23.06.2023 Sabrina Ludwig 54649

Risk assessment for mental stress

Noise, shift work, frequent disruptions, little social support: there are many influences that can put long-term strain on an employee's psyche. If he or she is then absent for a long time, it costs the company a lot of money. This makes it all the more important for employers to carry out a legally compliant mental stress risk assessment (mental health risk assessment).

1 What is a mental stress risk assessment?

Every year, there are around 60 million days of incapacity to work due to mental illness. In addition, early retirement due to mental illness is increasing rapidly. This causes enormous economic damage to companies.

The aim of the mental stress risk assessment is to prevent health hazards and mental stress in the workplace and to relieve employees. The psychological risk assessment helps to find out which measures can be taken to make work healthier and less stressful.

2. how often must a GBU Psyche be carried out?

To protect employees, the Occupational Health and Safety Act provides for a regular review of mental stress, as working conditions and stress factors can change over time. The GBU Psyche is therefore not regarded as a one-off measure, but is implemented on an ongoing basis. It is recommended that companies repeat the GBU Psyche regularly every two to three years to ensure that potential mental stress is identified and appropriate measures are taken.

However, there may also be situations in which an earlier review is necessary:
Critical feedback from employees, the occurrence of occupational illnesses or high absenteeism are possible indications that the GBU Psyche should be continued or repeated earlier.

3. is the risk assessment the employer's duty?

Since 2013, the risk assessment of mental stress (mental health risk assessment) has been a statutory occupational health and safety requirement for all employers with one or more employees. It is regulated in the Occupational Health and Safety Act §§ 5, 6.

This means that all companies and employers must also identify the risks to their employees arising from mental stress at work.

4 Why is a GBU Psyche necessary?

As the GBU Psyche is legally mandatory for all companies with one or more employees, it should not only be carried out when there are already clear signs of mental stress in the workplace. It should be carried out preventively in order to identify potential stress at an early stage and initiate measures.

In addition to the legal obligation, it is advisable to carry out a GBU Psyche for the following reasons

1. Change in the workplace: If there are changes in the work processes, the company itself or the working conditions, it is important to carry out a GBU Psyche in order to identify potential risks from the changed situation for mental health and take appropriate measures.
2. High workload and stress factors: If the workload is continuously high, psychological stress factors are present or there are signs of burnout or other mental problems, a GBU Psyche should be carried out. This allows stress to be identified quickly and strategies for coping with and preventing stress to be developed.
3. Feedback from employees as workplace experts: When employees comment on psychological stress, this should be taken seriously. This is because a mental health assessment can help to determine the exact causes of the stress and discuss suitable measures to improve working conditions. Incorporating feedback also helps to identify resources and existing strengths within the company.
4. Prevention: Before mental stress becomes a problem in the company, a mental health GBU is recommended. This promotes the well-being of employees in general and can ensure a better working atmosphere from the outset.

5 What psychological stresses exist in the workplace?

Mental stress in the workplace is often divided into these five areas:

1. Work content/work task (e.g. completeness of the task, scope for action)
2. Work organization (e.g. working hours, work interruptions)
3. Social relationships (e.g. number of social contacts, social support, qualifications of managers) 
4. Working environment (e.g. noise, lighting, ergonomics) 
5. New forms of work (e.g. mobility, atypical working conditions, more flexible working hours)

6 How do I implement a GBU Psyche in my company?

However, before a mental health risk assessment can be successfully implemented, many companies are faced with the question of how to implement it in the first place. This is because there are no general regulations on how implementation should be carried out in concrete terms, only the requirement that it should take place within the general risk assessment. It is therefore up to the employer to decide how the mental stress risk assessment should ultimately be carried out.

In this way, the design of the individual process steps of a GBU psyche can be adapted to the framework conditions, needs and structures of the company and the methods suitable for the company can be selected for determination.

Employee surveys, observation interviews or workshops can be used to determine this. A combination of methods is also possible. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach should be considered and the specific requirements and existing structures of the company should be taken into account in order to determine the most suitable method for the company).

7. can anyone carry out a GBU Psyche?

An internal working group can be formed in the company or existing structures can be used, which can consist of representatives from important areas such as management, HR, the works council, occupational health and safety, managers, equal opportunities officers, representatives for severely disabled employees, etc. However, it should be noted that the necessary expertise must be available and data protection must be guaranteed.

In addition, an external service provider can be called in who has experience in the implementation of a GBU Psyche and can derive suitable measures.

8 Process steps for implementing the psychological risk assessment

The guideline of the Joint German Occupational Safety and Health Strategy (GDA) recommends the following process steps for the implementation of psychological risk assessment:

Step 1: Defining activities/areas
Step 2: Determining the mental workload
Step 3: Assessing the mental workload
Step 4: Developing and implementing measures
Step 5: Monitoring effectiveness
Step 6: Updating/updating
Step 7: Documentation

From: Recommendations for implementing the risk assessment of mental stress,
Arbeitsschutz in der Praxis, GDA 2017, p. 6

9 What happens if a company does not carry out a GBU Psyche?

If companies fail to comply with this obligation under occupational health and safety law despite repeated requests to do so, thereby endangering the life or health of an employee, the consequences may include high fines of up to 25,000 euros and the closure of the affected work area, as well as imprisonment.

Companies are therefore obliged to identify risk factors for their employees and to develop, implement and check the effectiveness of suitable measures. This cycle must be carried out regularly to ensure legal certainty in the long term.

10. risk assessment of mental stress with the pme's "safety package" Familienservice



The risk assessment of mental stress can be daunting for many companies. After all, there are a number of process steps that need to be observed in order to keep the cycle legally compliant and as comprehensible as possible.

That is why we have developed a legally compliant, modular, efficient and needs- and employee-oriented GBU Psyche Safety package. With this basic package, we provide you with all the necessary measures you need to carry out a complete and legally compliant risk assessment in your company.

Fast and transparent: advantages of a risk assessment with the pme Familienservice

• With our GBU Psyche, you can quickly and transparently see where the shoe pinches in your workforce. 
• You immediately recognize the motivating factors and adjusting screws and can use, expand or adapt them. 
• You can see transparently which framework conditions limit the scope for influence (e.g. lack of childcare when working from home) 
• The GBU Psyche promotes internal exchange and mutual learning (best practice) and also strengthens the motivation of the workforce.
• All employees have access to the Mindance app.

Would you like to implement a mental stress risk assessment in your company?

Would you like to implement a risk assessment in your company or are you interested in further customization options?

Then talk to your personal business customer advisor.

You have not yet worked with us? Feel free to contact us by phone or using the contact form. Our business customer advisors will get back to you as soon as possible.