As the HSE’s Stress Awareness Week 2025 draws to a close on 7th November, we wanted to join the conversation and remind all our customers that….

Work-related stress is a serious health and safety risk – and it’s the law to act.

Why it matters

Work-related stress remains one of the leading causes of ill health at work.

In 2023/24, 776,000 workers reported stress, depression or anxiety, accounting for nearly half of all self-reported work-related ill health and contributing to 16.4 million working days lost.

When businesses fail to manage stress effectively it can also result in reduced productivity and higher staff turnover.

So what better time that Stress Awareness Week 2025 to remind us all that work-related stress is not just a wellbeing issue but a legal health and safety requirement.

Employers must assess and manage work-related stress risks under the following regulations:

• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

This means proactively identifying stressors, not just reacting when problems arise. It’s crucial to understand the pressures your employees face and act on your findings.

Practical tools

There are some fantastic resources available directly from the HSE such as:

• Managing risks and risk assessments at work – how to identify stress as a risk at work
• Working Minds campaign – 5 simple steps to start monitoring and managing stress in the workplace
• Working Minds Focus games – a fantastic game for managers to play to learn about managing stress
• Stress Talking Toolkit – help for managers have structured discussions around the 6 main causes of stress

Kayleigh Roberts, HSE’s work-related stress policy lead, says: “Prevention is better than cure. By acting early, employers can protect wellbeing, reduce absenteeism, and retain skilled staff.”

What to start doing this week

Use Stress Awareness Week as an opportunity to take action:

• Review your stress risk assessment: make sure it is up to date
• Use their Talking Toolkits: start open conversations
• Encourage learning: signpost the free Working Minds online learning modules for managers
• Look out for early signs like absence, low morale or conflict
• Make it routine by treating stress prevention like any other safety issue

Taking simple, reasonable steps can help you stay compliant and build a healthier, more resilient workforce. Mental health is a health and safety issue – and must be treated as such.

Help spread the word this Stress Awareness Week:

• Share Working Minds campaign resources within your organisation
• Initiate conversations at team meetings and one-to-ones
• Encourage the use of the free online learning for managers
• Use the Stress Indicator Tool to collect anonymous team feedback

Want to take Mental Health seriously?

Then our one-day Level 2 Ofqual Regulated Mental Health First Aider course will enable your staff to act as Mental Health First Aiders in the Workplace.

This course will give them the tools they need to be knowledgeable about a wide variety of mental health conditions, and how to support those around them as they deal with any mental health struggles they may experience.

For more information on this course, please see here:

Our next course is running on Friday 23rd January 2026, and spaces are limited, so don’t delay and get your staff qualified now.