Take action this Stress Awareness Month: prevent work-related stress
April is Stress Awareness Month – a vital opportunity for employers to address one of the most pressing challenges in today’s workplace: preventing work-related stress.
As part of HSE’s Working Minds campaign, which helps prevent work-related stress and promotes good mental health at work, we’re calling on employers across Great Britain to #BeTheChange.
Why it matters
Work-related stress is one of the leading causes of ill health at work. In 2024/25, nearly 1 million workers reported stress, depression, or anxiety related to their jobs. The impact is significant:
- 22.1 million working days lost due to stress
- 50% of all work-related ill health attributed to stress
These figures highlight the need for urgent action. Addressing stress early will safeguard your employees’ health, boost productivity, and support your organisation’s long-term resilience.
Your legal duty
As an employer, you are legally obligated to manage work-related stress. Treat it like any other workplace hazard:
- assess risks: Identify stressors and their impact on your workforce
- identify vulnerable workers: Recognise employees at higher risk, such as those facing heavy workloads or significant change
- reduce or eliminate risks: Take practical steps to reduce stress where possible
- manage stress proactively: Stress management must be embedded in your workplace culture, not just addressed reactively
Failure to manage stress risks may result in enforcement action, so it’s critical to act now.
What you can do this month
Stress Awareness Month is an ideal time to focus on wellbeing and take meaningful steps to reduce stress in the workplace.
One helpful approach is the 5Rs framework, which supports everyday stress prevention and encourages managers to build healthy habits into their routine:
- Reach Out: Initiate early conversations about stress.
- Recognise: Be alert to signs of stress in your team.
- Respond: Take timely, effective action.
- Reflect: Evaluate your approach and refine where necessary.
- Make it Routine: Embed stress management in daily operations.
You can also make use of a range of free resources on the HSE website designed to help managers and teams better understand and address stress.
Take action today
Now is the time to take action. Here’s what you can do immediately:
- update your stress risk assessment by the end of the month
- ensure managers are trained to confidently address stress within their teams
- review workloads and support systems to reduce stress factors
These actions will help reduce absenteeism, improve mental health, and foster a more resilient, productive organisation.
Together, we can make a real difference in creating healthier workplaces.