Course overview
Work pressure becomes a health and performance risk when demands consistently exceed a person’s capacity, control, support or recovery time. It can show up as fatigue, irritability, poor concentration, absence, conflict, errors or disengagement. Staff and managers need practical ways to recognise early warning signs, manage their own stress responses, have constructive conversations and seek appropriate help without attempting to diagnose colleagues.
This course examines workplace mental health, stress, burnout and psychosocial risks through established models including the HSE Management Standards, the Job Demands-Resources Model and cognitive behavioural techniques. Participants assess their main stressors, identify unhelpful thinking patterns, use recovery and regulation methods, set workable boundaries and improve conversations about workload and wellbeing. They also learn how to respond appropriately when a colleague appears distressed, maintain confidentiality within its limits, and use referral and escalation routes.
Teaching combines short instructor briefings with realistic cases, facilitated discussion, group analysis, conversation simulations and individual planning. Cases address common situations such as sustained workload pressure, difficult stakeholder interactions, return from absence, remote-working isolation and a colleague showing signs of acute distress. Participants leave with a personal stress-management and recovery plan, a structured stressor assessment, practical boundary scripts and a workplace support conversation guide.
The course suits professionals who need to manage their own wellbeing while contributing to a healthier working climate. It is particularly relevant for line managers, HR professionals, team leaders, project staff and people-facing roles in demanding public, corporate, financial and NGO settings.
