Boostress_ebook

Page | 16 www.boostress.eu manage stress, including talking with friends and colleagues, practicing meditation, prioritising tasks and making to-do lists and one respondent mentioned that when she gets stressed in work she “stops what she is doing, takes a deep breath and works out a time-plan to complete [her] work”. When asked if they had ever undertaken training to support them in managing stress, only one participant mentioned that she had taken part in training. When asked to provide details of the training, she mentioned attended a workshop on mindfulness and a seminar called ‘less stress at your desk’. She mentioned that both workshops were useful but as they were once-off events, their impact on her work- related stress was limited and that she would require on-going support to make meaningful difference to how she manages stress in work. When asked to identify the main challenges facing young employees in Ireland today, the focus group participants mentioned the following issues: mental health problem due to stress, financial pressure, juggling work-life balance, getting the most out of your work day, maintaining positive mental health and trying to manage workload. Focus group participants were not aware of any online tools or resources that they could access to help them to manage stress. When asked to provide recommendations for the BooStress training materials, they proposed including case studies of stress management that young employees could relate to, opportunities for self-reflection, guidance on how to identify stress and some people might not be aware when they are stressed and that partners should consider presenting material in the form of an eBook that is available on Kindle. One participant also recommended that this eBook by developed as an audio book that young professionals could download and listen to when they are stressed or when they are trying to switch- off after work. Of the stakeholders who completed the research survey or took part in a focus group in Ireland, the majority (80%) were not aware of any online tools and resources to help young employees to manage stress. Where 1 employer was aware of an online tool, they mentioned that Calm App; however they did not have any experience of using this app with young professionals in their company. When asked if they provide training or support to employees, stakeholders answered that training, support and discretionary time off for sick leave are available to employees in need; however they were not able to mention any specific training or support that they have provided. When asked to identify the type of training that is available, stakeholders mentioned that general training in the areas of ‘well-being and stress management’ are available, and one employer mentioned that staff in their company attended a half-day seminar with an Irish psychologist and public speaker called: ‘the psychology of happiness’ which provided employees with support on how to practice ‘positive psychology’ and how to ‘get more flow’ in their lives. When asked to identify gaps that exist in the provision of additional training to young professionals, employers mentioned that there is a lack of financial resources within companies to provide this training and support on an ongoing basis. They also mentioned that releasing staff for training can be expensive and costly. Additionally, employers agreed that there is a general lack of awareness as to the tools and resources available to support employers in this area; however they also mentioned that they would like to see more training for employers on how to manage stress within the workplace. When asked to identify the primary training needs of young professionals from their experience of working with and managing this cohort of staff, two employers mentioned that their young employees need training in work-readiness skills and that this needs to be “linked to real-world work ethic”. They further agreed that there is “sometimes a lack of capacity and resilience amongst young professionals to cope with the demand of work pressures.” Lastly, stakeholders were asked to make recommendations and suggestions to inform the development of the BooStress training materials. Here, stakeholders recommended that training be provided in online formats and they should be free to use. One employer also advised that the BooStress partners need to consider the legal context in which companies operate when developing content and that training materials should be “employer-friendly i.e. cost neutral to implement.”