How can employers support their people through stress?

In the UK, 76% of working professionals experience moderate-to-high levels of stress (Workplace Health Report, 2023). This is not to say that all stress is negative, and in fact the right amount of stress can motivate and help employees thrive. However, it’s vital that employers and managers are able to recognise signs of stress, even healthier signs, and more importantly understand the steps they can take to offer support and reduce the negative impact that stress can have on their workforce.

Stress is often unavoidable, and for many, it is likely that a small amount of stress will encourage you to thrive and perhaps feel more energised. But treading the line between healthy levels of stress and unmanageable amounts can be difficult. When does stress become such an issue that it damages your employee’s performance and health?

As an employer/manager, what can I do to support my staff?

Identifying when employees are experiencing stress is the first step in supporting them and mitigating the risk of unmanageable stress levels.

Stress-related symptoms, whether in one’s work or personal life, can be broken down into three main categories: emotional, mental, and behavioural.

Some signs an employee may be stressed, include:

longer working hours
increased irritability
appear to be withdrawn
change in behaviour/appearance
drop in performance

Maybe they cannot complete all their work within their normal working hours, or maybe they are working through their breaks. The key here is consistency. At times most employees are expected to work somewhat longer hours to fulfil their expectations, but is this happening consistently every day?

A sudden change, whether in appearance or with their behaviour, can signal that there has been a shift in stress-levels. Maybe they pay less attention to their general appearance, maybe they don’t have time too. Or, perhaps they appear more quiet than normal, and are not attending team meetings due to workload – this isolated behaviour can be an important sign an employee is stressed.

If your employee is showing symptoms of stress, then the next step in supporting them is to be approachable or have an open discussion about how they are feeling.

As a manager/employer, you have a duty of care to your employee’s health and safety, including their mental health. Being approachable, and spreading awareness around your firm that you have the correct procedures in place for a member of staff to approach and confide in you, is vital in creating an open and positive atmosphere.

If you would like to engage with an individual personally, then having an informal and private discussion will likely create an environment where an employee feels more willing to share their thoughts.

Ensure that you allow plenty of time for this discussion, as cutting off a productive conversation can be unhelpful. Additionally, try not to compare their feelings to circumstances that yourself or others have been through, in order to stay focused on them.

Once they have confided their feelings in you, be sure to be realistic and reasonable as to the next steps you can take to support them, as to not over-promise.

How to move forward if the stress is work-related?

Once a person reports experiencing work-related stress, the appropriate course of action should be discussed with them and, where feasible, documented in a well-being action plan so that their progress can be monitored.

To begin outlining a well-being action plan, you could ask yourself:

Could the stresses be eliminated or diminished?
If not, what kind of assistance may be provided to the person to help them cope?
What tools are required or accessible to assist?
Are there any HR policies that might be applied in this situation, such as flexible working?
What effects may any work modifications have on other people?
What other steps or checks are required?
Has the problem been impacted by my management techniques? The answer to this question will help your employees in the future.

What workplace procedures can I have in place to support staff through stressful situations?

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Employee Assistance Services/Programmes are designed to be a positive, preventative approach to encourage transparent communication. They include information, advice, training and services to help you deal with events and issues in your everyday work and personal life.

Paid for by the company, a third party business will offer free and confidential advice and support to all members of staff.

The benefits of many EAP packages include:

24 hour support
confidential advice
everyday support including legal, financial and family care information
offers unique insights into the psychological well-being of your workforce through anonymised data collection
structured counselling sessions
stress management support

Some staff may never make use of an EAP, but knowing and being reminded that impartial and confidential support is available in case they ever need to will significantly support employees.

Staff well-being surveys

Asking a variety of questions to gauge several dimensions of well-being, employee well-being surveys have the ability to directly address any concerns and problems that staff are experiencing.

The survey will ask employees to consider their overall physical and mental well-being, and how your business supports them in these areas.

Anonymised survey results will provide your HR department with all the information it requires to create focused well-being programmes circulated around collective responses.

Stress-related claims

It is important to remember that as an employer you have a duty of care to your staff. Adequately failing to provide this care can result in an employee complaining of work-related stress and they may be able to bring any of the following claims: personal injury, breach of contract, unfair dismissal, discrimination or harassment under the Equality Act 2010.

For example, if an employee has been regularly working in excess of their contractual hours and this has significantly impacted their health, they may have a claim for personal injury. Below we outline a case that focuses around long-working hours.

In Jones v Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council [2002] EWCA Civ 76, Mrs Jones initially claimed that she rarely worked less than 48 hours a week and that she often worked as many as 60. This was subsequently revised to working more than 81 hours a week.

While the trial judge found it impossible to say precisely what hours she worked, suggesting that they probably varied from week to week, he accepted that on some occasions she probably did work the sort of hours suggested. While this was not happening all the time, it happened for a sufficient amount of the time to be “grossly excessive”.

The Court of Appeal noted that the issue was not exactly how many hours Mrs Jones actually worked, but whether the demands placed on her were reasonable in all the circumstances.
It found that it was not necessarily reasonable to expect so much of an administrative assistant whose pay and status were not those of a professional with an open-ended commitment to getting the job done.

Senior management knew that there were complaints of overwork that were likely to have some substance and offered help, but because of line management’s attitude that help was never effective. The judge had been entitled to find that Mrs Jones had been over-worked and that, in the circumstances, damage to her health was foreseeable.

