HSE guidance on the “primary sources” of stress at work

The HSE Management Standards cover six key areas of work design that, if not properly managed, are associated with poor health and well-being, lower productivity and increased sickness absence. They cover “the primary sources” of stress at work:

• the demands of the job;

• control over work;

• the support from managers and colleagues;

• relationships at work;

• role in the organisation; and

• change and how it is managed.

These Management Standards are the basis of the HSE’s approach to tackling stress and are examined in detail in Chapter 4.