Work Related Stress

• Since 2019, the total annual cost of poor mental health has increased by 25%, costing UK employers up to £56 billion a year!. 

• Over half of working days are lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. 

• Stress, depression and anxiety are the number one reasons for work-related illness in the UK and figures continue to rise.

• Independent reports suggests employers could see a return of £5.30 on average for every £1 invested in staff wellbeing!

What is stress?

The HSE definition of stress is ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them’.

Workers feel stress when they can’t cope with pressures and other issues. Employers should match demands to workers’ skills and knowledge. For example, workers can get stressed if they feel they don’t have the skills or time to meet tight deadlines. Providing planning, training and support can reduce pressure and bring stress levels down.

It’s important to consider that stress affects people differently – what stresses one person may not affect another. Factors like skills and experience, age or disability may all affect whether a worker can cope.

There are six main areas of work design which can affect stress levels. These should be managed properly. They are:

• Demands – this includes issues such as workload, work patterns and the work environment

• Control – how much say the person has in the way they do their work

• Support – this includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues

• Relationships – this includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour

• Role – whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles

• Change – how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation

Employers should assess the risks in these areas to manage stress in the workplace.

Signs of stress

Stress itself is not an illness, but it can make you ill. Recognising the signs of stress will help employers to take steps to stop, lower and manage stress in their workplace.

There may be signs of stress in a team such as:

• more arguments

• higher staff turnover

• more reports of stress

• more sickness absences

• decrease in work performance

• more complaints and grievances

Or a change in the way someone acts can be a sign of stress, for example they may:

• taking more time off

• arriving for work later than normal

• being more twitchy or nervous

A change in the way someone thinks or feels can also be a sign of stress, for example:

• change in mood

• being withdrawn

• loss of motivation, commitment and confidence

• increased emotional reactions – being more tearful, sensitive or even aggressive

So, what do I need to do as an Employer?

Employers have a legal duty to protect workers from stress at work by doing a risk assessment and acting on it.

If you have fewer than five workers, you don't have to write anything down. But it is useful to do this, so you can review it later if something changes. If you have five or more workers, you are required by law to write the risk assessment down.

The earlier a problem is tackled the less impact it will have. If you think that a worker is having problems, encourage them to seek support : talk to someone, whether it’s their line manager, trade union representative, GP or their occupational health team.

Working Minds recommends employers follow five simple steps based on risk assessment. They are to: 

Reach out and have conversations, 

Recognise the signs and causes of stress, 

Respond to any risks you’ve identified, 

Reflect on actions you’ve agreed and taken, and 

Routine. It needs to become the norm to talk about stress and how people are feeling and coping at work.

Further Guidance available:

New workplace stress tool: https://workingminds.focusgames.com/. Created as part of HSE’s Working Minds campaign( which promotes good mental health in the workplace) the tool is made up of six short modules. These take employers through relatable, everyday scenarios, such as how to recognise the signs of stress in individuals and teams like regular lateness to work, being withdrawn and higher staff turnover.

Talking Toolkits:   The toolkit has six templates for six different conversations. Each of these has a different theme designed to get line managers and employees talking about issues which may be causing work-related stress or issues which could have the potential to become future causes if not managed properly.

Example risk assessments

WBK01 ‘Tackling work-related stress using the Management Standards approach’: Free to download from the HSE website