The first week in November marks International Stress Awareness Week (3rd to 7th November), with National Stress Awareness Day on Wednesday 5th.
For employers, it’s an opportunity to pause and think about stress in the workplace – and more importantly, to take action. The HSE defines work-related stress as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them.’ Left unmanaged, stress can impact wellbeing, performance, staff retention, and even increase the risk of accidents or health issues.
Employers have a legal duty to protect employees from stress at work, just as they do for physical risks. This means assessing the risk of stress-related ill health and taking steps to control it.
Here are a few practical actions employers can take:
Spot the signs early – look for changes in behaviour, mood, productivity or attendance
Review working conditions – unclear roles, excessive workloads, tight deadlines or lack of control can drive stress
Train managers to recognise stress and respond supportively, not dismissively
Promote healthy habits – encourage breaks, movement, good sleep and time off
Open communication and support pathways – let people talk safely, adjust workloads, or access wellbeing services
Stress management isn’t a ‘nice extra’ – it’s an essential part of a healthy, resilient workplace.
Safewell offers both online and face-to-face Mental Health and Wellbeing training, helping managers and teams build confidence in recognising and managing stress at work.
We have worked with Safewell for many years and are retained clients, so we have developed an excellent working relationship with the team. However, this really came into its own when Covid 19 appeared.
As a Plumbing and Heating business, we were able to carry on working during the lockdown but only for responding to emergencies. We were obviously very concerned about the health and safety of our employees and before we even had chance to get in touch with Safewell, they had emailed us offering their assistance. It is hard to put down on paper how that made us feel - we like everyone else felt totally at sea, which way to turn, what to do? But Safewell were there guiding, supporting and being totally brilliant. Their attention to detail is very impressive and reassuring and we feel able to ask lots of questions without feeling silly.
During the pandemic Safewell helped us to write risk assessments, safety procedures and protocols. They kept in touch regularly, issuing new guidance as soon as it appeared and checking in with us. They held group Q&A sessions over Zoom which were helpful, and knowing other businesses were facing the same challenges and having the opportunity to discuss issues was invaluable. Their help during the preparation for a full return to work was brilliant, they enabled us to be fully prepared and feel in control, and when we had our first case of Covid within the team, because we had planned our response it felt ok.
I think our team felt very reassured by our robust approach and that our office was Covid secure. We are extremely grateful to all the team at Safewell
