Take Action and Renew

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nevra Cem Ersoy, a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Izmir University of Economics (IUE), launched the ‘Harekete Geç ve Yenilen’ (Take Action and Renew) project to mitigate the effects of work stress, an inevitable outcome of modern life. Ersoy Stating that within the scope of the project, which received 385 thousand TL in support from TUBITAK, they prepared a training program to help employees plan their non-work time, Ersoy said, “We aim for employees to discover themselves, dedicate time to enjoy themselves, and thus renew and remain well in their non-work time.”

The project, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nevra Cem Ersoy from IUE Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, also includes Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Peker from Ege University and Asst. Porf. Dr. Onur Cem Doğru from Afyon Kocatepe University as researchers. Zeynep Göksü Beşkaya, an assistant at the IUE Faculty of Business and a Ph.D. student in the Industrial and Organizational Program at Middle East Technical University, is also taking part in the project as a project scholarship holder. Supported under TUBITAK's ‘Innovative Solutions Research Projects Support Program in Social Sciences and Humanities’, the project will continue until November 1, 2025.

The project, titled ‘Take action and renew!: A randomized controlled trial study for a training program developed to increase recovery experiences in non-work time’, aims to reduce the effects of work stress, which everyone inevitably experiences, and to enable employees to be happier, more energetic, and psychologically resilient. At the same time, it seeks to promote higher performance and greater dedication in their work.

HAPPIER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE

Sharing details about the project, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersoy said, “Our goal is to enable employees to experience recovery/renewal in their non-work time. We are trying to achieve this through a training program. We have developed an intervention program where employees can plan their personal lives and relax by developing hobbies. Through this intervention program, employees will be able to plan their time by learning about various recovery activities. Thus, by renewing themselves in their non-work time, they will feel more energetic and productive, and they will be more resilient to some obstacles they encounter at work. Most importantly, we aim for their happiness and well-being.”

WHAT IS ‘ME TIME’?

Stating that in this project and training, they discussed ‘me time’, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersoy said that employees reflected on their life needs and what they could do to meet those needs. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersoy said, “The training program does not aim to provide generalized solutions to everyone. Instead, the training program provides a process where each individual, considering their work, self, and circumstances, discovers what they can do to feel good for 30 minutes at the end of the day.”