HSE Urges Employers To Act On Work Related Stress During Stress Awareness Week

The Health and Safety Executive is calling on employers and managers to take practical steps to prevent and manage work related stress, reminding organisations that stress is a workplace health and safety risk and promoting its Working Minds tools and five Rs approach.

As Stress Awareness Week begins, the Health and Safety Executive is urging employers and managers to take practical action to prevent and manage work related stress. HSE notes that work related stress remains one of the leading causes of work related ill health in Great Britain and that small workplace actions such as starting conversations and reviewing pressures can reduce harm and support attendance and performance.

HSE reminds employers that they must assess and manage the risks of work related stress in the same way as other workplace health and safety risks. That means identifying causes of stress, assessing who may be affected and taking steps to eliminate or control those risks rather than treating stress as a purely personal issue.

The Working Minds campaign offers a five Rs approach to guide managers: reach out by starting conversations about wellbeing; recognise the signs and causes of stress; respond by taking practical measures and offering support; reflect by reviewing what is working; and make it routine by embedding good practice into day to day work. HSE also promotes its Management Standards approach which focuses on six areas employers should consider when assessing stress risks: Demands, Control, Support, Relationships, Role and Change.

Practical actions HSE suggests during the week and beyond include reviewing stress risk assessments to ensure they reflect current pressures, using the Talking Toolkit for structured conversations, discussing the six Management Standards areas with teams, and encouraging managers to use Working Minds training and resources. HSE highlights that its free materials include the Talking Toolkit, a Stress Indicator Tool, online learning modules and downloadable guidance to help employers plan and act.

HSE Corporate News