec and Healthy Ireland continues to identify stress and workload as key concerns for Irish workers.
“Employees are not lacking motivation,” she said. “They are trying to sustain energy in systems that can sometimes expect too much for too long.”
“This year’s focus on belonging is important,” she adds, “but for many employees, that sense of belonging is undermined by workload pressures and unclear expectations.”
She emphasises that meaningful workplace wellbeing is shaped less by visible perks and more by how organisations operate on a daily basis.
The foundations of effective workplace wellbeing are often simple but require consistency, said Ms Mc Kiernan.
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Clear communication, fair and transparent pay structures, manageable workloads, and clarity around roles all play a significant role in how employees experience their work.
She also highlighted the importance of supportive leadership, flexible working options where possible, and creating a respectful culture where employees feel valued and heard.
“These are the elements that make a lasting difference – not just once-off initiatives, but how people are treated every day at work,” she said.
She also pointed to the importance of embedding policies into workplace culture. While Ireland’s Right to Disconnect Code of Practice has been a positive step, its effectiveness depends on how it is lived within organisations.
“Policies only work when employees feel safe to use them. Leadership behaviour is key. When managers model healthy boundaries, it sets the tone for the entire organisation,” she said.
International examples, including reduced working hour trials in Iceland and four-day work week pilots in the UK, demonstrate that prioritising employee wellbeing can also support productivity and retention.
As organisations mark Workplace Wellbeing Day, Mc Kiernan is encouraging employers to use the opportunity to reflect on long-term change rather than short-term initiatives.
“Workplace wellbeing is not built in a single day,” she says. “It is shaped by everyday practices, communication, and culture.”