Minimising and Managing Workplace Stress

A First Steps NZ Resource by the Mental Health Foundation

This resource is designed to support understanding around workplace stress, including how work impacts stress, how stress impacts individuals and what works to minimise and manage stress. Because stress is triggered by both what is happening around us and by our own personal experiences, this resource helps you explore what organisations can do to minimise and help manage stress, as well as what individuals can do.

Stressed woman sitting at her work desk

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View and download our most popular First Steps NZ tools and resources.

Work with it – Neurodivergent business owners

Work with it – Neurodivergent business owners

A practical, colourful tool for neurodivergent business owners — day-to-day workarounds for running a business with an ADHD or autistic brain. It’s organised by the moment things jam up rather than by diagnosis: starting and stopping, remembering and time, admin and people, sensory load and energy. Tick what sounds like you and the relevant workarounds open up, then build a one-page plan you can print or download. Built with adjustable text size and a calm mode for lower visual load.

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Spot It Say It

Spot It Say It

An interactive guide for sole traders and solo operators on catching burnout early — and finding the words for the client conversations you’ve been avoiding. Work through a seven-point self-check that shows you where overload is actually sitting, then use nine ready-made scripts for extending a deadline, declining a rush job, pushing back on scope creep, chasing an overdue invoice, raising your rates, or ending a client relationship. Includes what to do if a client pushes back, a two-minute weekly reset, and where to get support in Aotearoa.

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Nice Isn’t Free: What It Costs to Be Easy to Work With

Nice Isn’t Free: What It Costs to Be Easy to Work With

Every workplace has one. The person who says yes. Who picks up the job nobody else wants, stays late without being asked, absorbs the difficult client, and never makes a fuss. They’re described in the same words at every performance review: great to work with, real team player, no dramas.

They are also, quite often, the person closest to falling over. And nobody can see it, including them.

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How to respond to wellbeing concerns: The Decision Tree

How to respond to wellbeing concerns: The Decision Tree

This video series is designed to help leaders and managers feel more confident and prepared when supporting team members who may be struggling with their wellbeing. Each video walks through a key stage of the process—from recognising early signs and preparing for a conversation, through to managing sensitive situations like privacy concerns or suicide risk.

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The Hidden ADHD Experience in Women

The Hidden ADHD Experience in Women

For many people with ADHD, late diagnosis is the norm rather than the exception[1]. While some are identified in childhood, many, especially women, are left undetected until adulthood, often after years of struggling to meet life’s increasing demands. The reason for this delay appears to lie in gendered expectations.

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