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Wellbeing Support

Practical Tools to Mitigate Stress

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Practical Tools to Mitigate Stress

Pressure at work can be positive, helping us learn, grow and perform at our best. But when pressure becomes too much, it can turn into stress. Stress occurs when demands exceed our ability to cope, and this will be different for everyone.

While stress isn’t a medical diagnosis, prolonged exposure can seriously harm our physical and mental health, contributing to anxiety, depression, and existing conditions.

Taking a proactive approach, by recognising personal triggers and using simple wellbeing tools, builds resilience and helps us manage pressure before it escalates.

Sources of Workplace Stress

If not managed properly without clear communication, the following factors are associated with poor health and increased sickness absence:

  • Demands such as unmanageable workload and work environment.
  • Lack of control and autonomy in your work.
  • Lack of support from line management and colleagues.
  • Poor work relationships with colleagues or managers including, experiencing bullying, harassment or discrimination.
  • Uncertainty of over job role including conflicting roles and understanding elements of your job.
  • Change such as restructuring (big or small) or change in team dynamics.
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What You Can Do

Taking proactive steps to prioritise your wellbeing whilst at work can help reduce and mitigate stress and support the development of long‑term resilience.

Build Healthy Work Habits

  • Take regular breaks throughout the day, working without pauses is counterproductive and increases the risk of burnout.
  • Use your full annual leave entitlement and spread time off throughout the year.
  • Be aware of your contractual working hours and avoid routinely working long days.
  • Schedule activity breaks into your week (e.g., a walk at lunchtime, a coffee break, meeting a colleague, or joining a BeWell activity).
  • Stay organised by actively planning and prioritising your workload. Check out the Planner App in Toolkit
  • Find a working structure that supports your productivity and wellbeing, this may be hybrid working or being fully on campus. Everyone’s balance looks different, and that’s okay.

Use Available Tools and Support

  • Use Stress Management Tools when you're feeling overwhelmed.
  • Consider short online stress‑management courses to build coping skills.
  • Access support services such as Occupational Health, University Counselling, the Employee Assistance Programme, or your GP when needed.
  • Consider if there are any reasonable adjustments both short term and long term that can support you.

Communicate Early and Openly

Speak honestly with your line manager, or HR if that feels more comfortable, about anything affecting your wellbeing, including workload pressures or sources of stress.

Schedule regular check‑ins with your line manager to review workload, raise concerns, and explore available support, perhaps consider preparing for the discussion by using the Workload Mapping Tool or a Wellness Action Plans (WAP) Template. 

What Your Line Manager Can Do

Managers play a crucial role in proactively identifying, reducing, and supporting team members with work‑related stress.

Build a Supportive, Open Culture

  • Hold regular team meetings, 1:1s, appraisals, and informal check‑ins.
  • Encourage honest conversations about workload, capacity, and wellbeing.
  • Create an environment where staff feel safe to raise concerns early.

Assess and Manage Workload Proactively

  • Review individual and team workloads regularly to understand pressures.
  • Use tools such as the Workload Mapping Tool to analyse and document workload levels (completed by individuals or managers).
  • Make use of training and upskilling opportunities, build this time in for yourself as well as for your team.
  • Promote shared responsibility for balancing workload across the team.

Individual Discussions

Team Discussions

Use the Workload Mapping Tool at team meetings to explore collective pressures.

During individual or team discussions, consider:

  • Prioritising or pausing work - Review deadlines, identify critical tasks, and agree when paused work will be revisited.
  • New ways of working - Explore tools, processes or digital solutions that reduce time and effort.
  • Collaboration or delegation - Share workload, upskill colleagues, or draw on expertise from other departments.
  • Regular review - Set a timeframe to re‑evaluate workload, stress levels, and the impact of any changes.

Model Healthy Behaviours

  • Lead with vulnerability and openness.
  • Demonstrate good wellbeing practices such as taking breaks, maintaining boundaries, and managing workload visibly and responsibly.
  • Encourage staff to access available support resources, templates and training.
  • Promote open communication and lead by example in prioritising wellbeing.
University Resources

University Policies

Useful Webpages

Online e-learning courses

Wellbeing Support