Is your workplace toxic? How employers can shield you from stress

Employees can experience stress at work due to a variety of factors, including high workload, demanding deadlines, lack of control, poor management, and difficult relationships with colleagues.

These stressors can manifest in both physical and mental health issues, impacting productivity, job satisfaction, and overall wellbeing.

As a result, your employers are legally obligated to carry out risk assessments and implement suitable measures to safeguard workers against occupational stressors and health and safety risks.

A picture of a lady with fingers intwined at her computer desk looking stressed

What is stress?

Stress is a physical and emotional health problem that many workers encounter.

It is the adverse reaction to excessive pressures, influenced by factors like skills, experience, age, or disability. Therefore, your employer must match the demands to workers’ skills, provide planning, training, and support.

There are many common causes of stress in the workplace:

High demands: Excessive workload, unrealistic deadlines, and feeling overwhelmed.
Lack of control: Limited autonomy in decision-making or how tasks are performed.
Poor management: Lack of support, unclear expectations, and bullying or harassment.
Difficult relationships: Conflict with colleagues, lack of teamwork, and negative workplace culture.
Role ambiguity: Unclear job descriptions, conflicting responsibilities, and feeling unsure about what is expected.
Organisational change: Uncertainty about changes, lack of communication, and feeling overwhelmed by new processes.

Consequences of workplace stress

If you are experiencing stress at work, you may notice changes in the way you think or feel, for example:

Mental health: Anxiety, depression, burnout, and difficulty concentrating.
Physical health: Headaches, digestive problems, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Reduced productivity: Decreased concentration, increased errors, and lower efficiency.
Absenteeism and yurnover: Taking more time off and leaving the job due to stress.

How am I protected by my employer?

Employers must evaluate workplace stress risks, implement policies against bullying, harassment, and discrimination, and ensure that first aid needs consider physical and mental health needs.

Employers must put their workers’ welfare first by providing assistance, evaluating hazards, and implementing changes like flexible work schedules or employee support initiatives.

They must safeguard employees from risks to their physical or mental wellbeing. Legally, employers must also evaluate the health hazards associated with stress and inform workers of their results.

It is crucial to speak to your manager immediately if you are no longer feeling protected within your workplace. However, if there is no management position to talk to, you could talk to your:

Trade union representative
Worker representative
HR department
Worker assistance programme/counselling service, if your company has these.
First aider trained to support people experiencing mental health.
GP

Frequently asked questions:

What criteria do I need to meet when reporting stress at work?

The health and Safety Executive (HSE) will consider investigating work-related stress:

Where there is evidence of a wider organisational failing.
Where there is evidence that a number of staff are currently experiencing work-related stress or related ill health (i.e. that it is not an individual case).
Where the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 can be applied.

HSE will not investigate when:

Concerns about work-related stress have not already been raised with the employer and sufficient time has not elapsed for the employer to respond.
There is other more specific legislation or a more appropriate regulator or other authority.

How long do I have to make a claim?

Claims for psychiatric injury must be initiated within three years of work-related stress injury, with the time limit running from the first medical advice from a GP.

Separate allegations under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Act have a six-year limitation period. If you are unsure about your time limit, we can help advise and support you with a claim.

How much is my claim worth?

The section of the Judicial Studies Board Guidelines (JCG) covering psychiatric injury claims has four compensation brackets:

Severe – The most extreme of cases, where the outlook for someone’s recovery is extremely poor (£54,830.00 – £115,730.00).
Moderately severe – Symptoms amount to a disability affecting someone’s life in a permanent or long-standing way, preventing a return to comparable employment (£19,070.00 – £54,830.00).
Moderate – Symptoms have affected daily life, work, and relationships but where medical evidence opines that good progress towards recovery will be made by the time of trial. The extent that treatment will assist recovery, alongside future vulnerability to relapse is also assessed (£5,860.00 – £19,070.00).
Less severe – Usually where the duration of symptoms are less than twelve months, and the extent to which the symptoms have affected someone’s daily activities and sleep is low level (£1,540.00 – £5,860.00).

Most cases of this nature fall within the moderate or moderately severe categories. The court considers similar tried cases to determine where a case may fall regarding the compensation bracket.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) cases – The court has additional separate guidance from the above.
Special damages – Can cover out-of-pocket expenses such as lost earnings, travel, medication, and treatment costs, etc.
Claims for both past and anticipated future losses can be made.

This list is not exhaustive and is very case-specific.