Assess organisational risk
Conduct regular stress risk assessments at both organisational and team levels. Use anonymous surveys, focus groups, and data (absence, overtime, turnover, grievances) to identify hotspots.
guide
Managing Work-Related Stress: Employer Guidance
SECTION GUIDE
Why employers must take work-related stress seriously
As International Stress Awareness Week (3–7 November 2025) approaches, now is the perfect time for employers to review how they protect staff from work-related stress — one of the leading causes of workplace ill health in the UK.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must, so far as is reasonably practicable, safeguard employees’ health, safety and welfare. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 reinforce this duty by requiring employers to assess and control risks, including those arising from stress at work.
Unmanaged work-related stress costs UK employers billions each year in absenteeism, presenteeism, and turnover — but it’s also entirely preventable with the right approach.
What is work-related stress?
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines work-related stress as:
“The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work.”
This arises when the demands of the job exceed a person’s ability to cope or when they lack the resources or support needed to meet expectations.
Common symptoms include fatigue, anxiety, irritability, and declining performance. Left unaddressed, work-related stress can lead to mental ill health, burnout, and even safety risks in high-hazard environments.
The HSE’s Working Minds campaign encourages employers to tackle the root causes of stress and to build supportive, psychologically safe workplaces.
Work-Related Stress
The HSE Management Standards for Work-Related Stress
Demands
What it covers:
The Demands standard looks at workload, work patterns, and the physical working environment. Stress arises when employees feel they have too much to do, work long hours, or face conflicting priorities without adequate support.
Why it matters:
Unrealistic expectations, time pressure and poor work design are among the top causes of work-related stress in the UK. Left unmanaged, they lead to fatigue, errors, and burnout.
Practical controls:
- Conduct workload assessments and monitor peaks or persistent overtime.
- Set realistic deadlines and prioritise quality over quantity.
- Ensure adequate staffing and resource allocation.
- Design jobs to include appropriate recovery time, breaks and rotation.
- Review environmental factors such as noise, temperature, and ergonomics.
Tip: Encourage managers to have open conversations about capacity — this often uncovers hidden pressure points before they escalate.
Control
What it covers:
Control refers to the degree of autonomy employees have in how they do their work. People experience less stress when they have input over decisions that affect them, such as task methods, scheduling, or problem-solving.
Why it matters:
Lack of control can make employees feel powerless and disengaged. Giving people a sense of ownership increases motivation and resilience, reducing the risk of stress-related illness.
Practical controls:
- Involve employees in setting objectives, priorities and timelines.
- Offer flexible working options (e.g. start times, remote days).
- Encourage innovation and empower staff to make day-to-day decisions.
- Include employees in consultations on changes to systems or processes.
- Recognise contributions and celebrate initiative.
Tip: Autonomy doesn’t mean absence of support — combine freedom with coaching and feedback to create trust and accountability.
Support
What it covers:
The Support standard focuses on encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management, and colleagues. This includes emotional support, training, and access to practical tools that help employees perform effectively.
Why it matters:
Inadequate support is one of the strongest predictors of work-related stress. Employees who feel isolated or undervalued are more likely to disengage and take stress-related absence.
Practical controls:
- Provide regular feedback and recognition of good work.
- Promote open communication and psychological safety.
- Offer Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) and Occupational Health access.
- Ensure managers are approachable and trained to provide empathy-based support.
- Foster team cohesion through collaboration and informal check-ins.
Tip: Support is both cultural and structural — encourage leaders to model empathy and openness consistently.
Relationships
What it covers:
Relationships concern how people interact at work, including the need to promote positive working relationships and manage unacceptable behaviour such as bullying, harassment or conflict.
Why it matters:
Toxic workplace relationships are one of the most common triggers for work-related stress and can damage morale, retention and reputation if left unresolved.
Practical controls:
- Set clear behavioural standards and enforce anti-bullying and dignity-at-work policies.
- Provide conflict resolution training for managers and team leaders.
- Intervene early in disputes to prevent escalation.
- Promote a respectful and inclusive culture.
- Celebrate diversity and team success to build unity.
Tip: Encourage employees to speak up safely — zero tolerance for bullying must be backed by clear procedures and visible leadership commitment.
Role
What it covers:
The Role standard ensures that people understand their responsibilities and how their work fits into the organisation’s objectives. Role ambiguity or conflict can create confusion, frustration and stress.
Why it matters:
When expectations are unclear or overlapping, employees waste energy trying to reconcile competing demands. Clarity supports accountability, efficiency, and wellbeing.
Practical controls:
- Maintain accurate, up-to-date job descriptions.
- Provide clear reporting lines and escalation routes.
- Offer structured induction and regular performance reviews.
- Communicate how each role contributes to organisational goals.
- Avoid placing employees in conflicting positions or dual reporting structures.
Tip: Review role clarity during organisational change — evolving structures often create uncertainty that increases stress risk.
Change
What it covers:
The Change standard relates to how organisational change is planned, communicated and implemented. Poorly managed change — such as restructures, redundancies or technology rollouts — can create widespread anxiety and stress.
Why it matters:
Employees who feel uninformed or excluded during change lose trust and motivation. Transparent, early communication helps them adapt and stay engaged.
Practical controls:
- Communicate early and often, even when not all details are final.
- Provide opportunities for consultation and feedback.
- Support managers with scripts and FAQs to ensure consistent messaging.
- Recognise the emotional impact of change and offer wellbeing resources.
- Follow up after implementation to review impact and lessons learned.
Tip: Involve employees as partners in change — engagement, not just communication, builds resilience.
