Duration: approximately 50 minutes

Aim

In this exercise participants look at how to recognize and predict typical warning signs of stress and burnout on both general and personal level. They compile a list of active means of stress management and a plan to restore their well-being in stressful situations.

Course of the exercise

» Relaxation exercise.

» The group discusses mental well-being and stress warning signs. Participants consider courses of action to relieve stress.

» Participants write down their own warning signs and successful methods for counteracting them in their Workbooks.

» The group discusses the use of alcohol as a means of coping with stress and fills in the AUDIT addiction test form.

Instructions

If you wish, you can begin the exercises with a short relaxation exercise. There is one at the end of this Trainer’s manual (Appendix 3), but you can also use a different exercise.

Begin the discussion by asking the participants how mental well-being can be seen and how a person knows that they are well.

Continue the discussion by telling the participants that stress or burnout may have distinct warning signs. Ask the participants which signals generally show that a person is either stressed or burnt out. Write down the answers.

Typical answers might be

• exhaustion, trouble sleeping
• being bad-tempered, tension
• headache and other physiological symptoms
• withdrawal, apathy
• increased alcohol consumption.

For later discussion it is advisable to mention that even a small increase in alcohol consumption is a warning sign of stress and burnout. Add “heavy or regular alcohol use” to the list if the group did not spontaneously mention it.

Ask the participants to consider what they should do if they detect in themselves any of the warning signs of stress or burnout that came up in this discussion. Record the proposals next to the warning signs.

Note

For each warning sign, write a proposed solution.

Task

Ask the participants to consider whether they have noticed typical warning signs in their own behaviour (Workbook p. 39). Ask them to reflect on ways in which to help them deal with the situation. Allow 8–10 minutes for this task.

Finally, ask the participants what means they use to overcome stressful situations. You can tell them it may be helpful to refer back to these Workbook pages now and then in the future.

In conclusion, discuss alcohol consumption.

If there is time, you can fill in the AUDIT addiction test form at the end of the Workbook, which occupational health services generally use. Allow four minutes to complete the form. Inform the participants that they can compare their score with the table on the next page. If required, they can fill in the form at home.

Remind them that the effects of alcohol are typically relaxing at first, but that continuous alcohol consumption impairs sleep quality, even when the amounts consumed are small. Finally, stress that the AUDIT addiction test form results will remain known only to themselves. You may also inform them that the purpose of the form is to offer tools for monitoring their own consumption. If the participants become worried about their own alcohol consumption or ask for additional information on the effects of alcohol, you can encourage them to contact their own occupational health services or their own doctor.

Note

The employer is responsible for their employee’s safety and health at work. As well as the employee’s physical and mental safety, the employer is also obliged to monitor the work community’s social functionality, which should already be taken into consideration when designing work and the work environment. However, one should remember that in order to move things forward, it is important to participate actively and constructively in presenting needs for change and in developing activities.

Duration: approximately 45 minutes

Aim

The aim is to encourage participants to think about their expectations and the opportunities of their future career. This exercise acts as a basis for an action plan. The participants also receive information on opportunities for flexible working time arrangements.

Course of the exercise

» The group discusses the contents and significance of work through an example case.

» Participants look at different options for work and working time arrangements.

Instructions

Read or ask someone to read aloud the following example case (Workbook p. 43).

L had been working as a nurse in a hospital for a long time. Suddenly a head nurse’s position opened up and L was asked to take it. L hesitated but finally agreed to accept the position. After some time, however, L noticed that the work was no longer enjoyable.

Discuss in the group what had happened to L. Write down the answers.

Then ask for ways in which to resolve the situation. What should L do?

Continue the discussion by informing the group that temporarily lightening your workload or some other arrangement is sometimes necessary to, for example, facilitate commuting or a particular life situation. Ask the participants what sort of options they know of that are already in use.

