What is work-related stress?

Work-related stress is the adverse reaction people can have when they feel unable to cope with the pressures and demands placed on them at work. It can build up for different reasons, but common causes include high workload, a lack of control over how work is done and poor support from managers or colleagues.

What does the Health and Safety Executive say about work-related stress?

The Health and Safety Executive identifies six key areas that can affect work-related stress at work. These are demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. Looking at each of these areas can help employers spot significant risks, understand where stress levels may be rising and decide what action is needed.

What should employers look at in a stress risk assessment?

A good stress risk assessment should look at the pressures people may be facing, who could be affected and whether any significant risks need to be addressed. That might include workload, unclear expectations, poor communication, difficult working relationships or a lack of support. The aim is to identify practical steps that can help create a more supportive work environment.

What are the five steps to risk assessing for work-related stress?

The five steps are a useful way to structure your approach: identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risks and existing controls, record your findings and implement them, and review the assessment regularly. Used well, those five steps can help employers take a more consistent approach to managing work-related stress.

What should employers do if someone is experiencing work related stress?

If someone is experiencing work related stress, the first step is to listen, take the concern seriously and look at what may be contributing to it. Employers should consider whether any adjustments, workload changes or extra support are needed, and whether the wider team or working environment needs reviewing too. Where appropriate, employees should also be signposted to further support, whether that is internal support, a wellbeing resource or specialist external advice.

Mental health and stress risk assessment template

We've created this free template in partnership with HR and health and safety experts at Omny Group. It is intended as a basic general template only and designed for low-risk small to medium sized businesses. For tailored legal advice and support, you can contact Omny Group here.

Work-related stress and poor mental health can have a real impact on your people and your business, affecting everything from morale and working relationships to absence, performance and retention. It's also one of the clearest examples of where HR and health and safety responsibilities overlap, because supporting employees well means not only responding when someone is struggling, but also identifying the workplace pressures that may be contributing to it in the first place.

For employers, that is not just good practice, it is a legal responsibility. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers must assess risks to employees’ health and safety, including risks linked to work-related stress for five or more workers.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for monitoring and enforcing those duties, and where stress risks are not being managed properly it can investigate and take action, including notices, fines and other penalties.

This template is designed to help you identify possible sources of stress at work, consider who may be affected and record the controls and follow-up actions that are needed. It can be a useful way to spot patterns, open up conversations and make sure mental health and wellbeing are being considered as part of your wider approach to managing people and risk.

Your risk assessment should be reviewed at least annually, or after any related incident or significant change.

Please note that any text in italics included throughout should be removed or replaced to reflect your organisation’s own circumstances.

Mental health and workplace stress risk assessment details

Business name:	[Business name]
Location:	[Location or site being assessed]
Business name:	[Business name]
Location/site:	[Location or site being assessed]
Assessment date:	[Date]
Assessed by:	[Name, Role]
Activity/task assessed:	Management of work related stress and employee mental health and wellbeing
Issue/version number:	[Version 1]
Review date:	[Date]
Persons who may be affected:	This might be employees, volunteers, agency/contract staff and job applicants. You should pay particular attention to any lone and client-facing workers, and anyone with a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

Risk assessment record

Use the table below to document all potential risks related to stress and mental health in your business. Add more rows if needed. There’s an example in italics in the first row to help get you started. Remember to remove this and add your own.

You can find guidance on risk ratings at the bottom of this document to help you determine whether risk is high, medium or low.

No.	Hazard	Possible effects/harm	Risk rating before controls (High/Medium/Low)	Detail existing control measures already in place	Detail further action required to reduce risk Action required, responsible person and target date	Revised rating after controls (High/Medium/Low)
1	Demands - excessive workload, long hours or unrealistic deadlines	Staff and volunteers - fatigue, anxiety, burnout, sleep disturbance and physical ill-health, sustained pressure can trigger or worsen mental ill-health.	High	Workloads planned against realistic capacity and reviewed in regular 1:1s. Hours and time off in lieu monitored. Cover arranged for absence and peak periods. Staff encouraged to take full breaks and annual leave.	Introduce a workload escalation route so staff can flag unmanageable demands to a named manager without detriment. The manager logs and rebalances within [x] working days.	Medium
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Declaration

Managers should monitor and review the application of the specified controls.

Prepared by:	[Assessor name]	Date:	[Date]
Signature (competent person/authorised manager)	[Competent person signature]	Date:	[Date]

I certify that all controls are in place which reduce risk to as low as is reasonably practicable, that all relevant staff have been informed, and that safe systems of work have been applied.

Risk rating guidance

This is your evaluation of the potential impact and likelihood of harm occurring in your business. Apply professional judgement against the descriptions below.

Risk rating	Action required
High For example: Serious harm, a fatality or major injury to several people is possible, even if infrequent. Risk of a significant financial penalties and reputational damage.	Immediate action required. Do not start or continue the activity until the risk is reduced to Medium or Low.
Medium For example: Major injury or harm to one or a few people occurring infrequently, or an injury needing more than first aid.	Requires attention as soon as possible. Add controls to reduce the risk towards Low.
Low For example: Minor harm or injury occurring infrequently to a few people.	Not a priority. Maintain existing controls. Act if the risk is not already as low as is reasonably practicable.

Use template

Support a healthier way of working

Completing a mental health and stress risk assessment is a useful step, but it works best when it leads to clear action. That could mean reviewing workloads, recording follow-up actions, keeping policies and wellbeing information easy to access, and making sure managers are trained to spot concerns early and respond appropriately.

Breathe brings HR and health and safety together in one software, so you can log incidents and manage risk assessments alongside employee data, policies, training and absence records. With both your people and compliance tools working together in the same system, it’s easier to keep practical actions connected, stay organised and support employee wellbeing more consistently.

You can test out Breathe for yourself for free for 14 days. And, if you’d like expert HR, legal or health and safety advice, Omny Group is here to help.

Try Breathe for free for 14 days Contact Omny Group

Frequently asked questions

What is work-related stress?

Work-related stress is the adverse reaction people can have when they feel unable to cope with the pressures and demands placed on them at work. It can build up for different reasons, but common causes include high workload, a lack of control over how work is done and poor support from managers or colleagues.
What does the Health and Safety Executive say about work-related stress?

The Health and Safety Executive identifies six key areas that can affect work-related stress at work. These are demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. Looking at each of these areas can help employers spot significant risks, understand where stress levels may be rising and decide what action is needed.
What should employers look at in a stress risk assessment?

A good stress risk assessment should look at the pressures people may be facing, who could be affected and whether any significant risks need to be addressed. That might include workload, unclear expectations, poor communication, difficult working relationships or a lack of support. The aim is to identify practical steps that can help create a more supportive work environment.
What are the five steps to risk assessing for work-related stress?

The five steps are a useful way to structure your approach: identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risks and existing controls, record your findings and implement them, and review the assessment regularly. Used well, those five steps can help employers take a more consistent approach to managing work-related stress.
What should employers do if someone is experiencing work related stress?

If someone is experiencing work related stress, the first step is to listen, take the concern seriously and look at what may be contributing to it. Employers should consider whether any adjustments, workload changes or extra support are needed, and whether the wider team or working environment needs reviewing too. Where appropriate, employees should also be signposted to further support, whether that is internal support, a wellbeing resource or specialist external advice.