Leaders of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have compiled a list of resources to assist employers and workers during Stress Awareness Month this April. The resource includes materials produced for HSE’s Working Minds campaign, which was created in November 2021 to prevent work-related stress and promote good mental health in the workplace.
Working Minds now has 22 partner organisations supporting the initiative. The two most recent members, which joined this month, are the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and See Me, Scotland’s national programme to end mental health stigma.
“Stress Awareness Month is an opportunity for employers to check in and support their staff’s mental health, explained Liz Goodwill, who is head of HSE’s the work-related stress and mental health policy team. “Working Minds helps employers to follow five simple steps based on risk assessment. They 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; and 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.”
Helpful resources
• The Working Minds campaign website;
• HSE’s work-related stress webpage;
• The HSE podcast;
• A stress and mental health at work video, from HSE;
• HSE’s Stress Management Standards;
• The Talking Toolkit;
• The prevent stress at work poster (download link);
• A risk assessment template (download link);
• The Working Minds mobile app;
• The Stress Indicator Tool, from HSE;
• The NEBOSH stress training qualification and course;
• The Mind helpline (open from 9am to 6pm on weekdays): 0300 123 3393.