The HSE Management Standards for Work-Related Stress
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) developed the Management Standards to help organisations identify, assess and control the main causes of work-related stress.
These standards provide a structured and measurable framework to assess how well you manage stress risks — not just at an individual level, but across teams and the organisation as a whole.
By implementing each of the six standards, employers can create safer, healthier and more productive workplaces — while meeting their legal obligations under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Putting the standards into action
By integrating these six standards into a work-related stress risk assessment, employers can take an evidence-based and proactive approach to managing stress.
The results can inform wellbeing strategies, policy updates, and training — helping ensure compliance with HSE guidance while improving employee morale and retention.
Practical steps to prevent and manage work-related stress
Improve work design
Balance workloads, review job demands, and ensure roles are clearly defined. Involve employees in planning change and create predictable routines to reduce uncertainty.
Train and support managers
Equip line managers to recognise early signs of stress, have open conversations, and implement reasonable adjustments where needed.
Provide clear pathways to help
Offer confidential access to Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), Occupational Health services, and peer support networks. Promote them regularly, not just reactively.
Model healthy behaviours
Encourage work-life balance, limit out-of-hours communication, and celebrate teams who prioritise wellbeing. Lead by example at senior levels.
Monitor and review outcomes
Use HR and absence data to track trends in work-related stress, anxiety or depression, and report findings transparently. Review actions regularly with employee representatives.
Legal insight: Walker v Northumberland County Council (1995)
A landmark case in work-related stress law, Walker v Northumberland County Council established that once an employer is aware of an employee’s stress-related illness, they must take reasonable steps to prevent a recurrence.
Mr Walker, a senior social worker, suffered two breakdowns caused by excessive workload. His employer failed to act after the first, and the court held them liable for the second — reinforcing that foreseeable stress risks must be addressed proactively.
Action ideas for International Stress Awareness Week 2025
- Brief your leadership team on their duties under the HSE stress regulations and your organisation’s stress risk profile.
- Run a short pulse survey to identify key sources of work-related stress.
- Hold wellbeing check-ins — encourage managers to Reach out, Recognise, Respond and Reflect.
- Review your wellbeing policy and include clear responsibilities for managing stress.
- Promote awareness of confidential support options (EAP, OH) and reduce stigma around mental health conversations.
Your Questions Answered
Everything you need to know about Work-Related Stress
What causes work-related stress?
Common causes of work-related stress include excessive workload, tight deadlines, unclear job roles, lack of management support, poor communication, conflict at work, and poorly managed organisational change.
Stress can also be triggered by low job control, inadequate resources, or unsupportive cultures that discourage open conversations about wellbeing.
What is a work-related stress risk assessment?
A work-related stress risk assessment is a structured process employers use to identify sources of stress, evaluate the risks, and decide on actions to control them.
It mirrors any other health and safety assessment — but focuses on psychosocial hazards such as workload, role clarity, or management style.
HSE’s Management Standards framework provides a practical starting point for employers to benchmark their performance.
Are employers legally required to manage work-related stress?
Yes. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers must protect employees from risks to their health, including stress-related illness.
Failing to act on known risks may expose an employer to claims for negligence or breach of duty. Managing stress is a legal, moral, and commercial imperative.
What are the early warning signs of work-related stress?
Signs vary, but common indicators include increased absence, lateness, irritability, reduced concentration, lower productivity, or withdrawal from colleagues.
Physically, employees may report headaches, fatigue or sleep problems. Managers should be trained to spot and discuss changes in behaviour early, not just wait for formal complaints or absence.
How can small businesses manage work-related stress effectively?
Even small organisations can make a big difference with a few consistent actions:
- Hold regular check-ins or wellbeing discussions.
- Use short anonymous pulse surveys to detect stress factors.
- Ensure clear job descriptions and fair workloads.
- Encourage time off and balanced work hours.
- Signpost staff to external support, such as Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs).
Consistency and empathy matter more than formal systems in smaller teams.
How can HR technology help reduce work-related stress?
Modern HR Information Systems (HRIS) like Breathe HR help track absence, overtime and engagement data, flagging patterns that may indicate rising stress.
They also centralise wellbeing initiatives, simplify return-to-work processes, and ensure that managers act promptly on warning signs.
Using data to inform wellbeing decisions makes prevention proactive rather than reactive.
What are the HSE’s Management Standards for work-related stress?
The HSE Management Standards identify six key areas that, if poorly managed, cause work-related stress: Demands, Control, Support, Relationships, Role, and Change.
By assessing each area and consulting staff, employers can identify organisational stressors and implement controls — for example, balancing workloads, improving communication, and clarifying expectations.
How often should a work-related stress risk assessment be reviewed?
It’s best practice to review your stress risk assessment annually, or sooner if:
- There are major organisational changes (e.g. restructure, redundancy, new systems).
- Stress-related absence increases.
- Employee surveys reveal new concerns.
- Managers notice trends such as workload spikes or high turnover.
Regular reviews demonstrate continuous improvement and legal compliance.
What support can employers offer to employees affected by work-related stress?
Employers can offer a combination of formal and informal support, including:
- Access to Occupational Health or EAP counselling.
- Adjustments to workload or working hours.
- Confidential wellbeing discussions with trained managers.
- Peer support groups or mental health champions.
The goal is to remove stigma and make seeking help a normal, supported process.
Put this guidance into action
Use our Toolbox Talk to brief your managers and supervisors, and share the Checklist with your wider team to help embed safe working practices across your organisation.
Where to find out more A collection of hand-picked useful resources for Work-Related Stress from impact HR and beyond
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