{"id":45153,"date":"2020-07-06T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=45153"},"modified":"2024-05-02T14:13:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T13:13:56","slug":"workplace-stress-risk-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/workplace-stress-risk-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"Workplace Stress Risk Assessment: Free Template and Guidance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Experiencing serious levels of stress at work is unfortunately not uncommon. While manageable amounts can be a healthy boost to productivity, excessive pressure is actually damaging to work and, more importantly, to people\u2019s wellbeing. In 2022\/23<\/a>, work-related stress, depression, or anxiety accounted for 49% of work-related ill health cases in the UK. This totalled 875,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or long-standing), with 338,000 of these being new cases within the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These statistics reveal just how prevalent work-related stress is in the UK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Stressed\n\n\n\n

Clearly, stress in the workplace is a major issue year on year. It\u2019s therefore crucial, and in fact a legal duty for employers, to effectively manage their employees\u2019 health, safety, and welfare by carrying out a risk assessment, and this includes a stress risk assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will talk you through the six key steps involved in a stress risk assessment, as recommended by the HSE. These help you to identify the risks that most commonly and broadly affect employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is a Workplace Stress Assessment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Management of Health and Safety at Work (MHSW) Regulations 1999, employers must ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees at work, and this includes preventing work-related stress. The MHSW Regulations require employers to carry out risk assessments of their workplace<\/strong> to identify if existing control measures need updating and if they need to implement any new ones. This includes considering where work-related stress may occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A risk assessment generally involves identifying hazards, determining who may be harmed and how, evaluating risks and deciding on controls, recording findings, and regularly reviewing and updating it. While these steps all apply to a stress risk assessment, stress risks are not always obvious from observation and so the assessment can be more challenging. It therefore requires careful consideration to make it specific to identifying and controlling stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrying out a well-planned stress risk assessment is crucial for preventing burnout, presenteeism, and even long-term mental health issues.<\/strong> These can have a real knock-on effect on the business, more than you may realise. For example, stress caused by overworking could lead to projects taking longer, more mistakes, or lower quality work. These all cost the business and, if you deal with customers and clients, can even affect your reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Warehouse\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, high numbers of absenteeism <\/a>and staff turnover are additional, yet very much avoidable, costs to the business. Around 17 million working days are lost each year due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. This equates to millions of pounds a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s always best to take a proactive approach to controlling stress, rather than reacting when people look or say they\u2019re stressed. Unidentified undercurrents of stress can often go unnoticed before things get bad, so a risk assessment will help you spot the risks before that happens. In doing so, you\u2019ll protect people\u2019s wellbeing and the health of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6 Steps of a Workplace Stress Risk Assessment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may be familiar with the 5-step process of risk assessment, and this still very much applies to stress risk assessments. However, there are 6 key factors that are specific to identifying stress hazards,<\/strong> which you should keep at the forefront of your mind during a stress risk assessment. These are known as the Management Standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HSE recommends you pay close attention to these during stress assessments. They encompass the overarching aspects of work that commonly cause stress, so referring to them helps you focus your approach. When these standards are not managed properly in workplaces, they are commonly associated with poor health, lower productivity, and increased accident and sickness absence rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 6 Management Standards are:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n