Stress at Work Claims for Military Personnel

Military personnel are not immune to workplace stress, and in some cases, the pressure can be overwhelming. Common claims related to stress in the workplace include:

• Workplace Bullying: Physical or verbal abuse, being belittled, excluded, or subjected to malicious pranks, aggressive behaviour, or passive-aggressive treatment.
• Harassment: Threats, physical or verbal assault, sexual harassment, or attacks based on protected characteristics (e.g., race, gender). This can overlap with workplace bullying.
• Inadequate Training: Being expected to perform a job without sufficient training can lead to undue pressure and stress, particularly in demanding military roles.
• Excessive Workload: Being assigned more tasks than one person can reasonably handle, affecting both professional and personal life.
• Denial of Rights: Denial of basic rights such as toilet or lunch breaks, refusal to allow time off for medical appointments, or being forced to stay after hours without justification.
• Unfair Policies: Unfair or selective application of rules, unreasonable demands, or being singled out to perform tasks beyond your capacity.
• Neglect of Physical or Mental Health: When an employer is aware of an existing mental health condition but fails to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the individual’s needs.

If your employer has not met their legal duty to safeguard your mental health, and you’ve suffered as a result, you may be entitled to pursue compensation.

To make a successful stress claim, you must prove that the stress you’ve experienced at work has escalated into a recognised psychiatric condition.

If so, you may be eligible for general damages—compensation for the pain and suffering caused by your employer’s negligence.

Claims for stress-related psychiatric injuries are subject to strict time limits. You must start proceedings within three years of becoming aware that your stress-related injury was caused by work. This is often from the date you first seek medical advice, but each case is assessed individually.

In some cases, additional claims can be made under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, which has a six-year time limit.

If you’re unsure about your specific time limit, Oakwood Solicitors can advise you on the best course of action and whether you are eligible to make a claim.

Yes, you can.

It is not a requirement for someone making a claim to still work for the intended defendant company. Likewise, it is not a requirement for the employee to have to leave in order to make a claim.

If the case did not settle, then ultimately the matter would proceed to Court where a Judge would make a determination. Most cases, however, do settle out of Court, so although this is an unlikely eventuality, we cannot rule it out as an impossibility.

If you do have any concerns about this during the process of your claim, then we would be happy to discuss this with you and address any concerns you may have.