Work-Related Stress: Why organisations need to take action
Work-related stress is firmly on the regulator’s radar, with recent enforcement activity including the well-publicised improvement notice served on the University of Birmingham. Organisations should expect to see increased use of enforcement notices where risks are not being adequately managed. This highlights that stress is being treated as a health and safety risk in the same way as physical hazards.
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, employers have a legal duty to protect employees from foreseeable harm, including work-related stress. This is supported by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, which require organisations to carry out suitable risk assessments and implement effective control measures. Failure to act can result in improvement notices, reputational damage and potential legal claims.
As regulatory scrutiny increases, organisations should ensure that stress risk assessments are practical, evidence-based and embedded into everyday management practices. Understanding behavioural drivers, workload design, organisational culture and management capability can help organisations identify risks early and take meaningful action.
How we can help
Our Behaviour Insight team support organisations to identify the root causes of stress, design effective interventions and demonstrate compliance. We also offer Expert Witness services, providing independent specialist evidence in regulatory and civil proceedings.
If you would like to understand your organisation’s exposure or strengthen your approach to managing work-related stress, please get in touch below.