Why preventing work-related stress is good for business

Why preventing work-related stress is good for business

Five questions and five tips for improving workplace stress management

Trigger warning: this press release mentions suicide.

‘Preventing work-related stress isn’t just good for people – it’s the law’ (Health and Safety Executive (HSE)). With Stress Awareness Month (April) approaching and the HSE stepping up its focus on stress management, now is the time to ask – are we actively assessing and mitigating stress on an individual level across all areas of the business?

In December 2025, the HSE found the University of Birmingham to have material breaches of the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999. As a result, the HSE served a Notice of Contravention due to the university not having effective arrangements in place to manage the risk from work-related stress. This action demonstrates the HSE’s clear intention to investigate potential breaches of HSE legislation.

This news should be a call to action for business leaders; however, a Mates in Mind survey found that:

• Almost 70% of respondents said that their line managers do not know how to undertake stress risk assessments or understand when they may be necessary.
  
  
• Over 46% do not have mental health policies in place.
  
  
• 61% said they have not provided all employees with general mental health awareness training in the last two years.
  
  
• However, almost 78% said they do record the reason for absence being related to stress or common mental health conditions.

Despite organisations having a legal duty of care; that good stress management practices help organisations to avoid potential prosecution and a fine; and the fact that looking after the mental wellbeing of your team is the right thing to do, the survey results above demonstrate that too many organisations simply do not prioritise assessing and addressing work-related stress.

But what about return on investment? It is good news because investing in workers’ wellbeing improves the organisation’s bottom line. This is because positive mental health in the workplace increases productivity; reduces absenteeism, presenteeism, and staff turnover, and therefore recruitment and onboarding costs. It also demonstrates that you are a good, safe, and supportive place to work.

It is important to make you aware that if left unaddressed, stress can kill, having a devastating impact on the individual, and can have life-changing repercussions for them, as well as their family, friends and colleagues. Chris worked in construction for 30 years. In 2019, he experienced a mental health crisis brought on by severe work-related stress, which developed at rapid speed and had catastrophic consequences. Chris died by suicide. One of the key messages that his family want to share is that “Other families don’t have to go through what we’re going through. We’d like to save them from going through it so that mental health or stress within the workplace is dealt with. Companies need to be aware of what is happening and that stress can kill. It does kill.”

Senior leaders, line managers, HR professionals, health and safety team members and so on, need to ask five key questions:

1. Do we have a mental health policy?
   
   
2. Are we conducting individual stress risk assessments?
   
   
3. What action do we take as a result of those assessments?
   
   
   1.  Do we mitigate the risks?
      
      
   2.  Do we make reasonable work adjustments where necessary?
      
      
4. Do we conduct the assessments on a regular basis?
   
   
5. Where do we safely store this information/evidence?

Given the evidence and potential consequences of inactivity, Mates in Mind recommend (based on working with hundreds of organisations across higher-risk sectors to implement evidence-informed effective interventions) that you:

1. Get management buy-in and lead by example (in terms of talking about your own mental health and demonstrating it is ok to ask for help).
   
   
2. Assess where you are on your mental health journey and develop a tailored action plan to fill any gaps, e.g., in terms of provision, policies (especially a mental health policy, and that you are regularly conducting and acting on individual stress risk assessments, and performance (ensuring those with responsibility have the ability to fulfil this role).
   
   
3. Set targets, monitor outcomes and record evidence. Know what success looks like in terms of the mental health of your workforce; plan in what and by when you will fill the gaps identified in your assessment; and keep records of the outcomes and evidence of actions you have taken.
   
   
4. Educate your whole workforce so they have the skills, clarity and confidence to spot the signs of mental ill-health, start conversations, signpost support and make reasonable work adjustments if needed.
   
   
5. Provide support – be that through Mental Health First Aiders, HR Team, Occupational Health, an Employee Assistance Programme, peer mentors – and ensure the information is communicated regularly with staff.

Put simply, do you satisfy your duty of care to your employees? If you answer ‘no’ then it’s time to take action.

At Mates in Mind (a registered UK charity), we advocate for building positive mental health in and through work. We help organisations of all sizes to embed cultures of prevention by implementing comprehensive programmes of education and support. Through our effective approach we make work safer for everyone so that no-one reaches crisis point and looking after the mental health of workers becomes everyone’s responsibility. 

- ENDS -

NOTES TO EDITOR:

Discover more about Stress Awareness Month (and watch a series of short videos about stress management and download free resources): https://www.matesinmind.org/training-and-resources/stress-awareness-month-april-2026

Relevant statistics:

• The HSE has found that in 2024/25:
• 964,000 workers experienced work-related stress, depression, or anxiety.
• Work-related stress, depression, or anxiety accounted for 52% of all work-related ill health and 62% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health.
• In the construction sector, an estimated 15,000 workers experienced work-related stress, depression, or anxiety, 19% of all ill health in this sector.
• In transport and storage, an estimated 19,000 workers experienced work-related stress, depression, or anxiety, 28% of all ill health in this sector.
• The CIPD has found that:
• Only 29% of organisations train their line managers to support the mental health of employees, despite the fact that 73% of those who did provide training, find significant benefits including increased confidence in spotting the signs of mental ill-health and signposting support.
• Of the organisations that invest in employee wellbeing, 39% experienced higher employee engagement, 39% less sickness and 38% enhanced employee performance.
• Deloitte found that mental ill-health cost businesses £56 bn annually.
• Analysis by Deloitte also found that employers that proactively invest in mental health support for their workforce can make significant gains, with an average £5 return for every £1 spent on wellbeing support.
• According to Government statistics, on average, preventing a single job loss can save employers £8,000 in recruitment costs and business output.

About Mates in Mind

Mates in Mind is a leading UK charity which enables organisations of any size, to proactively improve their workforce wellbeing through building positive mental health in and through work. We work collaboratively with organisations to create a culture of prevention. We recommend that organisations educate, train and support all employees (whether directly employed, or working under contract) across the whole workforce to ensure everyone has the skills, clarity and confidence on how to raise awareness, improve understanding, implement effective interventions and end the stigma of mental ill-health, and to ensure there is a continuous and comprehensive solution in place so that no-one reaches crisis point and workers’ mental health becomes everyone’s responsibility.

www.matesinmind.org.uk