April is Stress Awareness Month
Stress Awareness Month is observed every April to raise public understanding of stress, its causes, effects, and effective coping strategies. Its purpose is to highlight that stress is not merely an occasional inconvenience but a serious health concern that can affect both mental and physical wellbeing. Its observance encourages open conversations about stress, reduces stigma and promotes proactive management. Even simple actions, such as encouraging regular breaks or starting conversations about mental health contribute to a culture of awareness and support.
It is not possible to eliminate stress entirely but recognising it, understanding its impact and adopting practical strategies for managing it effectively can help it become manageable.
The Working Minds campaign is encouraging employers to complete the following 5 steps over the next 5 weeks:
5 steps in 5 weeks:
- 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.
Liz Goodwill, head of the work-related stress and mental health policy team at HSE, said: “Failing to manage work-related stress can cost employers in reduced productivity, sickness absence costs, or even losing a valued member of the team. Employers are required to assess the risk of work-related stress impacting their workers, and act on the risks identified.”
The signs of stress
More reports of stress would indicate that issues may be bubbling where you work, but there are other less obvious things to consider that can mean that workers are showing signs of stress. A change in the way someone acts can also be a sign, for example taking more time off, arriving for work later, loss of motivation or confidence, or seeming more nervous or emotional. Across the team, this can also look like:
- arguments
- higher staff turnover
- more sickness absence
- decreased performance
- more complaints and grievances
Although employers have a legal duty to protect employees from stress at work, diagnosing and treating stress isn’t your responsibility. Your responsibility is to identify the risks of stress and act on them.
So perhaps consider how you are approaching conversations about stress in your organisation – the simple truth is that stress is part of everyday life, and we all react differently, but recognising the signs of when it is becoming unmanageable for an individual, or indeed a team, is important and having the ability to have those open two way conversations before it gets to that stage, may help prevent a colleague needing to take time away from work due to stress.
Useful resources:
Stress and mental health at work – HSE
Stress Awareness Month starts :: Keeping Well
A-Managers-guide-to-talking-about-Wellbeing-Stress-and-Mental-Health-May-2023.pdf
