Work Related Stress

The HSE are encouraging employers and managers to follow the 5 simple steps of Working Minds over the course of the month:

These 5 small steps can set your workplace on the right path to reducing the risks of stress and promoting good mental health for everyone.

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

Employees may feel stress or anxiety when they can’t cope with pressures and other issues placed upon them. Employers should ensure that work demands are suitably matched 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. Employers should consider the provision of adequate planning, training and support which can reduce pressure and work related stress.

Stress affects people differently – what stresses one person may not affect another. Factors like skills and experience, age or disability may all affect whether an employee can cope.

There are six main areas of work design which can affect stress levels. As an employer, you should manage these properly. They are:

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

Employers have a legal duty to protect workers from stress at work by completing a risk assessment. Employers should assess the risk of work related stress, and its impact on mental and physical ill-health, in the same way as you assess other work-related health and safety risks.

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

Any paperwork you produce should help you communicate and manage the risks in your business. For most people this does not need to be a big exercise – just note the main points about the significant risks and what you decided.

Your risk assessment will help you to identify potential risks to your workers from stress and to take action to protect them. You could review policies on bullying, harassment, and discrimination, and check that your first aid needs assessment considers physical and mental health needs.

If you require any help or guidance to assess the risks in these areas to manage stress in the workplace, please contact Spectra to discuss how we can assist?