Work-related stress has increasingly become a challenge for employers, with 64% of HR professionals reporting stress-related absences in their organisations last year (Simply Health). As stress affects everyone in different ways, it can be difficult for employers to identify if an employee is suffering from stress. Let’s explore signs of stress we can look out for, including emotional, behavioural and physical changes. We will also consider the impact stress may have on performance and attendance.
What is stress?
The Health & Safety Executive defines work-related stress as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them in work’. It’s important to remember that employers have a legal duty of care towards employee health and safety, which includes protecting employees from stress at work.
Prolonged stress can cause mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, and can also make people physically ill. For example, stress has been found to contribute to illnesses such as IBS, strokes, heart disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, diabetes and miscarriage.
For employers, stress is a major factor in short-term and long-term sickness absence, and can also impact an employee’s behaviour, performance, engagement and relationships with colleagues (CIPD). For instance, the Health & Safety Executive’s research found that 22.1 million working days were lost due to stress, anxiety or depression in 2024/2025.
What causes stress?
Stress can be caused by a range of different factors. However, in research conducted by the CIPD found that the main causes of work-related stress were workloads/volume of work and management style.
On top of that, stress can also be caused by personal factors such as relationship and family issues, personal illness or health issues. And, given the current economic climate, many employees face financial difficulty. Concerningly, a recent poll by Wagestream found that 24% of employees worry about money every single day.
What are the signs of stress?
It can be difficult to identify signs of stress as we all experience stress in different ways. So, employers should look out for noticeable changes in a person (such as emotional, behavioural or physical changes), or any knock-on effects that are out of character such as changes in attendance or performance. Here are some signs of stress to look out for:
Emotional signs of stress: crying; increased sensitivity; irritability; mood swings or low mood; panic; loss of confidence; overreaction to problems; difficulty relaxing and becoming withdrawn.
Physical signs of stress: nervous or stumbling speech; twitchy or nervous behaviour; chest pain; high blood pressure; sweating; tiredness and lethargy; upset stomach; tension headaches; rapid weight gain or loss; lack of interest in hygiene and / or appearance; accidents at home or at work and sleep affected.
Behavioural signs of stress: argumentative behaviour; personality clashes; reduced social contacts; malicious gossip; criticism of others; bullying or harassment; temper outburst and increased consumption of drugs, alcohol or cigarettes.
Performance: poor memory, concentration or judgment; increase in errors; decrease in performance; indecision and reduced motivation or commitment to role.
Attendance: increased time spent in work; not taking annual leave; poor time-keeping and absenteeism or presenteeism.
You can also review your people metrics to identify signs of stress in your teams, for example, increased turnover, absence, reports of stress, workplace disputes, complaints and grievances.
How to manage work-related stress
As employers, we have an obligation to manage work-related stress through stress prevention strategies and early intervention. For comprehensive information on managing work-related stress, read our guide The Ultimate Guide on Stress Management for Employers.
What can we do to help?
If you have would like advice on work-related stress, please contact our team on 0330 223 5253 or connect@fitzgeraldhr.co.uk. We would love to help.
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