Stress Prevention and Creating Positive Working Environments

Covering Assessment Criterion 1.3 of the 5OS07 Wellbeing at Work unit, this video examines two interconnected benefits of adopting wellbeing practices in organisations: stress prevention and the creation of positive working environments. The video draws on UK data concerning working days lost to ill health attributable to work-related stress, depression and anxiety, using that economic context to frame stress prevention as a strategic organisational priority rather than a peripheral concern. It distinguishes between proactive and reactive approaches to workplace stress, and considers root-cause factors including excessive workloads, poor management practices, lack of control and unclear expectations, alongside the physiological consequences of chronic stress such as sustained cortisol release and its effects on immune function, cardiovascular health and cognitive performance.

The video also addresses the direct and indirect financial case for stress prevention, covering sickness absence, occupational health costs, temporary staffing, and the frequently underestimated impact of presenteeism on decision-making quality, creativity and team relationships. These economic arguments are positioned as tools for building an internal case for wellbeing investment, connecting individual health outcomes to measurable organisational costs including turnover, grievances and potential legal liability. This financial framing sits alongside the psychosocial and physiological rationale, giving a dual-perspective analysis of why prevention at source matters for broader organisational health and sustainability.

On positive working environments, the video covers both the physical dimensions — ergonomics, lighting, temperature and access to natural light — and the psychosocial elements that include psychological safety, recognition practices, fairness perceptions and the quality of workplace relationships. It examines how positive environments address fundamental human needs for belonging, respect and meaning, and connects neurological threat-and-approach responses to behaviours such as knowledge sharing, speaking up with ideas and admitting mistakes, all of which are relevant to organisational learning and continuous improvement. Leadership sponsorship of mental health programmes and the relationship between visible wellbeing practice and employee engagement and retention are also featured within this AC 1.3 scope.