News: Stress is a health and safety risk – and it’s the law to act
As Stress Awareness Week 2025 gets underway, we’re reminding employers that work-related stress is a legal health and safety issue – not just a wellbeing initiative.
Why it matters
Work-related stress remains one of the leading causes of ill health at work.
In 2023/24, 776,000 workers reported experiencing work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. This accounted for nearly half of all self-reported work-related ill health, resulting in 16.4 million working days lost.
If left unaddressed, stress can lead to increased sickness absence, reduced productivity, and higher staff turnover.
Taking simple, reasonable steps can help you stay compliant and foster a healthier, more resilient workforce.
It’s the law to assess stress risks
Think about the pressures your employees are under. Take steps to understand them – then act on what you find.
Work-related stress is not just a wellbeing concern – it’s a legal obligation. Employers must assess stress risks and take steps to prevent harm under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Proactive action is key – don’t wait for problems to arise.
Support from HSE
The Working Minds campaign is here to help.
It’s built around 5 simple steps, the 5 Rs:
- Reach out – start the conversation
- Recognise – spot signs and causes of stress
- Respond – agree actions and make changes
- Reflect – review what’s working
- Make it Routine – embed stress prevention in everyday practice
“Prevention is better than cure.” says Kayleigh Roberts, HSE’s Work-Related Stress Policy Lead. “By acting early, employers can protect wellbeing, reduce absence, and retain experienced staff.”
What to do this week – help spread the word
During Stress Awareness Week, take the opportunity to:
- Review your stress risk assessment to ensure it’s up to date.
- Use the Talking Toolkit to guide structured conversations with your teams about the six key causes of stress: Demands, Control, Support, Relationships, Role, and Change.
- Encourage managers to complete the free Working Minds online learning modules.
- Share Working Minds resources with your team to raise awareness.
- Talk about stress at team meetings and one-to-ones.
- Use the Stress Indicator Tool to gather anonymous feedback from your team.
Small, meaningful actions can help make stress prevention part of your workplace culture.
Our campaign partner Mind‘s reflection for Stress Awareness Week:
“Life can feel challenging for many of us, both in and outside of work. That’s why it’s so important that work doesn’t add to the pressure. As a proud Working Minds partner, Mind is supporting employers and workers to prevent work-related stress and create mentally healthy workplaces.”
Visit the Working Minds campaign website pages to access tools, templates, and free training.
Other helpful resources
see more about work-related stress and the law
find out how you can support the Working Minds campaign