Stress Awareness Month: Practical Support That Actually Works at Work
April is Stress Awareness Month – but let’s be honest, stress doesn’t wait for a calendar invite.
📊 According to the Mental Health Foundation, 74% of UK adults have felt overwhelmed or unable to cope due to stress. At work, it’s even more common – and more costly. The HSE reported 17.1 million working days lost to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety in 2022/23.
So here’s the real question for employers: What are you doing to support your people – not just in April, but all year round?
What Is Stress Awareness Month (And Why Should Employers Care)?
Started in 1992, Stress Awareness Month aims to shine a light on the causes and cures for modern stress. For workplaces, it’s a reminder (or wake-up call) to evaluate:
-Whether your people feel supported.
-If your wellbeing policies go beyond box-ticking.
-How you’re helping staff actually manage stress at work.
Stress isn’t just a productivity killer – it’s a retention risk, a health issue, and a culture killer.
Top Workplace Stressors in 2025
Let’s not sugar-coat it. Your people are stressed, and the causes often include:
1.Unclear roles or unrealistic expectations.
2.Poor communication from managers.
3.Lack of flexibility or autonomy.
4.Tech overload and constant emails.
5.No psychological safety (especially for neurodivergent staff).
Real Ways to Support Employees During Stress Awareness Month
Forget cliché wellness days. Your people need more than meditation apps.
🔄 Normalise Conversations About Stress
“It’s okay not to be okay” shouldn’t be just a slogan.
-Train managers to spot signs of burnout or distress.
-Create safe spaces for open, stigma-free conversations.
-Encourage storytelling – let leadership go first.
🧠 Invest in Manager Mental Health Training
Middle managers are often both the pressure point and the solution.
-Provide mental health and neurodiversity training.
-Give managers frameworks for empathetic leadership.
-Offer check-in templates or discussion guides.
⚖️ Promote Boundaries and Work-Life Balance
Remote work blurred boundaries – and many still struggle to log off.
-Audit workloads and review unrealistic expectations.
-Discourage after-hours emails.
-Role-model healthy boundaries from the top down.
🌈 Tailor Support for Neurodivergent Professionals
Neurodivergent employees often experience heightened stress in traditional workplaces. One-size-fits-all won’t cut it.
-Offer quiet zones, flexible deadlines, and clear communication styles.
-Make workplace adjustments accessible and proactive, not reactive.
-Bring in external experts or coaches who specialise in neurodivergent wellbeing.
💬 Run Interactive Workshops, Not Just Webinars
Your team needs more than information – they need transformation.
-Run practical sessions on resilience, burnout prevention, or emotional regulation.
-Invite lived-experience speakers – especially those who are neurodivergent, Black, disabled, or LGBTQIA+.
-Consider bite-sized learning for overwhelmed teams.
This April, Don’t Just Talk About Stress. Act On It.
Stress Awareness Month isn’t about slapping posters on walls. It’s a chance to rethink how you support the humans behind the job titles.
Want help creating a culture of real support – not performative wellbeing?
Let’s talk. Book a free discovery call or explore our inclusive workplace wellbeing programmes at CorpWell.
