What should my employer do about stress at work?

The HSE admits that it is still working out the best way to tackle stress at work, but its latest advice (October 2003) says employers should:

• Carry out a stress risk assessment in the same way they assess other workplace risks.
• Achieve acceptable stress levels. Using national survey data, the HSE has set a level of staff satisfaction, called a stress ‘management standard’, for six possible sources of stress: demand, control, support, role, relationships and change. For example, to reach a satisfactory standard on work demands, 85% of staff should be able to say they can cope with the demands of their job.