Management standards

Unions campaigned for an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) on stress. However, this proposal was rejected by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It instead published management standards for work-related stress.

The standards are voluntary guidance and are not legally binding. They set out good management practice for preventing work-related stress. The standards come under the headings of six “stressors” — stress factors that cause illness. These are:

• demands;

• control;

• support;

• relationships;

• role; and

• change.

The standards describe what employers could do to reduce stress at work.