Luminate Evidence Hub | The Research Behind Our Programmes

Every number has a source.

At Luminate, we don’t make claims lightly. Every figure we share is grounded in independent research, global data, and peer-reviewed studies.

This Evidence Hub sets out the studies and sources behind our programmes — so you can see exactly where our numbers come from. We keep this page updated, and if you ever spot anything out of date, please let us know and we’ll fix it.

Section 1: The Cost of Stress in UK Workplaces

Stress is one of the biggest hidden drains on productivity and profitability. These studies show its scale across the UK workforce.

£51bn annual cost to UK employers of stress-related issues (Deloitte UK, 2024).
79% of employees commonly report work-related stress (CIPHR, 2024).
9.4 days average stress-related absence per employee per year (CIPD, 2025).
Unhappy employees take 3× more sick days (14 vs 5 annually) (WPI Economics & Unum, 2023).
16.4m working days lost specifically to stress, depression, and anxiety (HSE, 2024).
78% say stress harms performance (UKG Workforce Institute, 2023).

For an estimate tailored to your organisation, try our Cost of Stress Calculator

Section 2: Presenteeism & Hidden Productivity Loss

The largest cost of stress is not absence but presenteeism — employees working while unwell. Research shows this impact can be 1.5–2× greater than sickness absence

Presenteeism costs employers 1.5–2× more than absence (Deloitte, 2022).
We work out a presenteeism cost per employee per year as roughly equivalent to £806, based on the above range from Deloitte as well as its 2024 national estimate of £24–28bn presenteeism cost (Deloitte, 2024), divided by 30.3m payrolled employees (ONS, 2025).
Presenteeism remains is an under-reported drains on business performance (High Speed Training, 2023).

Our Reset Programme tackles presenteeism by equipping employees with proven stress-management tools in a one-to-one environment tailored to the individual.

Section 3: Employee Turnover & Retention

Poor wellbeing drives churn. Replacing staff is costly, and stress is a major contributor to rising turnover across industries.

15% average annual turnover rate (CIPD, 2025).
£30,614 replacement cost per leaver (Oxford Economics, 2014).
More recent estimates are 50% to 200% of annual salary depending on the role and seniority of the individual (SHRM, 2025).
Stress and poor wellbeing are major attrition drivers: 41% of employees report daily stress (Gallup, 2024).

Leadership capability is central to retention — see how our Rise Programmes develop leaders who inspire loyalty and performance with coaching tailored to their individual goals, underpinned by practical tools and resources customised to their level of experience and responsibility.

Section 4: The ROI of Coaching & Wellbeing

Well-designed coaching and wellbeing programmes consistently deliver a strong return on investment, improving engagement, retention, and performance.

£5 return per £1 invested in workplace mental health programmes (Deloitte, 2022 & 2024)
£4–£9 return per £1 invested in workplace mental health and wellbeing (Deloitte UK, 2022 & 2024)
$3–$11 ROI (avg $7) per $1 invested in leadership development (New Level Work, 2023)
21% greater profitability and lower turnover in high-engagement organisations (Gallup, 2024)
25% boost in leadership effectiveness after structured coaching (ICF , 2023).

👉 Together, these studies show that investment in resilience, wellbeing, and leadership consistently delivers positive financial returns.

We measure ROI through our proprietary Resilience Impact Index™, embedding these outcomes into every programme.

Section 5: The Effectiveness of EFT & Somatic Tools

EFT is one of the few wellbeing interventions with strong peer-reviewed evidence showing both psychological and physiological benefits.

43% cortisol reduction after a single EFT session (Church et al., 2012)
40% reduction in anxiety and 35% reduction in depression, plus 35% increase in happiness after EFT intervention (Bach et al, 2018)
40% increase in confidence after four EFT sessions (EFT International, 2023).

👉 We integrate EFT into our Rise coaching track to accelerate emotional regulation, resilience, and wellbeing outcomes.

Learn more about how EFT integrates into coaching for resilience and emotional regulation.

Section 6: Coaching & Leadership Outcomes

Coaching strengthens leadership capability, team performance, and organisational resilience — outcomes that matter directly to business results.

43% less cortisol after one EFT session (Church et al., 2012)
92% of organisations say coaching accelerates employee upskilling (ICF & Human Capital Institute, 2023).
88% improvement in productivity when coaching is combined with training versus 22% from training alone (Olivero, Bane & Kopelman, 1997)
90% of organisations say coaching improves employee wellbeing (ICF & Human Capital Institute, 2023).
40% increase in confidence after four EFT sessions (EFT International Research Summary 2022).
40% reduction in anxiety and 35% reduction in depression after EFT (Bach et al., 2019)

For long-term change, our Renew programme combines one-to-one leadership development with stress management for sustained organisational impact.

This Evidence Hub is a curated collection of external primary research we draw on in our work. All links go directly to the original studies or trusted institutions (Deloitte, CIPD, Gallup, ONS, SHRM, ICF, HBR, EFT International). For specific queries, please contact us.