Workplace Anxiety: A Practical Guide for Employers and Managers

Workplace anxiety can affect people in any role and at any level of an organisation. An employee may become anxious because of workload, deadlines, meetings, organisational change or difficult working relationships. For others, an existing anxiety condition may make certain aspects of their job harder to manage.

The signs are not always obvious. A capable employee may continue meeting expectations while using considerable energy to hide how much they are struggling. Others may experience changes in concentration, confidence, attendance or performance.

Managers do not need to diagnose anxiety or become mental health specialists. They do, however, need to recognise when someone may be struggling, start an appropriate conversation and know where to find practical support.

Small workplace changes can sometimes make a considerable difference. In more complex situations, a workplace assessment can identify the barriers affecting the employee and provide clear recommendations for adjustments, coaching, equipment or other support.

Mark Treagus – Senior Assessor & Trainer at AptoLink

“Anxiety can be incredibly impactful, starting before the client (employee) even gets into the office or starts their workday from home. This can be anxiety around the commute, anxiety around interactions with colleagues, managers, and clients, or anxiety about the role and workload.

During assessments, there is often a conversation about the impacts of anxiety the day/night before, which affects client sleep, contributes to feelings of physical and mental exhaustion, and makes the following day that much harder.

They may struggle to remain focused and engaged with many acknowledging that they are less productive. This can often result in them feeling the need to put in additional hours. While there is often no pressure from their employer to work into the night, anxiety can result in this cycle of overwork and under-resting, contributing to feelings of burnout and potentially leading to extended absences from their role.

Thinking about past conversations, those in roles with direct communication with customers often experience anxiety around interactions; it is not uncommon to have conversations with clients who have previously been diagnosed with anxiety and PTSD. While they may acknowledge that 99.8% of all conversations they have with clients are professional and fall within the realm of expectation, anxieties remain around whether the next caller will be okay, or if they will get angry or confrontational? I’ve had conversations with individuals who work within call centre environments who have struggled emotionally following challenging calls, crying and struggling to manage their emotions in front of colleagues”.

Workplace anxiety describes anxiety that affects someone while they are working or when they think about going to work.

It may be directly connected to something happening within the workplace, such as:

• An unmanageable workload
• Unclear responsibilities or changing priorities
• Tight or unpredictable deadlines
• Meetings, presentations or telephone calls
• Difficult working relationships
• Organisational change
• A lack of control over how work is completed
• Noise, interruptions or other environmental demands
• Concerns about performance or job security

Anxiety can also exist independently of work but still affect someone’s working day. Bereavement, financial worries, family responsibilities, health problems and existing mental health conditions can all influence how someone feels and functions at work.

The NHS describes anxiety as a natural response to pressure or feeling threatened. When anxiety becomes intense, persistent or overwhelming, it can interfere with everyday life. Its effects can include difficulty concentrating or making decisions, disrupted sleep, tiredness, irritability and avoidance of situations that trigger anxiety. NHS guidance on anxiety

The terms are often used together, but anxiety and work-related stress are not necessarily the same (especially to the employee).

Work-related stress generally develops when someone feels unable to cope with the demands placed upon them. Anxiety can involve persistent worry, fear or unease and may continue even when an immediate source of pressure has passed.

An employee can experience either one or both.

The Health and Safety Executive identifies six areas of work design that can contribute to work-related stress when they are poorly managed:

• Demands, including workload and the working environment
• Control over how someone completes their work
• Support from managers and colleagues
• Workplace relationships
• Clarity around the employee’s role
• How organisational change is managed

Employers have a legal duty to protect employees from work-related stress by assessing the risks and acting on their findings. HSE Management Standards

This organisational responsibility is different from assessing the individual needs of a particular employee. Both may be necessary. An employer may need to address wider workplace pressures while also identifying the adjustments that could help an individual employee.

Anxiety affects people differently. Two employees with the same diagnosis may experience very different workplace barriers and require different forms of support.

It may affect:

• Concentration and the ability to retain information.
• Planning, organisation and time management.
• Confidence when making decisions.
• Participation in meetings.
• The ability to process verbal instructions.
• Communication with colleagues or customers.
• Responses to unexpected changes.
• Attendance and punctuality.
• Sleep, energy and resilience.
• The ability to begin or complete particular tasks.

These difficulties can sometimes be mistaken for poor performance, disengagement or a lack of ability. Addressing only the visible performance issue may therefore miss the underlying barrier.

A previously reliable employee might begin missing deadlines because anxiety is making it difficult to prioritise a complicated workload. Someone who rarely contributes during meetings may be worried about processing information and responding immediately. Another employee may avoid telephone calls because they feel unable to manage unpredictable conversations.