Make sure that the following arrangements are mentioned:

• sabbatical
• study leave
• reduced working hours
• part-time work
• partial retirement.

Stress that all agreements to lighten one’s workload must always be negotiated with one’s employer. The employer has no obligation to arrange, for example, part-time work.

It is advisable to provide up-to-date information on working time arrangements.

Huomioi

It is important to discuss the options specifically available in the participants’ own organization. It is useful if you can provide the participants with material on the opportunities their employer offers regarding flexible work, other working time arrangements or, for example, retirement.

Flexible working time arrangements

Sabbatical

A sabbatical refers to a longer-term unpaid leave of absence from work. Some sabbaticals may also be statutory, for example, study leave.

Part-time work

Part-time work refers to work in which the employee’s working hours are shorter than regular working hours.

Reduced working hours

Reduced working hours refer to a temporary solution in which the employee and the employer agree to reduce the length of the employee’s working day for a fixed period.

Partial retirement

Taking partial retirement means changing from full-time work to part-time work, in which case a pension covers part of the diminished earnings.

Note

Possibilities for working time arrangements may vary. All agreements must always be negotiated with employer.

Duration: approximately 10 minutes

Aim

The aim of the exercise is to sum up the tools for promoting one’s own work, career management and well-being that have been covered during the programme.

Instructions

Allow the participants few minutes to flip through their own Workbooks and recall the themes covered during this programme. Then ask them which of the topics or themes have been most useful or important from the point of view of their own work and ability to cope at work.

Write these down on the flip chart and leave them on display for the participants.
Tell the participants that the next task is to compile an action plan to achieve a concrete work or career target.

Duration: approximately 15 minutes

Aim

This exercise forms the basis of an action plan. Participants think about their own lives and their objectives six months from now as concretely as possible.

Instructions and task

Ask every participant to think as specifically as possible of how they see their own situation as regards work management, well-being at work, work and leisure time six months from now and to describe this in their Workbooks (p. 46). If a participant is content with their situation, they can write down the things they would like to remain unchanged.

Note

Irrespective of the clarity of their career plans, everyone should compile an individual personal action plan concerning their careers. The plan may be either a precise, immediate action plan regarding a specific work issue, or a far-reaching career plan.

The main issue is that the action plan is realistic, as specific as possible and includes a plan for potential setbacks. A plan based on good self-knowledge and active readiness increases both the ability to cope with one’s workload and the likelihood of successful work solutions.

Duration: approximately 30 minutes

Aim

The aim is to compile a concrete, scheduled action plan to reach targets.

Task

The Workbook (pp. 47–50 ) contains a space for an action plan. Ask the participants to consider their goals regarding their work tasks, development and expertise and how they might achieve them. Interim goals should be as specific as possible and pertain to the near future. Reaching interim goals motivates a person to proceed with determination towards a main goal.

If there is time after completing the exercise, you can divide the participants into pairs or small groups to discuss their respective action plans, for approximately seven minutes.

Duration: approximately 30 minutes

Aim

The aim is to commit each participant to their own action plan to promote their career management.

Instructions and task

Ask participants to open their Workbooks on page 50  and write down their action plan in one or two sentences in the space provided. There is also “an empty picture frame” on page 54 , in which participants can put their own action plans in the form of a drawing.

After the exercise, ask the participants to tell you about their action plans one at a time. There is, however, no obligation to make the action plan public if a participant does not wish to do so.

Then ask the participants to familiarize themselves with the form on page 53  of the Workbook, designed for feedback discussions or performance appraisals with their supervisors. Inform the group that the form acts as a checklist of what has been covered during the programme and that they can use it in performance appraisals as well as in feedback discussions with their supervisors. If you wish, you can present your own performance appraisal form. It is preferable that participants fill in the form during the group work.

Conclusion

After the exercises, discuss how the week’s programme has helped the participants develop goals and promoted work management and their ability to cope at work.

Finally, thank the participants for their action plans.