What are Stress Risk Assessments?
A Stress Risk Assessment is an evaluation of what in a workplace could cause employees to suffer from work-related stress, so that employers can determine whether they have done enough, or should do more to prevent harm.
Employers have a legal duty to protect their employees from stress at work. If not effectively managed, stress can place demands on employees’ physical and mental health and affect their behaviour, performance and relationships with colleagues. Stress is one of the main causes of long-term absence from work.
Ergo at Work can help employers by undertaking both individual and company-wide stress risk assessments to identify risks so that employers can effectively manage workplace activities to reduce the likelihood of work-related stress.
Our assessments are based on the Health and Safety Executive’s Management standards reviewing the six main areas of work design which can affect stress levels. These are;
Demands — workload, work patterns and the working environment.
Control — how much say the person has in the way they do their work.
Support — the supervision, encouragement, recognition, training and resources provided by the company, manager and colleagues.
Relationships — this includes promoting positive working relationships and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
Role — whether people understand their role clearly and how it fits into the organisation.
Change — how organisational change is managed and communicated.
How long does a Stress Risk Assessment take?
An individual stress risk assessment will take up to 90 minutes. It can be undertaken either on-site or remotely. A comprehensive typed report along with an assessment checklist and suggested action plan will be provided to the employer following the assessment.
Company-wide stress risk assessments will take longer depending on the size of the organisation.