Until recently ignorance about stress has meant that senior management have often failed to be proactive in bringing it onto the management agenda. Usually reactive interventions have been their best attempt at tackling the issue after it has become acute e.g. by providing counselling for an employee suffering from stress rather than making efforts to prevent stress in their workplace. This can be likened to providing excellent medical care for an employee physically injured at work without having regard for the conditions that have harmed them.

An ISMA study highlighted that ignorance was the major barrier to doing something about work related stress:

There is now a recognised way forward, which is already proven on a monetary level alone to provide a high return on the initial investment - a ratio reported as high as 1:9 (that is £9 re-couped for every £1 invested) in some companies. 

There are three main thrusts to tackling stress in the work place:

Primary - eliminate or reduce the sources of stress by assessing risks and changing the environment (physical and mental).

Secondary - help managers and individuals understand stress and its causes and effects and to take actions to avoid and manage stress.

Tertiary - assist individuals suffering from stress usually with an emphasis on altering the individual's situation or perception rather than addressing the cause.