The manager’s role is not to assume why this is happening. It is to create an opportunity for the employee to explain what they are experiencing

Possible signs include:

• A change in the quality or quantity of someone’s work.
• Increased absence or lateness.
• Difficulty meeting deadlines.
• Avoiding meetings, calls or particular tasks.
• Repeatedly seeking reassurance. 
• Appearing unusually withdrawn, tense or overwhelmed  – or can also be displayed in a person’s personal care (hair, make-up etc. or appearing unkempt).
• Finding it difficult to make decisions.
• Working excessive hours to keep up.
• Increased mistakes or difficulty retaining information.
• A noticeable loss of confidence. This can be a strong indicator as anxiety undermines a person’s confidence in their ability to carry out their role within the organisation. 

None of these signs proves that an employee has anxiety. There may be many possible explanations, which is why managers should avoid attempting to diagnose the problem.

A private and supportive conversation provides a better starting point.

Mark Treagus – Senior Assessor & Trainer at AptoLink 

“Within non-customer-facing roles, I often have conversations with individuals whose anxiety impacts them during important interactions and meetings. Anxiety can contribute to what many individuals often describe as brain fog, finding that while they have actively prepared for meetings and could often be considered subject matter experts, they struggle to recall the prepared information during meetings with senior colleagues. To try and mitigate these challenges, they often create notes, but there is often a conversation around relying on notes impacting the way they present material, making them look less professional. Anxiety can also impact their ability to answer questions; there is often discussion around them feeling like they are being put on the spot, and it is not uncommon to have conversations around clients feeling that their anxiety is impacting their progression in the workplace.

Within a recent assessment for a social worker, anxiety and stress were described as a daily experience. Heightened episodes of anxiety were linked to aspects of the role, including communicating with managers, workload pressures, and the need to maintain consistently high standards. Ultimately, this was contributing to episodes of overwhelm and burnout, contributing to a cycle of ongoing challenges and difficulties meeting expectations.

While coaching certainly offers huge benefits and plays a significant part in better managing daily challenges, or returning to a role after a period of medical leave, we often look at other forms of support in tandem with coaching, including using mind mapping software and training. Mind mapping can be used for a variety of beneficial things, such as taking complex tasks and breaking them down into smaller, more manageable activities, which reduces the anxiety associated with challenging tasks”.

Managers can begin by describing what they have noticed without making assumptions about the cause.

For example:

“I’ve noticed that you seem to be finding the current workload difficult to manage. Is there anything affecting your work that you would like to discuss?”

The conversation should concentrate on workplace barriers and support rather than asking the employee to disclose unnecessary medical information.

Useful questions could include:

• Which parts of your role are most difficult at the moment?
• Are there particular situations or times when the problem becomes worse?
• Is the way work is communicated or allocated creating difficulties?
• Is there anything we could change or trial?
• Would you benefit from advice about workplace adjustments?
• When should we review the support?

An employee may not immediately know what would help. Anxiety can make it harder to analyse a situation, explain what is happening or choose between different options. The absence of an immediate answer does not mean that support is unnecessary.

ACAS recommends treating mental health concerns with the same seriousness as physical illness. It also recognises that mental health can fluctuate and that an adjustment which works for one employee may not work for another. ACAS guidance on mental health adjustments

The right adjustments depend on the individual, their responsibilities and the barriers affecting their work. Employers should avoid treating the following examples as a standard package.

Anxiety can make a complicated or frequently changing workload feel unmanageable. Helpful adjustments might include:

• Agreeing clear priorities
• Breaking large projects into shorter stages
• Providing realistic and visible deadlines
• Reducing unnecessary task switching
• Reviewing competing responsibilities
• Scheduling regular workload discussions
• Providing written action points

The aim is not necessarily to remove responsibility. It is to create enough structure for the employee to understand what is expected and manage their work more confidently.

Meetings can be difficult when an employee is expected to absorb information, formulate a response and take notes at the same time.

Possible adjustments include:

• Sending agendas and documents in advance
• Providing written instructions rather than relying entirely on verbal information
• Sharing action points after meetings
• Allowing questions to be submitted in writing
• Giving notice before discussing complex matters
• Reducing unnecessary meetings
• Agreeing a preferred method of communication

Depending on the role, appropriate adjustments could include:

• Flexible starting and finishing times
• More frequent short breaks
• A quieter working space
• Planned periods of uninterrupted work
• Working from home for part of the week
• Time away from work for medical appointments
• A gradual or phased return after absence

Government guidance confirms that reasonable adjustments can include changes to working arrangements, equipment, location and phased returns. GOV.UK guidance on reasonable adjustments

Some employees may benefit from individual coaching focused on the practical demands of their job.

