Trigger Warning: this blog mentions suicide.
Empowering employers to create positive mental health in and through work so that work is good for workers’ mental health, is something we advocate for every day and is not just something that needs to be done when an awareness date reminds us to. However, awareness days enable us to raise awareness of, and understanding about, mental health and therefore to address the stigma that surrounds it.
Therefore, as April is Stress Awareness Month, this blog will cover what organisations are required to do in terms of identifying and mitigating the risk of stress for their workers, and provides an overview plan for how to do it.
Before we delve into the detail, we recommend that you start by filling in the form below in order to watch our short, accessible and inclusive Stress Awareness video series which takes you through the key steps:
- How to spot the signs of stress amongst your team members and colleagues.
- How to start a conversation, including identifying contributory risks.
- Why it is important to conduct individual stress risk assessments.
- How to make reasonable adjustments to mitigate risks.
- How and where to signpost further support, if needed.
Please fill in this form
Why this is important
Firstly, despite the legal requirement to identify and manage the negative impact of work-related stress (see below), it is still prevalent across workplaces and higher in some sectors:
- Stress, anxiety and depression accounted for 46% of work-related ill-health and 55% of all working days lost due to ill health in 2023/24 [1].
- Construction - a third of self-employed construction workers live with severe levels of anxiety [2] and have some of the highest rates of suicide in the country, at 3.7 times higher than the national average [3].
- Farming – 91% of farmers agree that poor mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing the industry [4].
- Logistics - 42% of warehouse workers have seen their mental health suffer because of their job [5].
- Transport - drivers of large goods vehicles had a suicide rate 20% higher than the national average [6].
Legal Duty
Secondly, “Employers have a legal duty to protect workers from stress at work by doing a risk assessment and acting on it. This is the same duty you have to protect people from other health and safety risks.” (Health and Safety Executive [7]). Despite this, a Mates in Mind survey [8] found that:
- Fewer than 10% of respondents said that their “line managers know how to undertake stress risk assessments and understand when they may be necessary” (almost 70% said they would not).
- Less than 20% have mental health policies in place (over 46% do not).
- Less than 13% said they have provided all employees with general mental health awareness training in the last two years (61% have not).
- However, almost 78% do record the reason for absence being related to stress or common mental health conditions.
It is important to note that in 2024, “The HSE confirmed active investigations concerning suspected organisational failures in managing mental health risks. Considering the substantial number of workdays lost each year to poor employee mental health and several recent high-profile suicide cases tied to job-related stress, businesses should anticipate more investigations in the upcoming months and years.” [9]
This is why we work with organisations of all sizes, to create cultures of prevention. Find out how we can help your organisation to build a mentally resilient workforce:
Join our community
Business case
There is also a strong business case for building positive mental health in the workplace as it increases productivity; reduces absenteeism, presenteeism and staff turnover, and therefore recruitment and onboarding costs. It also demonstrates that you are a good, safe, and supportive place to work.
According to Government statistics, on average, preventing a single job loss can save employers £8,000 in recruitment costs and business output [10].
In fact, analysis shows that employers that proactively invest in mental health support for their workforce can make significant gains, with an average £5 return for every £1 spent on wellbeing support [11].
Please watch video three in the stress awareness video series (by completing the form above) for more information.
Moral duty
Finally, but possibly most importantly, is that organisations have a moral duty to look after their own workers. Good mental wellbeing has positive impacts on everyone, e.g., confidence, purpose, achievement, self-esteem, positive relationships, and inclusion.
Conversely, if left unaddressed, stress can have a devastating impact on the individual, and it can have life changing repercussions for them, as well as their family, friends and colleagues. A recent report [12] revealed a 24% increase in ‘deaths by despair’ – “deaths attributed to alcohol, drugs and suicide” which had risen “since the pandemic, equating to approximately 3,700 additional deaths in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels. This surge is strongly linked to worsening mental health conditions”.
Please note: the following video is an emotional watch as it talks about Chris, who after a short period of intensive stress at work, took his own life. His family and colleagues share his story:
What are stress and burnout
What is stress?
Stress is the way we react to a perceived danger. It has two forms – one that builds up over time from regular stressors, like a heavy workload or noisy working conditions; the other is more dramatic and is caused by a sudden or unexpected event, like a car accident or a bereavement. Below are the six HSE Management Standards [13] which provide examples of work-related stressors:
- Demands - your workload and how challenging it is for you.
- Control - how much control you have over how, when and where you do your work.
- Support – how much help you get to do your job (when required) and how much training is provided.
- Role – whether the job is right, whether you want to do it, and if you can do it.
