Stress is something we all experience, but when it becomes overwhelming or prolonged, it can start to affect every part of our lives. As we mark Stress Awareness Week, it’s a good time for both employers and employees to reflect on understanding stress, and what support is available to help manage it.
What Is Stress?
Stress is the body’s natural response to pressure or demand. In small doses, it can be helpful, motivating us to meet deadlines or tackle challenges. But when pressure becomes too much or continues for too long, it can impact both our mental and physical health.
Common signs of stress include:
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Fatigue or sleep problems
- Irritability, anxiety, or low mood
- Physical symptoms like headaches or muscle tension
- Changes in appetite or motivation
Left unmanaged, stress can lead to burnout, reduced performance, and longer-term health problems.
How Stress Affects the Workplace
In the workplace, stress doesn’t just affect individuals – it can impact entire teams and organisations. It may lead to:
- Increased absence and presenteeism
- Reduced productivity or engagement
- Communication difficulties
- Higher staff turnover
For managers, understanding stress, and addressing it early can make a real difference. Creating an open culture where employees feel comfortable discussing their wellbeing is one of the most effective ways to prevent small issues from escalating.
Helpful Resources for Understanding Stress
If you or someone in your team is struggling with stress, there are plenty of trustworthy resources that can help:
For individuals:
- Mind: How to manage stress
- Mental Health Foundation: What is stress
For managers:
Sharing these links with your teams can be a simple but powerful way to encourage employees to seek help early.
How Acorn Occupational Health Can Help
At Acorn, we understand that managing stress in the workplace often requires a joined-up approach. Our Management Referral service gives employers access to professional, clinically led support for employees experiencing stress or other wellbeing challenges.
Through this process, our clinicians assess each individual’s situation and provide clear, practical advice on how best to support them, from fitness for work recommendations to adjustments that promote recovery and resilience.
Resilience and Wellbeing Assessments
For employees experiencing more complex or ongoing mental health difficulties, we offer Resilience and Wellbeing Assessments as part of our management referral pathway.
These longer appointments allow the clinician to build trust, explore the employee’s experiences in greater depth, and understand the full picture of their wellbeing.
Each assessment results in a detailed report for the employer, which includes:
- Clear fitness for work advice
- Recommendations for reasonable adjustments
- Suggestions for further support or workplace strategies
- Where appropriate, self-help resources or signposting to external services for the employee
This approach ensures that employees feel genuinely heard and supported, while employers receive professional, actionable advice to help them make informed decisions.
A Joined-Up Approach to Wellbeing
Stress Awareness Week is a reminder that we all need to look after our mental health, and that early intervention can make all the difference. Whether it’s through access to counselling, resilience and wellbeing assessments, or open conversations with managers, the right support can prevent small challenges from becoming bigger problems.
At Acorn, our goal is to help organisations build workplaces where employees feel valued, supported, and able to thrive.
Contact Us:
📧 website@acornoh.co.uk
📞 01260 277797