The ability to notice that an employee is stressed is the first step when it comes to providing sufficient support to resolve this issue. Having a less-stressed workforce will equate to higher happiness levels, and in turn higher productivity levels, in addition to lower staff turnover.

It’s important that employers and managers support staff through work-related and personal causes of stress. However, with regards to work-related stress, following an agreement on acceptable and appropriate steps to take to reduce or eliminate the causes of the stress, they should be documented, either officially or via a well-being action plan. Until the issue is fixed or the individual feels better, actions should be reviewed often with them.

What can I do to effectively manage my own stress and support others in managing theirs?

The majority of the time, stress is not simply ‘black and white’. But rather, it is an amalgamation of difficult situations and events inside and/or outside of work that can cause this feeling. If work is causing you to feel stressed, then often this will negatively affect your life outside of work, and vice a versa.

What are stress management techniques?

The key to managing stress is to ensure that you take steps to keep it at bay before it becomes too overwhelming. Having effective stress management techniques will enable you to combat stressful situations and contribute to a healthier and more productive lifestyle. There are many beneficial techniques to try, and below we outline 3 key techniques that you can try today.

If you are an employer, and are wanting to support an employee with their stress, then the following points may apply in an open discussion or as part of an action plan.

Identifying what triggers stress

If you know your triggers, then you can prepare for them. Take the time to think about what makes you stressed, or confide in someone you trust. Some questions to consider when thinking about your triggers, include:

Are there any repetitive situations that occur that cause me to feel stressed?

This could include, paying a bill, juggling too many family commitments, a lack of sleep, meeting new people, or simply having too much work on at once.

Are there any one off events that make me feel stressed?

Moving house, a death or illness of a relative or friend, organising an event such as a wedding or a funeral, divorce, redundancy, or starting a new job are all triggers that can cause people stress.

Are there any ongoing situations or events that contribute to my stress?

This could include, family arguments, a change in work dynamic, supporting others or needing support at home, or ongoing work projects.

Is there anything you are worried about that may happen again?

A bad experience previously may make you worry that the same will happen in the future.

Even if you identify the events or situations which make you stressed, the chances are you will not be able to predict every stressful situation – and that is ok. Stress may creep up on you when you are least expecting it, but being able to recognise you are stressed in unpredictable situations and coping with it is extremely important.

Organising time effectively

Organising time is a positive habit to have, not only in your work life, but also outside of work too. There are plenty of time management apps to help you organise, but for some you may find it equally as beneficial to organise your time by hand with the help of pen and paper.

Some things to consider to help you organise your time, whether inside or outside or work, include:

Knowing where you’re currently spending your time

How are you balancing your work/life balance? Keeping track of where you spend your time will help you realise how much you can feasibly accomplish in a day, be careful not to overestimate how quickly you can complete a task – allowing yourself more time than you need will account for external factors that may cause your schedule to change.

Create a weekly/daily schedule

You may be the type of person that takes each day as it comes, or you may want to plan ahead. Either way, creating a schedule will allow you to see your tasks for the day, and in turn stick to what you have created.

Prioritise time

Do you have tasks that are more pressing to complete? The ability to prioritise by; deadline, value of the task and urgency is important when deciding what you need to put first. Mastering prioritising will enable you more headspace to focus on the present and what needs to be achieved, and it will also ensure you do not fall down the pitfall of juggling too much at once.

Knowing when to say no

Whether you have been asked to go out with friends for a meal or take on a new project at work, which realistically you are going to struggle to find time for, then learning to say no is vital in organising your tasks. When saying ‘no’ you should be assertive and not aggressive, perhaps providing the person who has asked with an alternative option.

Improving work-life balance

Often we feel like there’s not enough time in the day to do everything we want. You have responsibilities, both inside and outside of work, your work hours may have increased, or you may have people that are dependent on you. An unhealthy work-life balance is one of the many factors that may cause you to feel stressed. So, how can you find an equilibrium between your career and your personal life?

Prioritise overall health

Your emotional and physical health should be your first priority. If you acknowledge this and care for yourself, then you will become both a better person and employee/employer. You will likely find yourself to be happier and more productive. Simple activities such as going on a daily walk or talking to a friend will likely make a big difference to your overall health.

Setting boundaries

It is easy for the lines between work and your personal life to blur. Maybe you have a quick look at your emails during the weekend or annual leave, or can’t help but reply to a Teams message out of your normal working hours.

Having a weekly/daily schedule, and prioritising your time, will aid in ensuring the boundaries between your work and your personal life are more clear, as it will help determine when you will and will not be working.

Informing your team and manager of your boundaries will help them in respecting your approach, and vice a versa, if you sometimes find your personal activities get in the way of fulfilling your potential at work, then be sure to inform your friends and family of your boundaries.

No matter your stress triggers, it is important to bear in mind that the causes and effects of stress are different to everyone, and whilst sometimes a small amount of stress can spur us on to complete tasks and help us to feel more energised, at other times, it can have a negative impact or our work and personal lives.

Being able to identify these negative times, and preparing for them is an effective way to manage your stress. Both organising your time more efficiently and ensuring you take steps to create a better work-life balance will contribute to a more productive and positive outlook.

We always recommend that you seek advice from a suitably qualified adviser before taking any action. The information in this article only serves as a guide and no responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of this material can be accepted by the authors or the firm.

Sign up to receive exclusive business insights

Join our community of industry leaders and receive exclusive reports, early event access, and expert advice to stay ahead – all delivered straight to your inbox.