How to deal with stress

Introduction

Tackling work-related stress is essential to ensure the well-being of both you and your employees and to safeguard the performance of your business.

Stress can be particularly damaging for owner-managers and the self-employed. Though a degree of pressure can help you to perform effectively, excessive demands can reduce your productivity and make it more difficult to take important decisions.

Stress can also undermine employees' effectiveness, cause a rise in sickness absences and increase staff turnover. You have a legal responsibility to ensure your employees don't become ill, either physically or mentally, because of work-related stress.

This guide helps you identify and tackle possible causes of stress in your business - from excessive workloads and communication problems to insufficient training and poor management.

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
• Working with people affected by traumatic events
• Supporting employees with mental ill health
• Here's how we tackle stress to create a healthier working environment

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