FAQs

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Am I required by law to tackle stress?

As an employer, you are required by law to assess the risk of stress-related ill health which can arise from work activities and take effective action to control the risk.

What is stress and why do we need to tackle it?

We all experience pressure regularly and this can help to motivate us to perform well. However, when we experience too much pressure and begin to feel that we are unable to cope then stress can result.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates the costs to society of work-related stress to be around £4 billion each year
13.5 million working days were lost to stress in 2007/08.

Have there been many stress claims over the past year?

Over 2009-10 under Disability Discrimination the average award was £52,087

The highest ever disability discrimination award of £729,347 was paid out to Matt Driscoll, a sports writer at News of the World, who was subject to bullying and was sacked in April 2007 while on long-term sick leave for stress-related depression.

A further 11 cases resulted in claims greater than £50,000

What help is available?

HSE has designed the Management Standards approach to help employers manage the causes of work-related stress. It is based on the ‘Five steps to risk assessment’ approach which does require both management and staff to work together. The Standards refer to six areas of work that can lead to stress if not properly managed and these are Demands, Control, Support, Role, Change and Relationships. More information available from the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/stress. This can take a long time to work through, why not ask Your Stress Management to help and discuss what your options are.

Is there a ROI and what do I get for my money?

By taking effective action to reduce the problem, you can help create a more productive, healthier workforce and actually save money which will result in being more profitable. A lot of organisations have reported improvements in productivity, a reduction in sickness absence and reduced turnover of staff after tackling work-related stress.

How will Managing Stress work?

The emphasise is on the importance of an effective line manager and the behaviours needed to successfully manage the causes of stress at work. A manager can effectively prevent and reduce stress in their team with significant benefits to their staff and the organisation. There are clear benefits to helping to prevent stress and improving wellbeing.