HSE and its 22 partner organisations across Great Britain have come together to urge workplaces to take action on work-related stress and mental health during Stress Awareness Month.
Liz Goodwill, Head of the Work-related Stress and Mental Health Policy Team at HSE, said:
“Stress Awareness Month is an opportunity for employers to check in and support their staff’s mental health. Working Minds helps employers to follow five simple steps based on risk assessment. The five steps are:
- reach out and have conversations
- recognise the signs and causes of stress
- respond to any risks you’ve identified
- reflect on actions you’ve agreed and taken
- make it routine
"It needs to become the norm to talk about stress and how people are feeling and coping at work.
“There are six main areas that can lead to work-related stress if they are not managed properly. These are: demands, control, support, relationships, role, and change. Factors like skills and experience, age, or disability may all affect someone’s ability to cope."
Whether you're a small business or large corporation, the law requires all employers to prevent work-related stress to support good mental health in the workplace.
To assist employers and workers a list of support and resources (.pdf) is available to download and share.
Employers have a legal duty to protect employees from stress at work by doing a risk assessment and acting on it, but how do you make sure this is done at a business level?
Reaching out and having conversations is the first step in preventing work-related stress. This can be done individually or in groups and teams. The key thing is to recognise any common stressors or issues raised.
Taking an organisational approach that tackles the root cause can help the whole team rather than individuals. This may enable you to take one action that helps multiple people.
Read this blog from HSE's Rob McGreal, where he helps unpick the difference between organisational and individual risk assessment and the impact employers can have by taking a holistic approach.
HSE’s Working Minds campaign welcomes two new partners this month:
Read a blog from Emma Mamo, Assistant Director of Workplace & Business Development at SAMH.
Read a blog from Rachel Bottomley, Improvement Officer at See Me Scotland.
If you think that a worker needs help, encourage them to talk to someone whether it’s their line manager, trade union representative, GP or their occupational health team if available.
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The NHS Every Mind Matters campaign offers expert advice, practical tips and personalised actions when you answer five quick questions to create a Mind Plan. Video guides for self-help cognitive behavioural therapy are also available
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Construction, new text support service: Mates in Mind has launched a free and confidential text service to reach individuals who may be struggling with their mental health. If you work in construction, transport or related industries, simply text “BeAMate” to 85258 (please don’t whatsapp)
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Farmers, Mind Your Head: Latest research shows a rising number of UK farmers say poor mental health is one of the biggest hidden problems faced by farmers today. Visit our Working Minds website to download the free guide ‘The Little Book of Minding Your Head’. Produced by the Farm Safety Foundation (AKA Yellow Wellies), the guide is for those who may be struggling with the pressures of farming or recognise that struggle in someone else.
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