Wellbeing | How HR can support staff during Stress Awareness Month & beyond

April is Stress Awareness Month and whether working from home or amongst colleagues in the workplace, stress is a difficult, ever-present reality in today’s society, impacting us all in one way or another.

Defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as a harmful reaction that people have, as a result of undue pressures and demands placed upon them at work, workplace stress can also manifest itself due to external stresses and pressures. By its very nature therefore, the causes of an employee’s stress can be difficult to identify.

The consequences for an employer, if an employee suffering from stress is not managed in good time, is that they may see a decrease in performance, an increase in absence from work and potentially a higher staff turnover and even legal claims.

Around 17.1 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2022/23. But despite the significant impact this issue can have on businesses, many employers still do not fully understand their responsibilities to employees when it comes to workplace stress. Every employer in the UK is responsible for trying to alleviate stressful situations in the workplace and employees can seek legal recourse if they feel marginalised, harassed or develop stress-related illnesses at work.