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Page | 22 www.boostress.eu In addition, as well as providing a training package that will help young employees to identify, manage and overcome stress, respondents from Cyprus also recommended that the BooStress team aim to provide trainers with a comprehensive and completed training programme and tools on how to deliver workshops and training on stress management. The training programme should provide the end-users with the necessary guidelines on how to identify and deal with stress, as well as with various techniques and ICT tools to both, young professionals and trainers, for the development of stress management skills through work-based scenarios, case studies and real examples. While this recommendation was made by the research group in Cyprus, it highlights the need to provide a complete suite of resources and a holistic approach to tackling the issue of stress management among young professionals, whereby all actors are supported to address the skills and competences required to effectively manage and overcome workplace stress in our modern working environment. Conclusion The risks associated with workplace stress and psychosocial issues are among the most challenging for employers and professionals alike in Europe. Anxiety, depression and other psychosocial products of work-related stress can have a significant and lasting negative impact on the health of professionals across Europe; while also costing European employers and economies in terms of absenteeism and treatment for stress-related illnesses. Research shows that approximately half of all European employees consider workplace stress to be common. Stress is so prevalent across the European workplace that it is estimated to contribute to approximately half of all lost working days. As with many issues related to mental health and well-being, workplace stress and anxiety can be misunderstood by employers and managers, and even stigmatized. However, research shows that the impact that not addressing stress on an organisational level can end up costing the employer more in terms of employee productivity and absenteeism than if they provided support and training to employees to manage their stress. Through the BooStress project, participating partner organisations are aiming to raise awareness among employers about the negative impact that stress can have on their companies and how they can support their young employees to develop stress management skills. The project team primarily aims to support these young employees to identify when they are stressed, to manage their stress-levels in work and to develop coping strategies so that their health is not impacted by stress as a result of their work. What we have learned through our research activities, both through our literature review and our extensive consultation with target group members across Europe, is that workplace stress is a prevalent issue which impacts the health and well-being of young employees across the continent. While the situation differs for employees across the project consortium, the occurrence of stress is common in all countries. The cause of stress may differ between countries also, with youth unemployment, underemployment and access to secure employment affecting the stress levels of young people in Spain, for example; whereas the impact that stress has on health is more of concern among young professionals in Ireland. Despite these differences, young professionals in each country can be supported to develop transferrable and transversal skills that will help them to identify, manage and overcome stress, regardless of what their personal triggers for stress are. Following on from this research process, and with consideration for the outcomes of the research activities of partners, the work of the BooStress project team can now be supported by up-to-date and robust evidence base to guide the development of all project outputs; and the findings from our research can add to the conversation on workplace stress among the European workforce.
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