A new report launched at the Helping Hands: Valuing the Advice Workforce Conference on 25th June is calling for urgent action to tackle workforce burnout, low retention, and unsustainable work patterns in London’s social welfare advice sector. The Stepping off the Hamster Wheel Report, commissioned by London Citizens Advice and London Legal Support Trust paints a vivid picture of sector under immense pressure, and sets out practical evidence-based recommendations for change.
Authored by Jo Hickman, the report draws on interviews, coaching insights, and sector-wide research. It reveals that much of the advice workforce feels stuck in a cycle of relentless busyness, with people in a range of roles and organisations consistently describing themselves as feeling as if they are “on a hamster wheel”. Despite efforts like resilience training and Employee Assistance Programmes, many workers remain overwhelmed, stressed, and at risk of burnout, especially amid the ongoing housing crisis and stagnant wages. The report stresses that meaningful improvements to workplace wellbeing will require initiatives at the sector and organisational level, not just individual-level interventions like mindfulness workshops.
Jo said “There is persuasive evidence that a more strategic commitment to wellbeing will have widespread benefits for the sector, its staff and the wider society. We need to act now both to improve outcomes and to ensure long term sustainability”
The report invites all sector organisations to shift their focus from retention towards ensuring “good jobs” with sustainable workloads, opportunities for learning and growth, and psychologically safe workspaces. Key recommendations include standardising how well-being is measured, setting sector-wide goals to improve job quality, and reducing overwhelming workloads. Jo also highlights the need for leadership development to unlock potential at all levels and a cultural shift towards more open dialogue and shared accountability.
Nezahat Cihan, CEO of London Legal Support Trust, welcomed the report’s challenges to the status quo. “Advice workers are under tremendous pressure”, she said. “They are overworked and underpaid, often operating in a sector that faces challenges including increasing demand, complexity, and a competitive and short-term funding environment. This report offers a fresh perspective, questioning our organisational cultures, introducing new insights, and highlighting the need for internal change to help us rise to the challenges we face.”
James Sandbach, Development Manager at London Citizens Advice, added “With this important report, and at our recent Conference, we are shining a light on issues in our sector that are sometimes neglected or hard to talk about – we must value the advice workforce more, as without the advice workforce there is no advice sector. There are important messages here for funders also, on how more needs to be done to support everyone working at the frontline of advice service.”
Despite ongoing funding challenges, the report points to evidence suggesting that significant progress can nonetheless be achieved with targeted actions to rethink and revise ways of working in the sector.