In the context of our modern society, stress has become one of the biggest threats to an individual`s health and safety. Given it`s "invisible" characteristic, stress tends to be overlooked thus unaddressed, creating favorable premises for the development of both psychological and physical illness. In a very concise definition, stress is an automatic physical and mental response to challenges or any situation that forces an individual to adapt to change. It is thus clear that this response has a constant presence in our lives, in our professional, personal and social endeavors and, in this context, developing the necessary skills and accessing the proper tools to identify and manage specific risk factors has become a very important element for any individual thriving to lead a healthy lifestyle. Several studies state that work related stress issues have a significant impact on the health of people, the success of organizations and local economies. Approximatively half of European workers believe that stress is a common factor in the work place and that like other issues affecting mental health, stress can cause adverse psychological, physical and social distress. When it comes to specific industries, various studies and surveys conclude that workers in the HoReCa sector endure highly unfavorable working conditions leading to a serious risk of work related stress. As a result, The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has identified HoReCa as a high risk sector. A study released by The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work states that " long and non-standard working hours are characteristic of the HORECA sector. Most workers in Europe (63.5%) never work longer than 10 hours per day. However, in the HORECA sector 47.5% workers have a working day of 10 hours or more at least once a month. The average working week for European workers is 39.6; a worker in the HORECA sector works an average of 43.4 hours. " The same study reveals that over 71% of HOERCA staff work in the evening and more than 45% work at night Moreover, most HORECA workers work over the weekend — 83% on Saturdays and 69% on Sundays. Taking into account the demanding work hours as well as the high workload and working under time pressure with continuous customer contact, it is not surprising that individuals working in the HoReCa sector experience problems with their work-life balance and stress related illness. This is the context that prompted the development of the Healthy Life Through Stress Management project, an endeavor that addresses the risks that this unseen enemy of the human health and wellbeing pose. The target group that the project HLTSM is addressing is represented by management and executive level personnel working in HoReCa sector. Through this project, we aim to develop intellectual results that contain a set of stress identification, prevention and management tools that can enable individuals to quickly and correctly react to stress symptoms thus preventing and reducing the negative consequences. More specifically, the objectives of the project are to: - increase transversal competences of management and executive level personnel in the HoReCa sector, thus enabling them to correctly identify, address and manage workplace stress issues within their organizations. - increase soft skills in the areas of communication, collaboration, resilience and stress management - Increase the retention of employees and improve the manager-managee relationship - Increase the necessary skills that enable better prevention and management of work conflicts and accidents - Improve the overall physical and mental health of HoReCa personnel The project is designed to offer individuals the necessary skills and tools for timely identification of hazards, to develop proper involvement and commitment to ensure all issues are identified and to create the support necessary for the successful implementation of prevention measures. Through the four designed Intellectual Outputs: - Manual for the identification and management of work related stress - Mini Guide for management and executive level personnel in HoReCa industries - Video Course on the subject of work related stress - prevention and management - Online Platform that provides unlimited access to training tools and materials the project is proposing an inclusive approach using different tools and types of action thus increasing the overall chance of success of any action taken.
The main objectives we aimed to achieve through the HLTSM Project are the following: • To increase awareness regarding stress and its consequences at both personal and professional levels for HoReCa personnel • To increase transversal competences of management and executive level personnel in the HoReCa sector, thus enabling them to correctly identify, address and manage workplace stress issues within their organizations. • To increase soft skills in the areas of communication, collaboration, resilience, and stress management for HoReCa personnel • To increase the retention of employees and improve the manager-managee relationship in the HoReCa sector • To increase the necessary skills that enable better prevention and management of work conflicts and accidents in the HoReCa sector • To facilitate the improvement of the the overall physical and mental health of HoReCa personnel • To increase personal and professional skills for the project’s team members We strived to enable people who came in contact with the project to develop a mindset that includes healthy habits and behaviours that have the potential of bettering not only their physical and mental health but also their professional lives.
In a very concise definition, stress is an automatic physical and mental response to challenges or any situation that forces an individual to adapt to change. This response has a constant presence in our professional and personal lives. In this context, developing the necessary skills and accessing the proper tools to identify and manage specific risk factors has become a very important element for any individual thriving to lead a healthy lifestyle. About half of European workers believe that stress is a common factor in the work place and that like other issues affecting mental health, stress can cause adverse psychological, physical and social issues. This is the context that prompted the development of the Healthy Life Through Stress Management project, an endeavor that addresses the risks that this unseen enemy of the human health and wellbeing poses. This project was designed in order to address a series of needs such as: • The need for accessible and easy to understand educational resources on the subject • The need for an increased awareness regarding stress and its consequences from a mental and physical point of view • The need for an increased awareness regarding stress and its consequences in a professional context