Stress risk assessment for UK employers - understand risk, prioritise action, and support your people

Why common approaches to stress at work aren’t working

Many stress initiatives are well-intentioned, but they do not reduce risk or absence because they are not designed as a preventative, organisation-wide approach.

They are often:

Reactive – used after employees report stress, raise a grievance, or return from absence.
Individual – focused on helping people cope, rather than addressing the conditions creating pressure in the first place.
A one-off – treated as a compliance task, even though the drivers of stress change as teams, workloads and ways of working shift.
Not based on data – relying on generic policies or assumptions, which makes it hard to prioritise action and prove improvement.
Not embedded – positioned as a standalone HR activity, so leaders do not own the changes that need to happen in day-to-day work.

What works best is a preventative, needs-led approach based on data – embedded into how the organisation works, with clear ownership and regular review (typically every 12-24 months). This is where stress risk assessment moves from a document to a practical tool that reduces risk and improves the experience of work.

This is also where organisations see the greatest return – Deloitte’s research shows strong ROI from investing in mental health, with higher returns from early interventions than later-stage reactive support.

If you want a stress risk assessment approach that is preventative, data-led, and embedded into how you work, we can help you map the simplest next step. Book a 20-minute scoping call – no prep needed.

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What good looks like - a stress risk assessment that stands up to scrutiny

A robust approach should help you:

Identify hotspots across teams, roles, locations, or work patterns
Understand what is driving pressure (not just how people feel)
Prioritise actions based on risk and impact
Create clear ownership and timescales
Track whether changes are improving the experience of work over time

Employers have a duty to protect employees from work-related stress. A robust stress risk assessment helps you identify where the risks sit, understand what is driving them, and take practical steps to prevent or reduce harm.

How we assess psychosocial risk

Our approach is grounded in evidence and designed to give you a clear picture of the conditions shaping wellbeing and performance across your organisation – including factors linked to stress risk.

You can start with a full organisation-wide assessment, or we can work with the data you already have and focus on action planning.

Acas highlights the need for risk assessments to protect employees from stress at work – and to take steps to prevent or reduce it. We align our approach with HSE’s Management Standards areas – Demands, Control, Support, Relationships, Role, and Change.

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Building a clear picture

We agree scope, audiences, and the key risk areas you need to understand. Employees complete a confidential survey capturing the conditions shaping their experience of work.

Turning data into insight

Responses are analysed to identify strengths, pressures, and areas of psychosocial risk across teams, roles, or locations.

Focusing action where it matters most

You get clear priorities – what to address first, and why – plus practical guidance for leaders and managers.

Agreeing a plan and building momentum

We support action planning so ownership, timelines, and next steps are clear – and progress can be tracked.

What the assessment gives you

Organisational insight

A clear view of where psychosocial risk is highest – and what is driving it
Reports you can filter by team, role, location, or other relevant groups
A practical way to prioritise action based on risk, not guesswork
A board-ready summary that supports governance conversations

Individual and manager-level support

Where appropriate, we can provide feedback and practical guidance that helps managers and teams respond confidently to what the data is telling you.

Delivered through a robust, secure online platform

The assessment is delivered through a secure online platform designed for scale and ease of use – making it realistic for complex organisations, multi-site teams, or busy workforces.

Expert-led insight and organisational assurance

Data alone doesn’t drive change. Our business psychologists help you interpret results, understand risk, and agree clear priorities – so your stress risk assessment leads to action, not another report.

This work can also support your broader wellbeing strategy and the practical steps many employers take to strengthen their stress risk assessment approach, stress policy, and action planning.

From insight to action

Assessment is the starting point. Results should point clearly to what will have the greatest impact – whether that is leadership behaviours, manager capability, workload and ways of working, or support structures across the organisation. If you want a clear route forward after the assessment, we can support targeted action through evidence-based Pathways, built around the pressures your organisation is facing.

A practical next step

If you would like to explore how we can support your stress risk assessment approach – and help you turn insight into action that lasts – we would love to talk. Book a 20-minute scoping call today.

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¹ Reed (in collaboration with SANE) – An employer’s guide to mental health in the workplace

² Deloitte – Poor mental health costs UK employers £51 billion a year for employees

Stress risk assessment for UK employers – understand risk, prioritise action, and support your people

Why common approaches to stress at work aren’t working