Managing Workplace Stress In Your Team

Managing workplace stress starts with good management

Workplace stress can affect anyone. When pressure becomes excessive or continues for too long, it can harm a person’s health, reduce their ability to perform and affect the wider team. Managers are often the first people able to spot that something has changed—and they are in a strong position to address the causes before the problem escalates.

According to the HSE, an estimated 1.9 million workers suffered from work-related ill health in 2024/25. Of these, 964,000 experienced work-related stress, depression or anxiety—around 52% of the total. These conditions accounted for approximately 22.1 million lost working days. Source HSE

Supporting employees is important, but managing work-related stress is not simply a well-being initiative. Employers have a legal duty to assess the risk of stress caused or made worse by work and to act on their findings. This guide explains what managers should look for, what to say and which practical changes can make the greatest difference.

What is work-related stress?

HSE defines stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them.” Source HSE

Pressure can sometimes be motivating, particularly when it is short term and people have the resources and control to meet the challenge. Stress arises when demands feel unmanageable or continue without adequate support or recovery.

Work may not be the only source of pressure. Bereavement, caring responsibilities, money worries, health problems and relationship difficulties can all affect how someone feels at work. A manager does not need to diagnose the cause or become a counsellor. Their role is to listen, identify work factors that can be changed, agree appropriate support and involve HR or specialist services where necessary.

Signs of stress in an employee or team

There is no single sign of stress. Look for a change from someone’s usual behaviour, especially when several indicators appear together or persist over time.

Changes in an individual

• Changes in mood or behaviour, such as withdrawal or irritability
• Poor concentration, decision-making or performance
• Longer hours, missed breaks or difficulty switching off
• Reduced motivation or confidence
• Increased absence or lateness
• Headaches, fatigue or sleep problems
• Increased reliance on alcohol, smoking or other coping behaviours

Changes across a team

• Increased conflict or poor communication
• Rising absence, turnover or presenteeism
• Missed deadlines, errors or reduced quality
• Regularly working excessive hours
• Low morale or reluctance to speak up

These signs may indicate stress, but they are a reason to check in. Do not wait for an employee to raise it.

The six main causes of work-related stress

HSE’s Management Standards identify six areas of work design that are associated with work-related stress when they are poorly managed:

1. Demands
2. Control
3. Support
4. Relationships
5. Role
6. Change

This framework helps managers move beyond treating stress as an individual resilience problem. It directs attention to the design and management of work—the factors an organisation can often control.

How to manage workplace stress in your team

1. Make it safe to speak up
Regular one-to-ones make it easier for people to raise concerns before they reach crisis point. Ask open questions, listen without interrupting and avoid assumptions. Confidentiality should be respected, while being clear that information may need to be shared if there is a serious risk to the employee or someone else.
Useful questions include:

• “How have things been for you recently?”
• “Which parts of your work feel most difficult to manage?”
• “Is your workload achievable within normal hours?”
• “What change would help most?”
• “What support do you need?”
• “When should we review this?”

2. Address workload and priorities
A wellbeing app cannot compensate for an unmanageable workload.

Review deadlines, staffing and task allocation. Agree what must be done, what can wait and what can stop. Encourage breaks and annual leave.

3. Give employees more control
Where possible, involve employees in decisions about their work. Offer flexibility over methods, schedules or task order and explain any limitations.

4. Clarify roles and expectations
Set clear responsibilities, priorities and decision-making authority. Keep objectives realistic and resolve conflicting instructions quickly.

5. Build supportive working relationships
Set clear standards for respectful behaviour and respond promptly to bullying, harassment or persistent conflict. Encourage cooperation, recognise good work and make support available to remote and hybrid workers as well as office-based staff.

6. Manage change well
Uncertainty can be as stressful as the change itself. Explain what is changing, why it is happening and what it means for employees. Share information early, invite questions and be honest about what is not yet known.

7. Agree support and review it
Tailor support to the person and the cause. This may include adjusted workloads, deadlines or hours, additional training, occupational health advice or an employee assistance programme. Record the actions, responsibilities and review date.

How to carry out a workplace stress risk assessment

Employers must assess risks to health from work-related stress and take reasonable steps to control them. Managers contribute by identifying problems in their teams, consulting employees and implementing action.

Following the HSE’s risk-assessment principles, a proportionate workplace stress assessment should include the following steps:

1. Identify the hazards. Review the six HSE Management Standards and consider team-level and individual pressures.
2. Decide who may be harmed and how. Consider employees who may be particularly affected, without making assumptions about them.
3. Evaluate the risks and existing controls. Use absence trends, staff feedback, exit interviews, workload data and direct conversations.
4. Record and implement actions. Prioritise changes that remove or reduce the cause of stress. If the organisation has five or more employees, significant findings must be recorded.
5. Monitor and review. Check whether actions have worked and repeat the assessment following significant change or when new concerns emerge.

An individual stress risk assessment may be helpful when a particular employee reports a problem. It should sit alongside—not replace—an organisation-wide approach to identifying patterns and controlling common causes.

When an employee reports stress

• Do not dismiss the concern as “part of the job”.
• Do not assume the employee simply needs to become more resilient.
• Do not ask for unnecessary medical details or attempt to diagnose them.
• Do not discuss the situation with colleagues who do not need to know.
• Do not agree actions and then fail to follow up.
• Do not rely only on generic wellbeing benefits while leaving the cause of the problem unchanged.

When to involve HR, occupational health or emergency support

Managers should follow their organisation’s procedures and seek HR or occupational health advice when concerns are complex, adjustments may be required, absence is involved or the employee’s health is significantly affected. A mental health condition may meet the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, in which case the employer may have a duty to make reasonable adjustments. See Acas guidance on mental-health adjustments

If someone’s life appears to be at risk, or you do not believe they can keep themselves or another person safe, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent mental-health support that is not an immediate emergency, call NHS 111 and select the mental-health option. Follow your organisation’s emergency procedures and stay with the person while urgent assistance is arranged, provided it is safe to do so. Further guidance is available from the NHS.

Immediate danger: call 999 or go to A&E.

Urgent mental-health support: call NHS 111 and select the mental-health option, or request an urgent GP appointment.

Emotional support: call Samaritans free on 116 123, 24 hours a day.

A manager’s workplace stress checklist

• Hold regular one-to-ones and create space for honest discussion.
• Look for changes in behaviour, performance, attendance and team dynamics.
• Review workload, deadlines, staffing and working hours.
• Give employees appropriate control over how work is completed.
• Clarify roles, priorities and expectations.
• Address conflict, bullying and unacceptable behaviour promptly.
• Communicate and consult during organisational change.
• Complete and act on stress risk assessments.
• Record agreed actions and set review dates.
• Know when and how to refer to HR, occupational health, an EAP or emergency support.

Build managers’ confidence to prevent and manage stress

Managers do not need to have all the answers. They do need the confidence to recognise warning signs, begin a supportive conversation and take practical action on the causes of stress at work. Consistent training helps managers understand their responsibilities and respond fairly across the organisation.