We
believe that the greatest resource any organisation has is its people.
Happy people are more productive. Increasingly stress is being seen
as a significant issue affecting people at work. A wide range of
factors can contribute to stress. These include, personality, degree
of social support (or lack of), health concerns, teenage children,
elderly relatives, financial issues, interpersonal relationships
either in the workplace or elsewhere, and other life events such
as moving house or bereavement of a close relative or friend. Stress
is a normal and essential part of daily life. Too much stress can
be disruptive. People in general do not understand stress, its mechanisms
and how to minimise its potential adverse effects.
Our Understanding
Stress presentation, is cartoon based and lasts for 100 minutes.
Dr. O’Sullivan takes people on a magical mystery tour of their
home life, their social life, their work life and their financial
affairs. This has three effects. Firstly, people see themselves
in 95% of the cartoons and are immediately relieved because they
realise that many of the problems they perceived as being only of
their own, are shared by others.
Secondly,
it takes a taboo topic "from under the table" bringing
the issue into the open allowing discussion in the workplace.
Thirdly,
experience has shown that at the end of the presentation approximately
80% of the people, who have seen themselves on 90% of the cartoons
realize that they have in most cases been worrying unnecessarily
about problems that most people have and are in fact a normal part
of life.
Others who
may have real problems - examples include panic attacks, anxiety,
depression, lack of sleep over a long period etc., etc. then know
that they can approach a member of the Ashling Occupational Health
team to talk over their problems / concerns in the first instance.
We have the resources to help these people to address their problems
and in the vast majority of cases to solve them in a sensitive and
confidential manner. Experience has shown that the sooner we get
to these people, the better the chance of success.
