Isn't stress covered in your existing policy under "welfare" or "wellbeing"? Nothing wrong with having a specific policy though. I take it stress is a well-known issue in your workplace?

1. Use relaible, valid measures of changes in levels of work-related stress with utmost consistency and ensure that they are reported in the company's annual report 2. Where relaible, valid measures indicate improvements in levels of work-related stress, the main benefits are improved levels of psychological capital and fitness-for-purpose 3. The 'negative' factors are the pains and errors commonly associated with developing psychological capital, just as with any other kind of fitness-for-purpose

A few years ago, when stress was flavour of the month we decided to do stress. We brought in HR, OH and the unions. We drafted a stress policy, and a system for assessing stress was adopted and we had a workshop attended by some managers. Then it was all change, big reorganisation, focus is now on the bottom line and the stress policy is lost somewhere. And the staff, they’re getting stressed out! The important thing about a stress policy (and any other policy) is that it must be a living thing, and it must updated and kept fresh. Managers should be made to recognise that managing stress in individuals is part of their job (and that sometimes they are the cause of the stress!). Such a policy can be a can of worms, with managers feeling challenged- “I don’t cause stress I’m just a hard manager” There are lots of policies out there to adapt, but don’t expect miracles.