Every November, International Stress Awareness Week reminds us to reflect on how stress shows up in our lives and workplaces. This year, it runs from 3–7 November 2025, with the theme “Optimising Employee Wellbeing through Strategic Stress Management”.
What is stress?
Stress is the mental and physical response when demands exceed our perceived ability to cope. In small doses, stress can sharpen focus and motivate us to perform at our best. But when it becomes prolonged or chronic, it can lead to anxiety, depression, fatigue, cardiovascular issues, and burnout; all of which take a toll on people and productivity.
A helpful way to visualise stress is as water filling a bucket. Each demand or pressure adds more water, while coping mechanisms, rest, and social support act as drains. If water flows in faster than it drains, it leads to the bucket eventually overflowing, which represents overwhelm, burnout, or breakdown. Managing stress effectively means both reducing what flows in and improving how well we drain it through recovery, boundaries, and balance.
What is Stress Awareness Week and why is it important?
International Stress Awareness Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of stress, its causes, and how to manage it effectively. The 2025 theme focuses on moving away from one-off wellbeing initiatives and towards embedded, strategic approaches in order to integrate stress risk assessments, leadership accountability, and strong organisational support into everyday business practice.
Importantly, stress isn’t just a personal issue but a workplace health and safety concern. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) classifies stress as a workplace hazard.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers have a legal duty to protect the mental health as well as physical health of their employees. The Working Time Regulations 1998 also protect against excessive working hours and, where stress is linked to discrimination or harassment, the Equality Act 2010 can apply.
Beyond compliance, there’s a clear moral and business case for effective stress management in the workplace. High stress levels contribute to burnout, sickness absence, low morale, and high turnover; all of which cost organisations time, money, and organisational trust. Managing stress strategically is the right thing to do, but is also a smart investment in people and performance.
What are the main causes of stress in the workplace?
Every organisation is different, but common workplace stressors include:
- Heavy workloads or unrealistic deadlines
- Poor communication or unclear expectations
- Lack of control over tasks or decision-making
- Limited managerial or peer support
- Conflict, bullying, or job insecurity
- Organisational change, long hours, and poor work-life balance
Stressors should never be brushed off as “just part of the job.” They are warning signs that the stress bucket might be close to overflowing. Recognising these early patterns helps to prevent escalation and encourages a culture of openness before stress becomes a crisis.
How can workplace stress be managed effectively and strategically?
One simple but effective practical framework for understanding and managing stress is the 5 Rs:
- Recognise the early signs of stress in yourself and others
- Reflect on what is causing it and what can realistically change (both in the long- and short-term)
- Reduce unnecessary pressures where possible
- Recover through rest, breaks, and activities that restore balance
- Resilience through building coping skills, support networks, and supportive relationships that buffer future stress
The 5 Rs should feature across stress risk assessments and wellbeing policies to ensure that stress is being effectively and strategically managed. Together, these steps create a proactive approach to wellbeing rather than a reactive one.
How can iCOR support organisations with effective, proactive and strategic stress management?
Stress Awareness Week 2025 is a reminder that wellbeing and compliance go hand in hand. By aligning compassion with structure, organisations can create safer, healthier, and more sustainable workplaces where protecting mental health is a shared responsibility rather than an afterthought.
iCOR helps organisations to manage their legal obligations by providing a secure, central place to record, evidence, and monitor compliance. Stress risk assessments, mitigation plans, wellbeing policies, and training records can all be uploaded and tracked within your bespoke legal register, giving a clear, auditable trail of how stress-related risks are being managed.
Book a demo here to see how iCOR supports accountability and transparency, helping organisations demonstrate due diligence under health and safety law during Stress Awareness Week and beyond.