COMMUNICATION AND SELF-CARE TRAINING FOR NON-TEACHING UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES

The work duties of non-teaching first contact employees (employees of study departments, libraries, student houses, canteens and others) at the Pavol Jozef afrik University in Koice are focused on providing assistance to students and guiding them through the various challenges of university life.In the current situation of increased levels of inclusion and diversity at universities, the demands and pressure on first contact employees are also increasing, with regard to managing various crisis situations or working with specific types of students.The main aim of this study is to a) introduce training program for non-teaching first contact employees; b) explore the perceived effectiveness of this training through the degree of perceived usefulness by employees.The training program, conducted in February 2025, focused on enhancing communication skills, conflict resolution, and self-care practices.The training employed activating teaching methods to ensure participant engagement and practical skill acquisition.Specialized lecturers delivered parts of the training, including a session on supporting students with special needs and a mindfulness workshop aimed at stress management.A total of 36 employees (mean age = 42.5;SD = 3.45) participated in the program.To assess the perceived usefulness of the training, a custom-designed questionnaire was developed, comprising three subscales: Communication, Managing Stress, and Managing Conflict, each consisting of six items.The questionnaire was administrated 2 days after the training.The internal consistency of the questionnaire was high, with Cronbach's alpha exceeding 0.85 for all subscales.Additionally, a modified version of the Session Rating Scale (SRS) with four items was administered to gather immediate feedback on the training experience.Results indicated no statistically significant differences in perceived usefulness between employees with more than ten years of experience and those with less than ten years, nor between student office employees and other staff categories (e.g., library staff, dormitory staff, international office employees).Overall, the training was evaluated as highly effective, with mean scores across all subscales exceeding 4.0, indicating a positive reception and perceived utility among participants.The findings suggest that targeted training programs employing interactive methods and addressing specific workplace challenges can effectively enhance first-contact employees' preparedness to support a diverse student body while promoting personal well-being.