Time to cut the costly risks of stress in your workplace – here’s how

April is Stress Awareness Month – the perfect time to cut the risks of workplace stress and support mental health. Find out how you can get free help from Working Minds – and read the touching true story of Tom below.

Did you know: it’s a sad fact that half of work-related ill health is down to stress, depression or anxiety. There are three good reasons to prevent work-related stress : it’s the law, it’s good for business – and you know it’s the right thing to do.

At Bison Assist, we understand the serious risks of failing to deal with stress issues in your workplace. The law requires ALL employers – big or small – to prevent work related stress to support good mental health in the workplace. 

Chris Hickman, CEO of Bison, says: “Failing to manage stress at work properly has serious consequences in all kinds of ways. It can cost you in reduced productivity, increased sickness absence, or even losing a valued member of your team.”

The Working Minds campaign brings together tools and support to help businesses and workers prevent work related stress and encourage good mental health with these 5 simple steps:

Five simple steps  

1. Reach out and have conversations
2. Recognise the signs and causes of stress
3. Respond to any risks identified by agreeing action points
4. Reflect on the actions taken – have things improved?
5. Make it Routine to check back in on how things are going.

Tom’s real-life story of overwork and crisis

A leading legal form tells the tragic story of Tom, a former Parks Manager of a London Borough, after stress at work caused him to develop severe depression leading to a mental health crisis.

He felt his employers had given him an unrealistic workload and responsibility over a number of years, while chipping away at the resources and help  he needed to do the job. He was so busy he couldn’t even take his holiday allocation.  

Tom’s GP sent a letter to his employers warning about the toll this was taking on his health, and the company referred him to occupational health and drew up an action plan to improve things. Unfortunately, his manager never put the plan into operation.

Eventually, Tom had to retire 10 years early because of ill-health, and blamed the break-up of his marriage on the strain.

After a long court case, Tom’s employers were found to have been negligent in their care of his mental health – and were required to pay him £300,000 in compensation.

Chris from Bison Assist (who were uninvolved in this case) says: “The story of Tom shows how shockingly bad the consequences of poor stress management in the workplace can be, from the dreadful human cost to the legal implications for the employers.

“So remember – if you are an employer, it’s your legal and moral responsibility to create the conditions in your workplace where good mental health can thrive. 

“In Stress Awareness Month, take some time to access Working Minds, where there are lots of free resources to help you and your staff understand what’s at stake and how you can help.”

• Give your workplace a wellbeing spring clean – read our Bison guide here.
• Health check your essential risk assessments – book a visit by a Bison expert!
• Further eLearning for your staff can be found here.

Blog photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash