Make Stress Awareness Month the month you make it routine to prevent stress and support mental health at work.
The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) are inviting employers and managers to complete the 5 steps of Working Minds over the course of the month and they have everything you need to get started, for free.
Five simple steps
- Reach out and have conversations
- Recognise the signs and causes of stress
- Respond to any risks identified by agreeing action points
- Reflect on the actions taken – have things improved?
- Make it Routine to check back in on how things are going
Plan to succeed
- plan it into the diary
- tell your colleagues and teams
- register for bitesize learning for step-by-step advice, tools and templates
- download the campaign materials to share with others
Neurodiversity at work
Around 1 in 7 people in the UK are neurodivergent, meaning their brain processes information differently from what is considered 'neurotypical'.
Research from Working Minds' partner, Acas, highlights that:
- 45% of line managers lacked organisational knowledge about neurodiversity
- 59% did not know how to make a reasonable adjustment to support a neurodivergent employee
By creating inclusive workplaces that support neurodiversity, it benefits both employers and employees by playing to people’s strengths and boosting productivity. If you don’t put support in place, you may see increased absenteeism, higher staff turnover and you could breach the Equality Act 2010.
To support Neurodiversity Celebration Week (from 17 to 23 March) where you work, visit the Acas website for information about how to build an inclusive organisation and support employees with reasonable adjustments.
Work-related stress and the law
The law requires all employers to prevent work-related stress to support good mental health in the workplace.
Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, the need to protect your workers from work-related stress, depression and anxiety falls under the provision sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Visit the Work Right website for more information about work-related stress and the law.
For more information, advice and useful links, visit the HSE by clicking here.