Stress is subjective – and that's the problem. Anyone under constant pressure gets used to it, until their resources are suddenly depleted. A short, anonymous self-test creates an external perspective on one's own load – no doctor's appointment, no obligation to talk about it.
What does a stress test reveal in five minutes?
The self-test doesn't ask about diagnoses, but about everyday experiences: How often in the last two weeks have you felt like you were losing control? How often do you sleep poorly because of thoughts about work? When did you last truly switch off? The answers produce a picture that surprises many users – and that forms the first basis for a conscious decision to change something.
Why isn't anonymity optional?
A stress test that isn't truly anonymous – or where employees fear results might be shared – doesn't measure stress, but fear of the result. Anonymity is therefore not a nice extra but a basic requirement for valid results and genuine use. Showing follow-up offerings after the test – a course, EAP, coaching – creates a direct path from self-awareness to support. This does not replace a risk assessment: the psychosocial risk assessment looks systematically at working conditions and is, in Germany, a legal duty for every employer.
How do you put the measure in place?
- 1Identify the main stressors in the team – through a short anonymous survey or one-to-one conversations
- 2Select a suitable workshop provider for stress management, mindfulness or resilience and book a date
- 3Clarify the framework: does the workshop take place during working hours and is participation voluntary?
- 4Present the offer and openly say that psychological strain is a serious topic – without stigma
- 5Announce the first workshop date and invite people to sign up voluntarily
- 6Try out a small mindfulness exercise (e.g. 2 minutes of conscious breathing) together right away
- 7Run the workshops in stages and offer small everyday exercises between the dates
- 8Actively tackle the stressors identified – e.g. reduce meeting density or clarify availability rules
- 9Regularly create space for feedback on where strain arises in everyday work
- 10Repeat the short anonymous survey and compare it with the baseline picture
- 11Assess which exercises and measures are really used in everyday work
- 12Make effective elements permanent and keep working on structural stressors with the leadership
What do you need for it?
- Effort
- half a day
- Cost
- with budget
- Duration
- 8–12
- Setup
- 480 min
- ✓ High relevance
- ✓ Burnout prevention
- ✓ Improves the work climate
Tax and health insurance: what is possible
Employer health benefits can be tax-free under § 3 no. 34 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) up to €600 per employee per year — if they are provided in addition to the salary already owed and are either certified (§ 20 SGB V) or implemented within the company's health promotion process. Gym memberships and corporate fitness are not covered. For ZPP-certified courses (e.g. from Upfit), German statutory health insurers can reimburse all or part of the course fee to their insured members — then only the amount exceeding that reimbursement is tax-free. Projects within the company can be funded under § 20b SGB V, with no entitlement. Only your tax adviser can confirm the tax exemption.
How it works in EasyWHP
This Best Practice in EasyWHP: adopt it, adapt it, measure the effect
Once adopted, the measure is ready in EasyWHP — with instructions, an invitation and surveys before and after. You adapt what fits your company and see at the end what it achieved.
Screenshots with demo data, no real people.
Adopt it for your company
Register for free — and the measure is ready to go in your cockpit: invitation, feedback survey and appointment are already set up. First cycle, first numbers for the boss.
Try EasyWHP for freeRather take a look first? To the live demo →
Contributes to
Measure the impact with
Action field
Stress & Mental Health →A fitting occasion
- Health Insurer-Funded Course: Stress Management through Mindfulness (MBSR)
Related Best Practices
Not sure where to start? Self-check in approx. 7 minutes →