Purpose and Scope
This policy outlines how [Organisation Name] manages work-related stress and supports staff mental health. It covers stress prevention and support for mental ill health from any cause.
Use this policy alongside [Organisation Name] policies for absence management, bullying and harassment, and flexible working.
Working through related paperwork at the same time? See also our Health & Safety Policy Template, Noise at Work Procedure Template and UK First Aid Policy & Procedure Template.
Policy Statement
[Organisation Name] treats work-related stress as a health and safety risk. We control it at the source through sensible workloads, rota design, clear roles, and behavioral standards. Asking for help or disclosing a mental health condition will never penalize your job, shift allocation, or career progression.
Responsibilities
- [Role]: Owns this policy, maintains the stress risk assessment, and oversees support arrangements.
- Managers: Set realistic workloads and schedules, hold regular one-to-one meetings, spot warning signs early, and handle disclosures promptly, privately, and without judgment.
- All Staff: Treat colleagues with respect, report wellbeing concerns for themselves or peers, and participate in agreed support plans.
- [Mental Health First Aiders / Wellbeing Champions, if appointed]: Provide a trained initial point of contact. They do not replace clinical professionals.
Risk Assessment Framework
[Role] maintains an organizational stress risk assessment focused on six core areas of work design:
- Demands: Workloads, patterns, and the working environment.
- Control: How much say staff have in how they do their work.
- Support: Encouragement and resources from managers and peers.
- Relationships: Positive working habits that prevent conflict and unacceptable behavior.
- Role: Clear job expectations without conflicting duties.
- Change: Clear communication and management during organizational shifts.
We gather assessment data from sickness absence trends, staff turnover, exit interviews, one-to-one check-ins, and [Survey / Meeting Source] feedback. [Role] logs findings, assigns action owners, sets completion deadlines, and reviews progress [Frequency].
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Identification of Warning Signs
Managers must look for and act on early indicators of stress or mental ill health:
- Behavioural changes: Withdrawal, irritability, sudden performance drops, or uncharacteristic mistakes.
- Absence patterns: Frequent short-term absences or avoiding annual leave.
- Work patterns: Working excessive hours, skipping breaks, or failing to disconnect off-shift.
- Direct disclosures: Direct statements from staff that they are struggling. Take these at face value.
Incident Management and Adjustment Procedure
- Initial Contact: Meet privately with the staff member and their [Line Manager / Named Alternative Contact].
- Support Referral: Connect the individual with appropriate resources, including an [Employee Assistance Programme / Support Service], [Occupational Health Referral Provider], or primary healthcare services.
- Agreement of Adjustments: Set up practical temporary or permanent workplace adjustments (such as lighter workloads, modified schedules, or time off for appointments). If the condition qualifies as a disability under relevant law (such as the Equality Act 2010), you must implement reasonable adjustments.
- Documentation and Review: Record agreed adjustments and set formal review dates every [Interval].
- Return-to-Work Planning: Before an employee returns from a mental health absence, hold a planning conversation to agree on:
- Phased return schedules or modified duties.
- What information to share with the team, if anything.
- A timetable for ongoing check-ins after they return.
Confidentiality and Data Handling
- Treat all employee mental health information as strictly confidential.
- Store personal health data securely in [System / Location] with restricted access.
- Share mental health details only with explicit consent, unless there is a serious, immediate safety risk to the individual or others.
Training, Records, and Policy Review
- Training: Managers complete training on policy implementation, identifying warning signs, and handling disclosures every [Interval]. New hires review this policy during induction.
- Record Retention: Keep stress risk assessments, action plans, training logs, and support records in [System / Location] with restricted access.
- Review Schedule: [Role] reviews this policy [Frequency], or immediately after major operational shifts or critical incidents.
Policy Owner: [Role] Last Reviewed: [Date] Next Review Due: [Date]
FAQs on a stress and mental health at work
What is a stress and mental health at work?
A stress and mental health at work outlines how your organisation manages work-related stress and supports staff mental health. It covers stress prevention and support for mental ill health from any cause.
Having it written down means the same rules apply to everyone, so managers are not making judgement calls case by case under pressure.
What does a stress and mental health at work include?
This template covers risk assessment framework, identification of warning signs, incident management and adjustment procedure and confidentiality and data handling.
Every section is written to be filled in. The bracketed placeholders mark the decisions that are yours to make, such as timescales, approval owners and retention periods.
How to implement a stress and mental health at work with Whale
Copy this template into Whale and work through the bracketed placeholders so it reflects how your organisation actually operates.
Assign it to the teams it applies to so it sits where people work rather than in a shared drive, and set a review date so it gets revisited on schedule instead of quietly going out of date.
Use our templates to fast-track your documentation
Customize this template and 100s of others for free in Whale, the fastest way to get your team aligned.