HSE and NEBOSH Develop One-Day Course in Managing Stress at Work

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18 April 2024

Coinciding with Stress Awareness Month, HSE and NEBOSH have developed a new one-day qualification in managing and controlling stress at work.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show that stress, depression or anxiety accounted for the majority of days lost to work-related ill health in 2021/22, equivalent to 17 million days. Six main areas can lead to work-related stress. These are demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. 

Bosses have a legal duty to protect employees from stress at work by doing a risk assessment and taking necessary action. The new NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Managing Stress at Work empowers managers with the knowledge to identify and reduce workplace stressors in the first instance. 

HSE’s Working Minds Campaign

Throughout April, the HSE has been urging employers to follow five simple steps to prevent and reduce stress in their workplace: The 5 Rs:

• Reach out and have conversations
• Recognise the signs and causes of stress
• Respond to any risks you’ve identified
• Reflect on actions you’ve agreed and taken
• And make it Routine

The course is based on the HSE's current approach to managing and controlling stress at work, and includes an explainer of the key principles of work-related stress and its relationship to mental ill health issues. It’s aimed at anyone responsible for employee wellbeing or managing workplace stress, including health and safety professionals, HR professionals, occupational health professionals, line managers and supervisors.

Jen Webster, Occupational Psychologist at HSE said: "Organisations that take action to reduce work-related stress before it becomes a problem have reported improvements in productivity, staff retention and a reduction in sickness absence. It's more than that though. It's about creating the right work environment for people to thrive and if you don't look at what you are doing at the organisational level, everything else is just a sticking plaster."

Picture: a graphic showing a person walking, slumped forward as if in despair. The person has a thought bubble showing a depleted battery. Image Credit: Pixabay

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 18 April 2024

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