How Do I Support an Employee Experiencing Workplace Stress?

FAQ: How Do I Support an Employee Experiencing Workplace Stress When the Workload Appears Manageable?

January is a time when many businesses aim to hit the ground running – new targets, fresh priorities, and a renewed sense of momentum. But it’s also one of the most common times of year for employees to report feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or burnt out, even when, on paper, their workload may not have changed.

So how should employers respond when someone claims workplace stress, but the workload appears reasonable?

The short answer: stress isn’t always about volume of work. Often, it’s about how, where and under what conditions that work is being done.

Look Beyond the Workload Itself

When an employee raises concerns about stress, it can be tempting to immediately assess task lists, deadlines, and outputs. While that’s important, workload alone rarely tells the full story.

For example, someone working in the office may be facing:

• Frequent interruptions
• Constant phone calls
• Competing priorities
• A noisy or distracting environment

Even a “manageable” workload can become difficult to navigate if an employee isn’t getting the uninterrupted time they need to actually complete it. By contrast, someone working with fewer distractions may appear to cope more easily with the same volume of work.

Consider the Time of Year

January comes with its own pressures. Many people return to work already tired after a busy December, disrupted routines, financial stress, or limited rest. Add darker mornings, colder weather, and post-holiday fatigue, and it’s no surprise that burnout often surfaces at the start of the year.

This doesn’t mean the workload is unreasonable but it does mean capacity may temporarily be reduced.

Check in on Wellbeing First

Before assessing performance or output, it’s important to look at the wellbeing element:

• Are they identifying the root cause of the stress?
• Have they accessed any occupational health or health surveillance support available?
• Are there underlying health, mental, or personal factors affecting their capacity?

Employees don’t operate in a vacuum. They have good days and bad days, and often have things going on outside of work that can impact resilience and focus.

Think About the Nature of the Work

It’s also essential to consider what kind of work the employee is doing:

• Is it physically demanding or manual work that may be placing strain on the body?
• Is it administrative or highly detailed work that is mentally taxing?
• Does their role require sustained concentration, emotional labour, or constant decision-making?

Mental strain can be just as significant as physical strain and often harder to spot.

Define What “Reasonable” Really Looks Like

Handling stress claims effectively means having a clear understanding of:

• What reasonable performance looks like
• What reasonable workload looks like
• What support is in place when capacity dips

This isn’t about lowering standards – it’s about recognising that capacity isn’t fixed and can fluctuate, particularly at certain times of year.

Practical Steps for Employers

When an employee raises concerns about stress:

1. Listen without judgment
2. Explore contributing factors, not just workload volume
3. Review the working environment (office vs remote, distractions, interruptions)
4. Encourage use of support systems (holidays, occupational health, EAPs)
5. Have open, ongoing conversations, rather than one-off assessments

In Summary

If someone is claiming workplace stress when the workload appears reasonable, it doesn’t mean the concern isn’t valid. Especially in January, stress is often influenced by environment, mental load, wellbeing and seasonal burnout – not just the number of tasks on a to-do list.

Taking a holistic, compassionate approach not only helps you meet your duty of care as an employer but also supports sustainable performance in the long run.

If you’d like support navigating stress-related concerns or reviewing workload and wellbeing practices, Altum HR is here to help.