3. Work-related stress and the law

This chapter summarises the legal duties owed by the employer in relation to work-related stress.

The legal framework is complicated and inadequate. There is no legislation in the UK specifically aimed at combating stress at work. Instead, reps need a basic understanding of a range of potential sources of legal rights.

Winning a stress-related claim is not easy. A TUC-backed report based on official figures and produced by Hazards magazine found that just one in 754 workers who suffer work-related stress, anxiety and depression receive compensation. The tiny minority who are awarded compensation will have suffered serious psychiatric injury and work-related stress will have had a devastating impact on their long-term capacity to continue their careers and enjoy their lives. Avoiding the harm caused by stress is preferable to compensating for it.