- Relationships – how you get on with your colleagues, including your line manager, and how well you work together.
- Change – how much notice you receive about upcoming changes and whether or not you agree with them.
Find out more about stress, how to build resilience and optimise your mental health in the following blog:
Six tips to optimise your mental wellbeing
What is burnout?
According to the World Health Organization [14], “Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
- increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
- reduced professional efficacy.”
Spot the signs
As we all know, everyone is different, so the signs that someone is experiencing stress or burnout will vary from one person to another, but as an overview the signs can include:
- Disrupted sleep.
- Muscle tension.
- Stomach or bowel upset.
- Anxiety or depression.
- Heart conditions.
- Feeling restless or agitated.
- Feeling tearful.
- Not wanting to talk to or be with people.
- Using alcohol or drugs to cope with your feelings.
- Finding it hard to cope with everyday things.
- Being late, absent or exhibiting ‘presenteeism’ at work.
- Lack of concentration.
- Not finding the joy in life.
Please watch video one in the stress awareness series for further details, and download the free infographic on spotting the signs of stress, depression and anxiety:
Download free resources
Solution
At Mates in Mind, we know that work can, and should, be good for workers’ mental health. We recommend that organisations adopt a proactive approach in order to build a culture that supports positive mental health in and through work. This includes empowering all employees through providing them with the information, education and advice that develops their competence and confidence to look after their own and their colleagues’ mental health, so that no-one reaches crisis point and good mental health becomes everyone’s responsibility.
Therefore, we recommend organisations adopt these steps:
- Management: Gaining management buy-in is an essential first step in ensuring that mental wellbeing is integrated into the organisation. Through open, collaborative, and inclusive communication, management can achieve wider organisational buy-in and manage any resistance to change.
- Assessment: Assess the current situation, identify any gaps in provision, and determine necessary changes. This can involve desk research (reviewing existing policies/health support, analysing sickness records, staff turnover rates, and reasons for leaving), as well as consulting with employees. Anonymous surveys (e.g., using an online tool like Survey Monkey) are recommended for employee consultation, as many UK employees do not feel comfortable disclosing mental health or psychological conditions. Please see our blog on assessment for more information.
- Targets: Define your vision and plan how to achieve it.
- Education: Provide the entire workforce with the skills, knowledge, tools, and confidence to create a peer support network, which will contribute to building a safer workplace for everyone. Please see the further information section below for relevant materials and courses.
- Support: Offer relevant provisions to enable employees, supply chains, and contractors to access the support they need when they need it.
To ensure the success of your strategy, it is important to:
- Communicate: Provide relevant, timely, and accessible communication materials to the workforce, demonstrating an open and supportive culture to address the stigma of mental health, and encourage and normalise conversations.
- Progress: Review the above stages at least every two years to evaluate the current situation, demonstrate progress, and identify new targets for the future.
There is more information on the importance of creating peer support networks; equality, diversity and inclusion; embedding the right policies; and how to implement the steps above, in this blog:
Read our blog on workplace culture
Further information
To help you work through the above steps you may find the following resources and training helpful:
Resources:
Spotting the signs infographic
Signposting support
Training:
Stress related courses
Undertaking risk assessments course – please fill in our contact us form
Supporter resources (please log into the portal):
- Organisational assessment.
- Individual stress risk assessment template.
- Mental health policy template.
- Communication template.
Conclusion
As a reminder, our series of short, accessible videos on stress awareness (including how to identify and mitigate the contributory risks in terms of stress) can be accessed using the form at the start of this blog.
If you value our blogs, and are able to, please:
Share a link to it on your socials and tag us
Remember, you are not alone, there is always someone to talk to or somewhere to find additional help.
References
[1] https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/hssh2324.pdf
[2] Supporting the mental health of self-employed construction workers report, Mates in Mind, 2022 supporting-the-mental-health-of-self-employed-construction-workers (2).pdf
[4] Welcome to our 8th annual Mind Your Head week... - YellowWellies.org
[5] Survey of UK warehouse workers finds improving mental health - Materials Handling World News
[6] Office for National Statistics, 2017
[7] Work-related stress and how to manage it: overview - HSE
[8] Results of initial organisational assessments undertaken when joining the Mates in Mind Supporter programme between 2019 and 2024. Response options were ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘partially’.
[9] HSE confirms investigations concerning mental health risks - WTW (wtwco.com)
[10] Occupational Health: Working Better - GOV.UK
[11] Mental health and employers: the case for investment - pandemic and beyond | Deloitte UK
[12] Report highlights deepening mental health crisis | UK Healthcare News
[13] What are the Management Standards? - Stress - HSE
[14] Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases (who.int)