Stress Awareness Week: Take positive action on work-related stress

Stress Awareness Week is a reminder that preventing and managing work-related stress starts with action. By recognising the signs, understanding the causes and taking practical steps to address them, employers can help create healthier, more productive workplaces.

This year’s theme is “Shaping the Future of Stress and Wellbeing: Rehumanising the Workplace”. It highlights the importance of creating working environments where people feel supported, listened to and valued.

Work-related stress remains one of the leading causes of work-related ill health. Left unaddressed, it can affect workers’ health and wellbeing. It can also increase sickness absence and impact workplace performance.

Employers have a legal duty to protect workers from risks to their health, including risks to mental health caused by work. The good news is that work-related stress can be prevented and managed, and small actions taken consistently can make a big difference.

Every workplace can take positive steps to reduce stress and improve wellbeing. This might mean starting a conversation, reviewing workplace pressures or making use of available support.

Understanding the causes of stress at work

To effectively prevent work-related stress, employers need to understand what may be contributing to it.

HSE’s Management Standards approach identifies six areas of work that, if not managed effectively, can contribute to stress:

• Demands
• Control
• Support
• Relationships
• Role
• Change

By reviewing these areas and engaging with workers, employers can identify risks and take action before they affect health and wellbeing.

Identifying which of these areas may be contributing to stress in your organisation is often the first step towards making meaningful improvements.

Take action with the 5Rs

Once you’ve identified the causes of stress in your workplace, HSE’s Working Minds campaign provides a practical framework for taking action through the 5Rs:

• Reach out – start conversations about stress and mental wellbeing
• Recognise – understand the signs and causes of stress
• Respond – take action to address concerns and support workers
• Reflect – review what is working and where improvements can be made
• Make it routine – embed good practice into everyday working life

The 5Rs help employers move from recognising risks to taking practical action. Making them part of everyday business can help build healthier, safer and more productive workplaces.

Whether you’re reviewing your current approach or looking for practical support to get started, these resources can help.

Choose one action this Stress Awareness Week

This Stress Awareness Week, choose one practical action to get started.

Use the Talking Toolkit to start a conversation. Review the six Management Standards areas with your team. Explore the free Working Minds resources and choose one action to take this week.

Taking action on work-related stress does not have to be complicated. One conversation, one review or one practical change could make a real difference to your workers’ health and wellbeing.

Find out more

Visit the Working Minds campaign for free tools, guidance and practical resources to help prevent and manage work-related stress in your workplace.

One conversation, one review or one practical change could make a real difference. Start with one action today.