Stress Awareness Month: Three in 10 workers feel their organisation is not effective at handling stress

A new survey by workplace experts, Acas, has found that almost three in 10 workers (28 per cent) believe their employer is not effective at managing workplace stress.

To Mark Stress Awareness Month in April, Acas commissioned YouGov to ask employees in Britain about whether they feel that their organisation is effective at managing work-related stress.

The poll also found that 37 per cent of employees felt that their workplace was effective at managing stress and nine per cent didn’t know.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, 16 million working days were lost in 2023/24 due to stress, depression or anxiety.

Stress can be caused by a variety of factors such as demands of the job, relationships at work, poor working conditions or change. Life events outside of work can also cause stress such as a bereavement in the family or financial worries over the cost of living.

Acas Interim Chief Executive Dan Ellis said: “It is encouraging that there are employers that are good at managing stress, but it is concerning that nearly three in 10 employees think that their workplace falls short. 

“Stress can affect anyone, and the impacts can be severe. It is hugely important for employers to be able to spot the signs of stress and provide support to staff.

“Acas has advice on how bosses can identify the signs of stress, support staff who need help and create environments at work where staff feel they can talk openly about it.”

Creating a positive work environment by preventing work-related stress can have huge benefits to an organisation, such as:

• make employees healthier and happier at work
• improve performance and make employees more productive
• reduce absence levels
• reduce workplace disputes
• make the organisation more attractive to job seekers

Acas advice for employers on managing stress at work includes:

• look out for any signs of stress among staff
• be approachable, available and have an informal chat with staff who are feeling stressed
• respect confidentiality and be sensitive and supportive when talking to staff about work-related stress
• communicate any internal and external help available to staff such as financial advice if the cost of living is a cause of stress
• have clear policies, encourage staff to raise their concerns and provide training to managers

The signs of stress can include:

• poor concentration
• finding it hard to make decisions
• being irritable or short tempered
• tearfulness
• tiredness
• low mood
• avoiding social events

To read Acas’  full advice on managing work-related stress click here.