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Step 1 - Identify the hazards

The starting point is the content of the six Management Standards themselves. It is important to become familiar with these and how they apply in, and translate to, the local context of your workplace. There will be organisational ‘hot-spots’ but these can only be identified by undertaking a systematic risk assessment. Remember also that each of the six factors does not always operate singly – often they combine or interact.

Find out what’s causing stress in your workplace

The purpose of the Management Standards

The Standards look at the six key areas of work that, if properly managed, can help to reduce work-related stress:

  • Demands – Includes issues like workload, work patterns and the work environment.
  • Control – How much say the person has in the way they do their work.
  • Support – Includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues.
  • Relationships – Includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour.
  • Role – Whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles.
  • Change – How organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation.

The Standards help you to measure performance in managing work-related stress. Each standard provides simple statements about good management practice in each of the six areas.

HSE does not expect every employer to meet all the Standards at their first attempt. The Standards are goals that employers should be working towards through an ongoing process of risk assessment and continuous improvement.

Once you are familiar with the Standards, you can start thinking about how you can apply them in your organisation. The next section of the advice will help you to do this.

Checkpoint 1: Getting started, look for the hazards

Before you begin the next stage, you should have done the following:

  • Read and understood the Management Standards
  • Secured senior management commitment to tackling stress
  • Involved employees and employee representatives in taking the work forward
  • Informed employees of latest developments and plans for next steps
  • Recorded what you have done

Next:Step 2 - Decide who might be harmed and how


1 in 5 are stressed at work


it results from being under too much pressure

"It results from being under too much pressure"
- Real People, Real Opinions

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