Coping strategy coaching can help someone develop workable approaches to:

• Planning and prioritising tasks
• Managing time and deadlines
• Breaking work into achievable stages
• Preparing for meetings or difficult conversations
• Managing feelings of being overwhelmed
• Communicating when additional support is needed
• Building confidence in workplace routines

This is not counselling or clinical treatment. It is practical, work-focused support tailored to the employee’s role and the difficulties they are experiencing.

If you are unsure which adjustments could help an employee experiencing anxiety at work, AptoLink can provide an independent workplace assessment and clear, practical recommendations.

Managers and HR teams can often introduce straightforward changes after speaking with an employee. However, there are situations in which the appropriate support is less obvious.

A workplace assessment may be helpful when:

• The employee cannot clearly identify what support they need
• Anxiety is affecting several aspects of their role
• Informal adjustments have not resolved the problem
• Occupational health has recommended workplace support
• The employee is returning after a period of absence
• Workload, communication, technology and the working environment may all be contributing
• The employer needs independent and clearly documented recommendations
• Coaching, equipment, software or changes to working practices may be required
• Existing adjustments need to be reviewed

The purpose of an assessment is not to confirm a diagnosis or provide therapy. It is to understand the relationship between the employee, their job and the barriers they are experiencing.

An AptoLink assessor looks at the employee’s individual circumstances rather than beginning with a predetermined product or solution.

The assessment can consider:

• The employee’s role and core responsibilities
• Tasks they are finding difficult
• Workload and time pressures
• Communication and meeting requirements
• Working patterns and environment
• Existing equipment and software
• Physical, sensory or cognitive barriers
• Strategies the employee is already using
• Support previously tried
• Training or coaching needs

The employer receives a clear report setting out practical recommendations. Depending on the assessment, these might include changes to working practices, workload planning, communication methods, equipment, assistive technology, accessibility settings, software training or coping strategy coaching.

Recommendations should be specific enough to implement and review. Simply advising an employer to “provide additional support” does not explain what should change, who is responsible or how success will be measured.

Occupational health and AptoLink provide different but complementary forms of support.

Occupational health may advise on how an employee’s health affects their ability to work. Its report might recommend a phased return, workplace adjustments, ergonomic support, coaching or assistive technology.

The next challenge for the employer is turning those recommendations into practical action.

AptoLink can help determine:

• Which workplace barriers need to be addressed
• What an adjustment should look like in practice
• Whether equipment or assistive technology would help
• Which software is appropriate
• Whether training or coaching is required
• How the recommendations should be implemented
• When the support should be reviewed

This gives HR teams and managers a practical route from occupational health advice to an adjustment plan that can be put into place.

A mental health condition can be considered a disability under the Equality Act 2010 when it has a substantial and long-term negative effect on someone’s ability to carry out normal daily activities.

Where the legal definition is met, the employer has a duty to make reasonable adjustments. However, employers should not assume that no support is required simply because there is no confirmed diagnosis or because the employee’s condition may not meet that definition.

Acas advises employers to explore appropriate support even where a mental health problem is not a disability. Early practical changes may help someone remain well, productive and in work.

An adjustment should not be treated as a one-off decision.

An employee’s responsibilities, health, workplace, manager or working arrangements may change. An adjustment that was effective six months ago may no longer address the current barriers.

Agree:

• What will be changed
• Who is responsible for implementing it
• When it will begin
• How the employee will know it is working
• When it will be reviewed

The first review may take place after four to eight weeks, depending on the adjustment. Further reviews can then be scheduled or triggered when something changes.

Workplace anxiety can be difficult for both the employee and the employer. The employee may struggle to explain what they need, while the manager may be concerned about suggesting the wrong solution.

AptoLink helps remove that uncertainty.

We provide independent workplace assessments and practical recommendations for employers, HR teams and occupational health professionals. Our support can include:

• Workplace needs assessments
• Workplace adjustment recommendations
• Coping strategy coaching
• DSE and ergonomic assessments
• Assistive technology and software recommendations
• Equipment and software training
• Support implementing occupational health recommendations
• Follow-up and review

At AptoLink we do not diagnose or treat anxiety. We concentrate on the workplace: the employee’s role, the barriers affecting them and the practical support that could help them work with greater confidence.

If an employee is struggling with anxiety at work, you do not have to guess what support they need.