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When we asked UK employees about their happiness in the workplace, a whopping 91% said they’re stressed. Not only this, but 86% are feeling stressed about work, even when they’re not there.
Stress is a silent but serious beast, and can manifest physically as well mentally for your employees. Workplace stress leads to burnout, increased absenteeism, and low morale; all of which impact your company’s productivity.
So, what can you do as an employer? Here’s how to identify and tackle stressors in the workplace, and find solutions before the problem escalates.
With mental ill health costing the UK economy £300 billion a year, employee stress isn’t a personal problem, but an issue that presents a real threat to your business.
Ciphr’s analysis of NHS England data found that:
Stressed employees are more likely to burn out, leading to decreased productivity and increased absenteeism. So stress isn’t just bad for employees, it’s bad for your business and your bottom line.
While small amounts of stress are a normal part of life, prolonged periods of stress can become a real problem. Around 17 million working days are lost each year due to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety.
To tackle workplace stress, you first need to know where it’s coming from. Here are some different areas where stress can manifest:
There are many ways for stress to arise in the workplace, and its effects can manifest in a number of ways.
Before you can tackle the root cause, you need to know the symptoms of stress and how it can present in your employees. Some symptoms to look out for include:
Supporting employee health and wellbeing is vital for a productive workplace. If an employee seems stressed, it’s important to act quickly and offer support. Encourage employees to speak up about stress and make it clear they can approach you without judgement or hesitation.
Your managers are the boots on the ground when it comes to spotting and tackling workplace stress. Start by educating managers about what stress is, including its physical and mental impacts, as well as common workplace stressors such as heavy workloads, unclear roles, or interpersonal conflicts. This foundational understanding helps managers identify when employees might be struggling.
Scenario-based training can also be highly effective. Simulating real-life situations allows managers to practice approaching employees sensitively, initiating conversations about wellbeing, and listening actively without judgment. This hands-on approach helps build confidence in handling these often delicate situations.
Stress is best dealt with as early as possible. Taking action early can reduce the likelihood of the problem worsening over time and causing significant business disruption. Here are some ways for you to tackle this workplace epidemic.
Stress can’t always be avoided, so having easily accessible resources to hand can help your employees to better manage their stress. Your company’s employee benefits are a powerful tool for reducing stress at work. There are a range of valuable benefits you can implement to tackle the issue, including:
These often include services designed to tackle stress before it comes a bigger problem, such as:
When you take out a group insurance policy, these services are normally free on top of your cover. So, reducing stress in the workplace doesn’t have to cost any more than what you pay for your current benefits.
Flexible working models can help to reduce stress by encouraging a better work-life balance, improved wellbeing, and more workplace autonomy. In fact, our latest Employee Satisfaction Survey found flexible working is the benefit that employees value above all else, and that work-life balance is what makes them happiest.
A study by the Office for National Statistics also found that 47% of those who worked flexibly reported improvements in their wellbeing. And it’s not hard to see why.
For example, flexible working allows the parents on your team to juggle full time work and the school run, or enables employees with long-term or chronic health conditions to manage their symptoms and attend medical appointments.
Overworked employees are more likely to experience stress, which can impact their work performance and productivity. So, make sure regular breaks are promoted by leadership, not frowned upon.
Humans are able to focus solidly for 60-90 minutes at a time, after which productivity stalls. Employees aren’t robots, and while most are at work for eight hours a day, it’s simply impossible for them to be productive for every minute.
Short, regular breaks away from a screen or task can do wonders, letting the mind rest and recuperate. Sometimes a walk can help if an employee has reached a stalemate on a project and needs some fresh inspiration – a quick 10 minute break can help your employees come back more energised and motivated.
It’s tough to tackle stress if you don’t know what’s causing it. Staff surveys are a great way to understand and tackle employee stress directly. Providing opportunities to share concerns in confidence, you can spot the common stressors like are happening in your workplace.
While the buzz of an office can be a great thing, noisy workplaces can exacerbate the symptoms of stress. It’s especially important for neurodivergent employees, who can quickly become overstimulated in loud and bright environments (almost 80% feel overwhelmed at work, according to Birkbeck University).
When employees are feeling the strain, they may benefit from a dedicated quiet space in which they can decompress. This could be an unused meeting room or just a quiet area within the workplace.
Alongside encouraging regular breaks, remind your employees that they can move from their desks and find quiet time elsewhere if they need to. A peaceful environment with fewer distractions can help reduce stress levels.
Morven West
People Lead at Drewberry
We live in a digital age where we can access our work emails or team chats at any time of day. However, it’s not healthy to be “switched on” all the time.
Do you or your employees regularly correspond outside of your set working hours? If this has become the norm, it can be difficult for employees to unwind at the end of the working day. Taking work home with you unnecessarily can cause stress levels to rise, and it’s something to tackle now, ahead of the UK government’s “right to switch off” proposal.
It’s essential to lead by example. Do you stay late often? Do you answer emails or contact staff outside of core working hours? Your actions set a precedent for the rest of your team, so make a point of not answering emails or work-related queries past a certain time.
Encouraging work-life balance and taking regular holidays is a simple yet effective way to reduce employee stress. When employees have time to rest and recharge, they’re better equipped to handle challenges and maintain focus at work.
Promoting regular time off – and ensuring workloads are manageable while they’re away – helps prevent burnout and shows employees that their wellbeing matters. Holiday Trading Schemes are a great way to offer more annual leave without breaking the bank.
To know if your efforts to tackle stress are working, it’s essential to track the impact of the changes you’ve made. Look at key indicators like absenteeism, staff turnover, and productivity levels.
Feedback is also crucial – regular check-ins and follow-up surveys can help you understand if employees feel less stressed and more supported. These insights provide a clear picture of what’s working and what might need adjustment.
By staying proactive and flexible, you’ll create a workplace that truly supports your employees’ mental health. A healthier, happier team is more engaged, productive, and loyal – and that’s good for everyone.
Stress and workplace challenges evolve over time, so it’s important to continuously review the measures you’ve put in place. What works today might not meet the needs of your team in six months.
Regularly assess benefits, workloads, and working practices to ensure they stay relevant and effective. This might mean introducing new initiatives, tweaking existing policies, or simply making space for more open conversations about stress and wellbeing.
Morven West
People Lead at Drewberry
Now you know more about stress in the workplace, how it manifests, and the steps you can take to tackle it. You can also read more about what’s affecting employee happiness in our latest Workplace Satisfaction Survey.
One of the most important ways to tackle stress is to invest in your employee benefits. It’s a lot to do by yourself, which is why we take care of everything for you. Our Drewberry specialists live and breathe employee benefits, and can help you create a perfectly positive package.
Check out our Complete Guide To Employee Benefits, or give us a call on 02074425880 to chat through your options.
Employee benefits can be a headache. But our specialists do this day-in, day-out, offering first class service when you need it most. Here’s why you should talk to us:
