How to deal with stress

Common causes of stress at work

It's important to recognise the common causes of stress at work so that you can take steps to reduce stress levels where possible.

Some typical stress inducers

• Excessively high workloads, with unrealistic deadlines making people feel rushed and overwhelmed.
• Insufficient workloads, making people feel that their skills are being underused.
• A lack of control over work activities.
• A lack of interpersonal support or poor working relationships leading to a sense of isolation.
• People being asked to do a job for which they have insufficient experience or training.
• Problems settling into a new promotion, both in terms of meeting the new role's requirements and adapting to possible changes in relationships with colleagues.
• Bullying or harassment.
• A blame culture within your business where people are afraid to get things wrong.
• Weak or ineffective management which leaves employees feeling they don't have a sense of direction.
• Multiple reporting lines for employees, with each manager asking for their work to be prioritised.
• Failure to keep employees informed about significant changes to the business, causing them uncertainty about their future.
• A poor physical working environment - perhaps caused by excessive heat, cold or noise.

You can read about work-related stress on the HSE website. You can also find out about stress at work on the Acas website.

Businesses in Northern Ireland can get information on health and safety issues from the HSENI website or from the HSENI Enquiry Line on Tel 0800 0320 121.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Why tackling stress in your business is important
• Common causes of stress at work
• Assess whether stress is a problem for your business
• Identify signs of stress in employees
• Tackle the causes of workplace stress
• External causes of stress
• Stress-management training and counselling
• Dealing with your own stress
• Here's how we tackle stress to create a healthier working environment