Stress Awareness Week

Helen Russell Friday 6 November 2026

What employers can do to build a healthier workplace

This week marks Stress Awareness Week. While it is an opportunity for employers to review wellbeing initiatives on an ongoing basis, it is also an opportunity to ask a more fundamental question: are we organising work in a way that protects our people on an ongoing basis?

Alongside November’s focus on men’s mental health, it is also a timely opportunity to encourage conversations with employees who may be reluctant to seek support. Employers should aim to create a workplace where people feel able to raise concerns and are met with appropriate support and signposting.

From an employment law and HR perspective, managing stress is not simply a wellbeing issue or a ‘nice to have’. Employers have legal responsibilities to identify and address work-related risks, and mental health conditions can also engage duties under the Equality Act 2010.

What does the law require?

There are two main pieces of health and safety law which cover work-related stress. These obligations arise under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Employers must assess the risks of work-related stress and take steps to prevent or reduce them.

A properly conducted and useful stress risk assessment is a practical exercise, not paperwork completed and forgotten. Employers should identify the causes of stress, involve employees in developing solutions and review whether those solutions are working. HSE guidance states that employers with five or more workers must record the assessment in writing and review periodically, with the timing depending on the measures taken, while also reassessing the risks to ensure improvements remain effective.

The HSE’s Management Standards provide a useful framework, covering six areas: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. This framework helps employers to focus on how work is designed and managed, rather than treating stress solely as an individual employee’s problem.

In practice, employers should ask:

Are workloads and deadlines realistic?

Do employees have sufficient control over how they work?

Are managers providing the support and resources people need?

Are conflict and unacceptable behaviour being addressed?

Do employees understand their responsibilities?

Are organisational changes being communicated clearly?

By asking these questions, the employer can properly focus their efforts into practically targeted solutions.

When can mental health engage disability protections?

Stress does not automatically amount to a disability. However, a mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities can meet the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010.

Where an employee is disabled and the employer knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, about the disability, the duty to make reasonable adjustments may arise. Employers should not wait for an employee to use legal terminology before considering whether support is needed.

Adjustments must reflect the individual’s circumstances. They could include changes to working arrangements, revised responsibilities, adjusted deadlines or more structured supervision and regular check-ins.

Importantly, it is open to employers to offer support even where a condition does not meet the legal definition of disability. The legal threshold should not determine whether supportive conversations take place.

What should employers and HR teams do?

Address the causes, not just the symptoms
An employee assistance programme or wellbeing session can be valuable, but it should complement—not replace—action on excessive workloads, unclear expectations or poor management.Use staff feedback, absence patterns and team discussions to identify pressure points. Agree specific actions, give someone responsibility for delivering them and set a review date. HSE guidance emphasises checking both whether actions have happened and whether they have improved the situation.
Equip managers to respond constructively
Managers should be able to hold a supportive conversation, listen without making assumptions and know when to involve HR or occupational health.The conversation should lead to agreed next steps, rather than a general instruction to “take some time off” or “be more resilient”.Provide an alternative route, for example, to HR or another manager where the employee’s concern involves their line manager. Explain how information will be handled, rather than promising absolute confidentiality.
Make healthy working practices credible
Review expectations around availability, overtime and out-of-hours messages. Encourage employees to take breaks and use annual leave, and ensure managers model the same approach.Working time compliance also matters: Acas highlights that long hours without regular breaks can contribute to work-related stress.
Handle absence and performance concerns carefully
Where stress or mental ill-health is raised during an absence or performance process, establish what support is needed before deciding the next steps.Consider occupational health input where appropriate, discuss adjustments and review whether existing working arrangements are contributing to the problem. Disability-related absence or difficulty performing the role can trigger the need to consider reasonable adjustments.Supporting an employee and managing performance are not mutually exclusive; the important point is to understand the circumstances and avoid a one-size-fits-all response.
Keep the conversation going
You may have used Stress Awareness Week to remind employees where support is available. However, on an ongoing basis, employers can refresh manager training and review relevant policies. Stress Awareness Week is not the only time to make space for conversations about mental health without stereotyping or assuming that every employee will want to speak publicly.Support should remain available throughout the year, with agreed measures reviewed as circumstances change.

Awareness should lead to action

The strongest response to workplace stress is not a single event or campaign. It is a consistent approach that combines legal compliance, effective management and practical support, while giving employees confidence that support is available.

For employers, the question this week is not simply “what wellbeing activity can we offer?” but “what can we change about work to reduce avoidable stress, both now and on an ongoing basis.”

For advice on what you can do to build a healthier workplace for your business, please contact the Harrison Drury office on 01772 258321.

Helen Russell