Introduction
In response to rising concerns about work-related stress, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new free online learning module to help employers identify, assess, and manage stress in the workplace. The tool is part of HSE’s wider 'Working Minds' campaign, which aims to embed mental health and wellbeing into everyday health and safety practices.
What is the tool?
The new resource is a digital, self-guided training module designed to walk employers through the process of managing stress and the health and safety risks that it poses.
The learning module is made up of six short, interactive units that focus on:
- Recognising signs of stress in individuals and teams
- Understanding the legal duties around stress risk management
- Conducting a suitable and sufficient stress risk assessment
- Implementing effective control measures
- Reviewing and monitoring actions taken
- Embedding mental health and stress checks into routine business activity
Each module uses relatable workplace examples and practical advice to guide users through common stress-related issues. The goal is to give employers a clear, structured approach to identifying and addressing the causes of stress before they result in harm.
What does the module help employers do?
The tool encourages users to follow HSE’s '5 Rs' approach:
- Reach out - Create space for open conversations with employees about how they are coping.
- Recognise - Spot the early signs and understand the causes of stress, which vary from person to person.
- Respond - Agree practical steps to remove or reduce risks identified.
- Reflect - Review the effectiveness of any actions taken.
- Make it Routine - Ensure mental health and stress conversations are part of regular business practice.
The module also provides downloadable templates and resources, such as sample stress risk assessments and action plans, making it easier for employers to meet their obligations under health and safety law.
Making it routine: What should businesses do now?
Incorporating the '5 Rs' into a consistent routine is valuable, as it makes it simpler to maintain standards over time. Practical steps include:
- Writing policies making clear that stress and mental health are recognised workplace risks, supported by leadership commitment.
- Regular documented assessments to identify stress triggers, evaluate impact, and implement controls, both organisation-wide and, where needed, individually.
- Embedding mental health into wider H&S management, training, and board-level reporting to ensure accountability.
Why it matters?
Employers have a legal duty under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to assess and control risks to health at work, including those linked to stress. Failure to do so not only increases the risk of regulatory scrutiny, but also opens up the risk of businesses being scrutinised and investigated for wider failings relating to stress, given the HSE's ongoing commitment to the regulation of mental health in the workplace.
This new online tool helps bridge the gap between awareness and action. By offering a simple, practical framework, it assists organisations in taking reasonably practicable measures to ensure health and welfare of employees, supports employee wellbeing, and reduces the operational impacts of unmanaged stress such as absence, poor morale, and reduced productivity.
The module is quick to complete and free to access. To access the tool and start learning, visit HSE’s official page: https://press.hse.gov.uk/2025/05/12/hse-provides-free-online-learning-to-help-employers-tackle-work-related-stress/
If you would like to discuss the article further please contact a member of the regulatory compliance and investigations team.
This article was co-authored by Fortune Elenwa.
