Baseline measurements for the evaluation of work-related stress campaign.

The objectives of the study were to evaluate employers’ attitudes towards work-related stress as a
legitimate health and safety issue; and to establish whether employers are taking, and reviewing,
action to reduce the risk of work-related stress.
The survey involved a telephone interview with a random selection of 1600 small to large organisations
across the range of industry sectors, using a structured computer based questionnaire. One hundred
follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with a sample of organisations who had implemented
or evaluated initiatives to address work-related stress.
Almost 90% of respondents felt that stress could cause work-related illness. Although, findings by
company size suggest that larger organisations are more likely to recognise stress as a problem, and
to acknowledge a change in attitude towards the issue over the last two years. Almost 80% of
respondents felt that stress should be controlled in the same way as other health and safety issues.
The proportion of organisations who reported taking steps to reduce work-related stress increased with
organisation size. The results emphasised the variety of factors that influence response to stress in the
workplace. Organisations appear to act on many cues without necessarily having a set framework. And
in general, the results show that the benefits, and associated costs, of any organisational interventions
are not evaluated.
This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its
contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do
not necessarily reflect HSE policy.