Stress Awareness Month | Gartner's Chief of HR Research on treating stressed staff as 'humans, not workers'

This April has played host to Stress Awareness Month, an annual period organised by the UK-based Stress Management Society, to raise awareness of the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic. And the last two years have been the most challenging many of us have ever faced.

The pandemic has had a hugely detrimental effect on the nation’s mental health and sense of community. Disrupted social lives, the cancellation of large gatherings, travel restrictions and working from home have kept us in one place for long periods of time.

Brian Kropp, Chief of HR Research for research firm Gartner, spoke exclusively to HR Grapevine about the current issues causing the most stress in the workplace, what HR can do to support staff in these areas, and what the people function should not do in these situations.

HRGV: What issues would you say are currently causing the most stress and wellbeing concerns for HR and employees?

Kropp: It’s a long list, sadly. There’s still a lingering sense of stress associated with pandemic-related risk, and while that appears to be more behind us than in front of us, there’s still a lingering feeling of stress from that.