Can I sue my employer for work related stress?

Can I sue my employer for work related stress? Find out by completing our special questionnaire.

With stress and anxiety accounting for nearly half the working days lost due to illness each year it is no surprise that our lawyers are increasingly being asked, ‘can I sue my employer for work related stress?’

We specialise in work related stress claims on a nationwide basis and lawyer Elizabeth Duncan’s work in this field has recently been recognised by a DASLS Legal Hero of the Year award.

It is however a very complex area of law and in order to succeed a claimant must satisfy the legal requirements that have been set out by the courts. You can read a summary of those requirements here.

If you want to know if you can sue your employer for work related stress then our expert lawyers will assess your case free of charge and let you know whether it is a case we can deal with on a no win, no fee basis.

In order to review the merits of your work related stress claim we have devised a special questionnaire. If you complete it and email it to us we will assess your case completely free of charge.

And if it is a claim we can deal with on a no win, no fee basis then you will not need to worry about being able to fund your legal costs.

The Slee Blackwell Work Related Stress Questionnaire

1. Where is/was your place of work?
2. What is/was your job role?
3. What date did you start that role?
4. When did you first become ill as a result of the work related stress?
5. What work related stress symptoms do/did you have?
6. What did your employer do, or fail to do, which in your opinion caused you to suffer work related stress?
7. Did you complain to anyone in authority at your workplace about the problems you were having or the symptoms of stress you were experiencing?
8. If you complained: (a) Was your complaint(s) verbal or written?  (b) When was your complaint(s) made? (c) What response did you receive?
9. If you made a written complaint, can you provide us with a copy, together with a copy of any response?
10. Were there any non-work related stressful events around this time that could have made you “vulnerable” to stress related illnesses, e.g. bereavement or divorce? If so, was your employer aware of these non-work related stressful events?
11. Have you ever had any previous mental health difficulties e.g. stress, depression, anxiety? If so was your employer aware of these?
12. When did you first see your GP about work related stress?
13. When did you first go off work sick as a result of work related stress?
14. If you have had several periods of work related stress, did your employer confirm after each episode whether you were fit to return to work, e.g. return to work meetings or occupational health referrals?
15. If you have had several periods of work related stress, were any changes made by your employer on your return to improve things? If so, please say what these changes were and why they were insufficient to avoid further episodes of stress related illness.
16. What do you think could have been done by your employer to alleviate your stress but was not done?
17. Did your employer offer a confidential advice service with referral to counselling or treatment services? If so, did you ever use this service?
18. What medical treatment are you currently receiving?
19. What are your current symptoms?
20. Is there anything else you think might be relevant that you would like to tell us?

Please do not worry if you cannot accurately answer all these questions at this stage, though obviously the more information you can provide the better we will be able to answer your question, ‘can I sue my employer for work related stress?’