Let’s talk about stress

Stress is a normal part of life, including our working lives. A certain level of stress can be expected in a working environment and, in some cases, may even be beneficial. In healthy amounts, stress can help to improve focus, meet deadlines, or adapt to changing priorities. However, when workplace stress becomes excessive or prolonged, it can lead to significant physical and psychological harm. For employers, especially under Work Health and Safety legislation, there is a clear legal and moral responsibility to prevent work-related stress from becoming a health and safety issue. In this article, we discuss when stress becomes unhealthy, the impact stress can have on employees, and where the responsibility lies with employers.

What does it mean to be ‘stressed’ and when does it become unhealthy?

The term stress refers to the body’s response to mental or emotional pressure. In the workplace, this pressure can stem from various sources such as high workloads, unclear roles, unrealistic deadlines, poor communication, a lack of support, job insecurity, or exposure to bullying or harassment. Some degree of pressure is normal and can be considered reasonable, such as having to meet an important deadline during a busy period, taking on new responsibilities, or dealing with short-term operational changes. However, stress becomes unreasonable when it’s chronic, unmanaged, or results from systemic issues in the workplace, such as understaffing, a toxic culture, or unclear performance expectations.

What impact does stress have on employees?

The effects of unreasonable workplace stress can be severe. Physically, it can manifest as fatigue, headaches, or gastrointestinal problems. Psychologically, it can lead to anxiety, depression, burnout, or, in extreme cases, suicidal ideation. Unmanaged stress also affects organisational productivity through increased absenteeism, reduced performance, higher staff turnover, and increased compensation claims.

Where does the employer’s responsibility lie?

From a WHS perspective, employers have a legal duty under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 to provide a safe and healthy workplace, so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes managing psychosocial risks such as stress. Safe Work Australia’s 2022 Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards in the workplace makes it clear that employers must identify stress-related hazards, assess their risks, and implement control measures. This might involve ensuring workloads are reasonable, improving consultation and communication practices, providing mental health training, or designing work to include adequate breaks and recovery time.

Employers also have a duty to consult with workers when identifying hazards and making decisions about how to manage them. Workers themselves play a role in raising concerns and participating in the development of solutions, but the ultimate duty of care remains with the employer.

Employers need to be proactive, not reactive

A proactive approach to stress management not only supports compliance with the law but also contributes to a healthier, more engaged and more productive workforce. It is no longer enough to treat stress as an individual problem to be managed by the worker alone. Instead, we must recognise it as a shared workplace risk, influenced by organisational design, leadership behaviours and workplace culture.

By understanding what constitutes reasonable versus unreasonable stress, and by taking active steps to mitigate the risks, employers can create environments where workers can thrive mentally, emotionally and physically. Reducing stress isn’t just about legal compliance, it’s about building resilient, respectful and supportive workplaces across all industries and all states.

Citation Safety can help

Citation Safety has created a unique suite of psychosocial management offerings designed to assist Australian businesses in complying with their WHS obligations regarding psychosocial hazards and enhancing workplace safety and compliance, including an Employee Assistance Program. If you’d like to learn more about the robust safety solutions we can provide, why not arrange a confidential, no-obligation chat today?

About our author

Alison King is a Work Health and Safety Consultant at Citation Safety. She has an interest in all things WHS and psychosocial safety-related and regularly provides advice on managing workplace risks, promoting mental health, and ensuring compliance with WHS and psychosocial regulations.